Thanking our generous supporters
May 3, 2022
We just wrapped up Donor Recognition Weekend, featuring two full days of events honoring our incredible alumni and supporters.
On Friday, we celebrated the first cohort of the Heartland Academy Scholars as they prepare for graduation and commemorated an additional $1.8 million contribution by Sue and Irl Engelhardt. Established in 2018 through the vision and generosity of the Engelhardts, Heartland Scholars Academy supports first-generation students at our Trulaske College of Business. Over four years, the program prepares them for success at Mizzou and offers hands-on business experience. We are excited to extend the program’s impact far into the future.
Our additional events celebrated some of our most committed donors at the Jefferson Club annual dinner, as well as supporters of our Library Society and the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence.
We are grateful for the deep enthusiasm for Mizzou’s mission.
— Mun
Commending faculty excellence
April 29, 2022
On Wednesday, we kicked off our inaugural Faculty Excellence Week by recognizing more than 50 faculty members who received awards over the past two years.
The following day, we gathered in the Ellis Library Reading Room to highlight more than 30 new faculty books published during 2021. We’ll conclude on May 4 by recognizing our five 2022 William T. Kemper Fellows for Teaching Excellence – Mizzou’s highest teaching distinction.
Our world-class faculty are leaders in their fields and uphold the university’s mission of teaching, research and outreach. We’re proud to celebrate faculty excellence both this week and throughout the year.
— Mun
Visiting Chillicothe with our Litton Leadership Scholars
April 25, 2022
It was great to be in Chillicothe to celebrate our 2021-22 Litton Leadership Scholars.
Our College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources chose scholars to complete an immersive leadership development experience. Participants shared how the program contributed to their professional growth and met with members of the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation and the local community.
We started the program 10 years ago in memory of Jerry Litton – a former U.S. House representative, Senate candidate, Mizzou alum and Chillicothe resident. Since its founding, more than 200 students have participated.
I was proud to recognize their accomplishments and hear from the next generation of Missouri ag leaders. We also recently announced our next cohort of Litton Leadership Scholars for 2022-23.
— Mun
Student-designed sweatshirt available now in the Mizzou Store
April 21, 2022
Visit the Mizzou Store today and check out a limited-edition Champion brand sweatshirt designed by students in MU’s Department of Textile and Apparel Management (TAM).
Throughout the semester, eight TAM student teams created retro-inspired Mizzou clothing for the Champion College Vault Collection Competition. Three students – AJ Hayes, Raven Smith and Joey White – had their work selected by Champion for mass production.
All students in the class collaborated with representatives from Champion and the Mizzou Store, providing an inside look at the design industry. Their work will be sold in the Mizzou Store this fall, but you can get an early preview of the sweatshirt right now (while they last).
Hands-on learning takes many forms at Mizzou, but it starts with student creativity and great industry partners like Champion.
— Mun
McNair Scholar excellence
April 20, 2022
On Saturday, I helped kick off the 33rd annual MU McNair Scholars Program Research Conference.
McNair is a federal program that prepares undergraduate students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in graduate education for advanced degrees.
MU McNair Scholars spend an entire academic year collaborating with faculty mentors on wide-ranging research projects – from international politics, to astrophysics, to school psychology. The scope of their final work is impressive.
At Mizzou, we have a proud legacy of McNair Scholar excellence. We were one of the first 14 universities to host the program when it launched in 1989. MU McNair Scholars have become groundbreaking academics – including Marcia Chatelain, who won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for History.
As one of many initiatives in the Office of Access and Leadership Development in the Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, McNair helps us build an inclusive community in which all are supported in reaching their goals. Congratulations to those who presented.
— Mun
Applauding our Chess Team and supporters
April 15, 2022
On Tuesday, we marked the incredibly quick success of MU’s Chess Team and the global name it is making for itself.
Just three years in the making, our team has scored national and international wins under the leadership of head coach (and Grandmaster) Cristian Chirila. Several top-tier players from across the globe are now coming to MU to compete with this team.
We know there’s still more to do – including winning a national championship.
Thanks to the vision and collaboration of Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, the Saint Louis Chess Club and MU’s College of Arts and Science, we have the team, leadership and support needed to grow and achieve excellence.
— Mun
Tigers at the Capitol
April 12, 2022
On Monday, I traveled to the State Capitol in Jefferson City for Undergraduate Research Day.
In the third-floor rotunda, 13 Tiger researchers presented projects as varied as using soy waste to create more sustainable pasta products, developing new radiopharmaceuticals and protecting Missouri wine grapes. They joined students from throughout the UM System – displaying the full range of innovation happening across the state.
Today’s research is tomorrow’s life-improving breakthrough. Undergraduate Research Day shows that students are already building the future of Missouri and upholding our shared mission of service.
It was great joining state elected officials and Capitol visitors to celebrate student research in such an impressive setting.
— Mun
Meet our MizzouForward faculty candidates
April 7, 2022
One of MizzouForward’s many ambitious goals is to hire 150 new faculty in key research areas by 2026. We’ve already made progress, and we continue to aggressively recruit world-class researchers who can contribute to our mission of improving lives.
As part of the recruitment process, MizzouForward candidates are invited on campus to share their research and discuss its impact. These MizzouForward Keynote lectures allow our current faculty and students to engage with groundbreaking ideas and to spark new collaborations.
There is a MizzouForward Keynote this afternoon, as well as several more next week. Both in-person and virtual attendance options are available. I hope you’ll attend and meet our accomplished candidates for yourself.
— Mun
Illustrating ‘Indigenous Brilliance’
March 28, 2022
I recently ran into Joseph Erb, an assistant professor in the School of Visual Studies, on Francis Quadrangle. I had not seen him in person due to the pandemic. We connected about family and work and he shared his art project that is featured in the new First Americans Museum.
The artwork, titled “Indigenous Brilliance,” is a digital illustration on copper panels spanning two stories. It references historical events as well as Native contributions in agriculture, astronomy and civil societies.
The piece is a permanent installation at the First Americans Museum, one of the largest Indigenous museums in the United States.
I can’t wait to visit Oklahoma City to see the artwork in person.
— Mun
Rebuilding in the Bootheel
March 24, 2022
Today I traveled to Gobler, a town near the center of Missouri’s Bootheel to thank those who assisted after an EF4 tornado struck the area in December. Governor Parson, federal, state and local officials, as well as members of our MU community, joined me.
In addition to celebrating first responders and the many resilient residents of southeast Missouri, I was also proud to acknowledge the work of MU’s Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center (FD-REEC). With research locations throughout the region, FD-REEC staff were well-positioned to remove debris and provide support in the days and weeks after the storm.
Service is at the core of our university, and it drives our outreach throughout the state. I’m honored MU could join local and state partners to help when it was most needed.
— Mun