Celebrating Mizzou families 

Sep. 8, 2023

Each member of our community plays an important role in supporting student success, including our dedicated Tiger families. We’re thrilled to show our appreciation and celebrate their impact during Mizzou’s annual Family Weekend. 

Beginning today, there’s a full schedule of free events, starting with a noon Football Friday Spirit Rally at Traditions Plaza. Later this evening, families can stroll to Francis Quadrangle for Illumination on the Quad, or enjoy a free movie in Leadership Auditorium at the Student Center. Tomorrow, we encourage everyone to attend one of several Mizzou tailgates and fill the stands at Memorial Stadium as we take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. 

Throughout the weekend, families are also invited to explore Columbia and – most importantly – to connect with their students’ experiences on campus. I can’t wait to meet Tiger families and to share our incredible community. 

— Mun 

Empowering strong communities in rural Missouri

Sep. 6, 2023

While in the Bootheel, I was pleased to attend the opening of an important new facility in Caruthersville. The New Day Recovery Center is a project of Divine Holiness Outreach Ministries (DHOM) and will offer housing and job training to individuals seeking recovery from drug and alcohol use. DHOM is a local partner for MU’s ParentLink – a unit of the College of Education & Human Development that is based in the Bootheel – and this new center offers an additional way to reach community members.

Over fifteen years, ParentLink has developed strong relationships in rural southeast Missouri. Partnering with trusted community organizations like DHOM helps more parents and caregivers access the no-cost assistance provided by ParentLink. A dedicated team of ParentLink navigators offers a range of services in Caruthersville and throughout the state by connecting parents to vetted resources that meet their needs, providing evidence-based information and helping them navigate barriers encountered along the way.

Many leading state officials attended the event, including Gov. Mike Parson. University of Missouri Board Chair Michael Williams, Curator Keith Holloway, Curator Robin Wenneker and General Counsel Mark Menghini were also present. Curator Holloway is from the region and is a dedicated supporter and donor to the center’s mission. Other MU representatives included Chad Higgins, interim vice chancellor for extension and engagement, Bradd Anderson, ParentLink director, and Freda Kershaw, ParentLink associate director, southeast Missouri.

It was great to be in the Bootheel and celebrate this vital effort.

— Mun

Mizzou Football is back: Let’s turn Missouri black & gold 

Aug. 29, 2023

Mizzou Football is almost here, and I can’t wait! 

The season opener against South Dakota is Thursday. I hope you’ll join me in cheering for our Tigers as they take on the Coyotes at Faurot Field. We’re thrilled that SEC Nation will also be at Memorial Stadium to highlight our incredible student-athletes and community. 

Adding to the excitement, the first game means the return of Black & Gold Fridays. Each Friday during football season, Mizzou fans show their support by wearing their favorite Tiger gear. This Friday is also annual College Colors Day – another excellent reason to represent MU with pride. 

We have a great coach, talented student-athletes, a visionary athletic director and a strong fan base. Those are the elements we need to build a championship culture and compete at the highest level. Our Tigers are ready to rise to the occasion and shock the nation all season long. 

— Mun

Sharing the power of MURR with Lt. Gov. Kehoe

Aug. 25, 2023

On Wednesday, I accompanied Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe on a tour of the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). MURR Executive Director Matt Sanford led the tour, and we were proud to highlight our work producing medical isotopes for more than 1.6 million cancer and heart disease patients each year.

We also discussed the university’s plan to grow MURR’s lifesaving impact. This fall, we’ll celebrate the groundbreaking of MURR West, an addition to the existing facility that adds more lab, production and administrative space. We’ve also made incredible progress on NextGen MURR – a new, state-of-the-art reactor that will expand our capacity to produce medical isotopes that will be used in advanced cancer medicines for decades to come.

I enjoyed sharing our record of safety and excellence with Lt. Gov. Kehoe. Thanks to support from state leaders, we are securing MURR’s place as the world’s most important university research reactor for fighting cancer, while also attracting innovative research, economic investment and jobs to Missouri.

— Mun

A trusted partner for northwest Missouri

Aug. 23, 2023

Last August, I attended the groundbreaking of a new machine shed at the Graves-Chapple Extension and Education Center in northwest Missouri. I was pleased to return this year for the ribbon cutting, as well as the center’s annual fish fry and field day. More than 140 community members visited for the celebrations.

The new facility houses essential equipment in one central location and offers expanded capacity for community events. The additional space also provides room for future growth as staff extend their outreach and explore innovative techniques to help local agribusiness, like using GPS for precision farming and drones to monitor and spray crops. The building was funded thanks to the support of the Missouri General Assembly.

I appreciate the dedication shown by our elected officials and the center’s advisory board and staff to advancing agriculture throughout the region.

— Mun

Championing our student-athletes

Aug. 17, 2023

We were pleased to welcome Gov. Mike Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and many elected officials to Memorial Stadium for the signing of Missouri House Bill 417. State leaders were joined by Curator Wenneker, representatives from MU and Mizzou Athletics, as well as coaches and student-athletes to celebrate this cutting-edge legislation that benefits current and future Tigers.

To win championships, we need to recruit the best players – especially from our own state. This law lets student-athletes achieve their ambitious goals while still competing close to home. Our lawmakers have created a new way forward that serves students and is a model of integrity for others to follow across the country.

The bill passed overwhelmingly in both chambers, and we’re grateful for the vision of our elected officials and the support of Gov. Parson and Lt. Gov. Kehoe. Thanks to their leadership, we can continue to deliver even more for student-athletes and our gameday best to fans everywhere.

— Mun

Honors College students meet research head on

Aug. 15, 2023

Since 1958, the MU Honors College has provided world-class learning and research opportunities to generations of remarkable Tigers. There are now more ways than ever for Honors College students to get involved and create solutions that change the world. 

The Cherng Summer Scholars program concluded last month and featured the largest cohort in MU history. Cherng Summer Scholars explored potential cancer treatments, international migration and human behavior, along with many other ambitious projects. The program provides mentorship as well as research funding and is supported by a gift from Andrew and Peggy Cherng and the Panda Charitable Foundation.

As we begin the fall semester, the college is welcoming more than 950 students – 100 more than last year. Among the incoming class are eight participating in Stamps Scholars, Mizzou’s premiere scholarship program. These incredible students receive a four-year scholarship, a significant enrichment fund, as well as mentorship to achieve their research goals. We’ve partnered with the national Stamps Scholars Program since 2016 to bring some of the country’s best students to Mizzou, and we’re eager to see what this new group will accomplish.

Throughout the Honors College, we’ve also made transformative investments in student success and undergraduate research. For example, in the last year we hired seven additional advisors, brought in additional faculty members and developed a new interdisciplinary Social Science sequence. We are growing the Honors College to even better prepare students to address society’s biggest challenges. 

Our world-class students are driven to make a difference. The Honors College gives Tigers the tools and support they need to create discoveries with impact.

— Mun

Join us for Mizzou Day at the Missouri State Fair!

Aug. 10, 2023

The Missouri State Fair officially begins this morning in Sedalia, and we’re thrilled to kick things off with the very first Mizzou Day! Join us for a full schedule of Tiger-themed events celebrating our impact across the state.

The fun continues the rest of the week at Mizzou Central, a one-stop destination for all things MU. Grab a scoop of Tiger Stripe ice cream and attend one of many demonstrations led by faculty and staff. We’ll also host free screenings from MU Health Care and booths with representatives from CAFNR, MU Extension, Mizzou Athletics and departments across campus – along with free giveaways and exclusive merch only available at Mizzou Central.

For 16 years the University of Missouri has been a proud partner of the State Fair, and this year we have a larger presence than ever before as a Grand Champion sponsor. Stop by Mizzou Central and learn how we’re fulfilling our land-grant mission to improve lives in Missouri.

— Mun

Note: Check out photos from Mizzou Day on Show Me Mizzou.

Mizzou Made connections

Aug. 7, 2023

During a recent trip to New York City, I struck up a conversation with Emily Van Zandt, a University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna who noticed my Mizzou shirt.

Emily graduated in 2009 and is now a senior program manager of event content at Amazon Web Services, a job that takes her around the globe. She’s had a distinguished career as a reporter for the Kansas City Star, the Chicago Tribune, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and as an editor at the Washington Business Journal. It was great to hear her story and how the School of Journalism prepared her for success.

Emily also shared that her husband, Chad Day, is a fellow ‘09 J-School graduate and the chief elections analyst for The Associated Press (AP). In that role, he’s one of three people who review and approve the AP’s final call on election results. Like Emily, Chad has had an impressive career in journalism – first at the Kansas City Star and then at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Before the AP, Chad was the lead data reporter for The Wall Street Journal and was on the team that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting. Also on the team were two other School of Journalism grads, Coulter Jones and James Grimaldi.

The MU connections don’t stop there. Emily’s father, Mark Van Zandt, is a longtime member of the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Missouri System.

I enjoyed meeting Emily, and I’m proud to see our alumni are achieving incredible things. No matter where you go, the Mizzou community is never far away.

— Mun

Animal Sciences team wins second consecutive national academic quadrathlon

July 25, 2023

MU’s Animal Sciences Academic Quadrathlon team recently earned the top title at the American Society of Animal Science National Meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. It’s the second year in a row that a team of Mizzou students has won. Congratulations to Aliyah Luntsford, Catriona Chew, Caleigh Grote and Alexia Sweiger.

The academic quadrathlon is comprised of a laboratory practicum, scientific presentation, written exam and a quiz bowl. To qualify, the team first won a local event, followed by a regional competition in Madison, Wis. At the national meeting, they defeated teams from Texas A&M, Penn State and the University of Wyoming.

Caleigh is a senior animal sciences major, Aliyah and Catriona are studying veterinary medicine at Mizzou and Alexia graduated in the spring. Along the way, the team received incredible support from Hannah Twenter, an animal sciences instructor, as well as Animal Sciences Division Director Bryon Wiegand.

CAFNR programs, including animal sciences, are shaping the next generation of ag leaders. The academic quadrathlon team shows that our students are among the best in the country. Great job, Tigers!

— Mun