President Choi’s Blog
Congratulations to the Mizzou Chess Team
March 30, 2021
Congratulations to the Mizzou Chess Team! Formed only a few years ago with contributions from the Saint Louis Chess Club, which is supported by Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield, our Chess Team reached the International Chess Federation’s World University Online Championships this past weekend. This tournament attracted over 1,300 participants from 200 universities and 84 countries, and Mizzou was the most successful university in competition. Our Chess Team came, they competed and they placed first in the world for the Blitz Cup and were runner-up for the Rapid Cup! Our team also won five individual medals:
- Mikhail Antipov (freshman) won a Silver Medal in Rapid and a Bronze Medal in Blitz
- Olga Badelka (freshman) won a Silver Medal in Blitz and a Bronze Medal in Rapid
- Grigoriy Oparin (graduate student) won a Bronze Medal in Rapid
I’m so proud of their achievements. Mizzou Chess Team members come from around the world. But with the pandemic, only a few of its members were able to be on campus this year, with others studying and competing from their home countries. Nevertheless, their excellence has persisted.
In addition to this most recent accomplishment, MU’s all-female chess team won the “best women’s team” award at the 2020 Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships in early January, while the MU Chess A team placed sixth in that event. And last September, the Chess Team earned gold and silver medals at the 2019 World Prestigious University Chess invitational in Tianjin, China. They were one of only five teams representing the United States at that tournament, competing alongside Saint Louis University, Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Please join me in celebrating our team, Grandmaster Cristian Chirila (MU Chess Team Coach) and the College of Arts and Science for representing Mizzou so well across the nation and around the world.
— Mun
Join the President and Provost for a Tiger support session
March 23, 2021
We are constantly working to better support our Tiger family members who are coping with tragic and hurtful events. The recent and senseless loss of life in Atlanta has highlighted troubling trends in harassment, discrimination and violence against people of Asian descent and Pacific Islanders. And now more violence in Colorado has resulted in 10 deaths, including a police officer.
In response, we have asked our deans and vice chancellors to provide more opportunities for our community members to gather together to listen and support each other. The provost and I will also be available to speak to students, faculty and staff this Thursday, March 25 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium. Please let us know if you can attend by writing us at president@missouri.edu so that we can ensure social distancing. If you can’t join us in person, we also welcome your comments and suggestions to the same email.
We hope these opportunities will bring more awareness to the issues that our students, faculty and staff face as well as provide important resources and information. Progress can only happen when we take deliberate steps together with compassion and understanding.
Mun Y. Choi Latha Ramchand
President Provost
Discussing excellence with our alumni
March 19, 2021
Last night, I participated in the Mizzou Alumni Association’s virtual MIZ Talks alongside Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations Todd McCubbin. Todd and I were joined by alumni from around the world, with the event being viewed more than 800 times so far.
Throughout the conversation and live Q&A, we discussed the importance of Mizzou’s land-grant mission; our progress throughout the pandemic; our work toward a safe, full in-person return in the fall; and upcoming plans for our commencement celebrations. We also shared our excitement for tomorrow’s NCAA tournament game that I’ll be attending, and I even had the chance to talk about racing my moped against the Mizzou helmet car! That race will be in the fall, during one of our football games.
From this conversation and more, it’s clear to me how committed our alumni are to supporting Mizzou and growing our excellence.
— Mun
Men’s basketball flying high
March 15, 2021
Up until yesterday, our Mizzou men’s basketball team had received two berths to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday in seven years. But that’s old news. Now, our Tigers are headed into 2021 March Madness as the #9 seed in the West Region! They face Oklahoma at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday.
I’m so proud of our student-athletes for their perseverance and success in what has been arguably the most challenging year for college sports. I also want to thank Coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff for everything they’ve done to support our players and achieve this goal.
I’ve had the opportunity to attend most of our men’s basketball games this season, and let me tell you: This team is bringing immense talent, ambition and commitment to the tournament. I can’t wait to see them beat Oklahoma!
MIZ!
— Mun
Engaging and supporting our communities
March 9, 2021
While I was riding my moped around campus on Saturday, I noticed the colorful displays and posters at the Kappa Alpha Theta house. There, the Theta women were celebrating their support for the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program, having raised over $16,000 this past year. CASA supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children, and its volunteers work closely with children to find a safe, permanent home that gives children the opportunity to thrive.
Along with the work happening throughout many other student-run and student-supported organizations and clinics — including Mizzou Alternative Breaks, Tiger Pantry and our COVID-19 vaccination clinics — our students improve the lives of others who are in great need. I am so proud of their commitment to this charge. It’s yet another illustration of how Mizzou works to fulfill its mission of engagement and service every day.
— Mun
Educating students to become tomorrow’s leaders, part 2
March 5, 2021
In my last post, I talked about the characteristics found in successful leaders and how Mizzou is working to enhance its learning models. The pandemic has brought a need for us to adapt quickly, for two main reasons:
1. We simply can’t conduct our educational activities in the same way we did before the pandemic; and
2. These disruptions will have a more long-lasting and widespread effect than many of us initially thought.
While Mizzou was always working toward more innovative learning strategies, the pandemic accelerated these developments. Think about it this way: It’s like we had been using a flashlight to search for a specific package in a dark warehouse — then suddenly, someone turned on the lights.
Going forward, I believe we can leverage these lessons toward greater progress:
- Our students are incredibly resilient, collaborative, adaptable and technologically savvy. Now we need to harness these characteristics as we rethink our learning models.
- The extra miles that our faculty invested in educating our students during the pandemic demonstrates their commitment to our teaching mission.
- The gap in digital access is real and problematic. By addressing this gap, we can further integrate digital tools into our curriculums as we build a global educational environment that promotes inclusive excellence in our living, learning and working.
- The post-pandemic workforce will look very different, including how people work and what kind of work they do. We must prepare our students to navigate those changes not just for the time they graduate, but also for the rest of their lives.
— Mun
Educating students to become tomorrow’s leaders
March 2, 2021
As Mizzou continues to evolve throughout its 182-year history, our approach to education also has to evolve. We should constantly be thinking about our current models of learning to figure out what’s still working, what could be improved and why yesterday’s success may no longer work in tomorrow’s world.
The following are some of the characteristics that I’ve found in successful leaders. In sum, they:
- Exhibit professionalism, work ethics and integrity every day
- Exhibit leadership, regardless of their role in an organization
- Embrace diversity and inclusion for all
- Embrace freedom of expression for all
- Embrace intercultural fluency
- Employ critical thinking
- Engage in civil discourse
Regardless of one’s chosen discipline, research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that these soft skills help students find more success in the workforce. More success in the workforce equals a greater impact on our communities, and an overall improved way of life for all. Ensuring that we educate students to be successful isn’t just part of who we are. It’s the beating heart of our existence.
— Mun
Teaching excellence during the pandemic
Feb. 26, 2021
More than ever, we have relied on teachers to support and continue the education of children during this pandemic. Recently, the leadership of Goddard High School in Goddard, Kansas reached out to me because they wanted to recognize their outstanding educators for overcoming adversity and asked the teachers’ alma maters to join in the celebration.
It is my pleasure to help honor two Mizzou alumni who are not just succeeding in this historic educational environment, but who are also excelling. Marcus James ’04, who majored in secondary education and was a student-athlete in both track & field and football, is a social studies teacher and the girl’s head basketball coach. Dr. Kristi Arends-Ward ’00, who double majored in English and interdisciplinary studies, is a teacher in the English Language Arts Department.
The commitment of Mr. James and Dr. Arends-Ward puts our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence to work in the classrooms of south central Kansas. I am so proud of the time they spent at Mizzou and of the work they are doing to carry our university’s mission forward.
— Mun
Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Lab dedication
Feb. 24, 2021
This afternoon, I have the privilege to attend the dedication of the new Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. I’ll join several of Mr. Kirklin’s family members as we celebrate a pioneering educator for the University of Missouri. Mr. Kirklin, who is often noted as the university’s first Black teacher, taught our CAFNR students.
It’s an honor to recognize such an important man in our university’s history. His vision for education was comprehensive. He believed not only in the immediate value of learning, but also in its generational value. We see that in the legacy he left for Mizzou. And we’re committed to building on that legacy as we reaffirm hands-on learning and forge new partnerships that connect our students to the broader community.
— Mun
Why Mizzou is different
Feb. 19, 2021
I’ve been thinking a lot about the university’s mission lately and the role we play for Missouri. It’s often said that UM System universities receive more funding than any other in Missouri. That’s true, but we’re expected to deliver much more. If we carve out the special missions of research, professional degrees and extension that are expected of UM universities, the per capita state funding for our universities is the lowest in the state and one of the lowest in the United States.
As the only public, land-grant, flagship, AAU institution in the state, Mizzou is charged with not only providing world-class education and research, but also supporting and enhancing our statewide communities through extension and engagement activities. It’s a charge that no other public institution in Missouri has. And it’s one that we carry out with great pride, responsibility and excellence.
The physicians and nurses that we’ve educated continue to lead the fight against COVID all across the state, ensuring community health and safety while leading vaccine distribution. Our engineers maintain and grow Missouri’s infrastructure. We are seeing firsthand just how critical that is as other parts of the country such as Texas navigate immense infrastructure challenges and widespread community hardship.
Our veterinarians drive innovation in treatment and diagnosis. Our lawyers are leaders in their field. Our teachers educate the next generation. And our scholars — produced in fields ranging from history and journalism to philosophy and chemistry — continue to support a civil and equitable society through ideas, discoveries and culture.
No other public university in Missouri contributes to our state the way Mizzou does. It’s impressive to see how we deliver such impact. But to achieve greater excellence through our strategic plan, growing revenues will be key. Because looking forward, we remain committed to doing even more.
— Mun