It’s no longer business as usual for the University of Missouri System, President Mun Choi said Friday morning. He laid out plans for a one-time investment of $260 million aimed at boosting innovation across the four-campus system over the next five years.
“We want our university to be a place where our faculty and staff are proud to work, our students are proud to attend, civic leaders and communities are proud to support, and business are proud to partner. We will become a stronger UM System driven by innovation and hard work,” Choi said to the
faculty, staff and students packed into the Missouri Theatre Friday morning.
Expanding access to higher education, widening the system’s reach across Missouri and diversifying the makeup of students and faculty were among the priorities announced Friday.
Some of those investments include:
- $100 million toward scholarships, with $75 million for the need-based Promise and Opportunity Scholarship and $25 million for the Next Generation Merit Scholarships.
- $50 million dollars toward the Precision Medicine Initiative and the Translational Precision Medicine Complex.
- $50 million for research and creative works, with hopes that it will increase external funding coming into the system.
- $8.5 million toward recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff.
- $10 million for building industry partnerships.
Choi also announced the launch of Missouri Intern Connect, a program designed to create opportunities for students to connect with internships in the state. A complete list of the investments can be found on the UM System website.
Details on how other money will be used will be decided through a proposal process this fall, with the expectation that the campuses would come up with matching funds. Choi and the Board of Curators will then make the final decisions.
A video of Choi’s full address is available here.
