AdvancingMissouri

Statewide Impact

Missouri map

Throughout its history, the University of Missouri has been the state’s partner in the education of Missouri’s citizens and the growth of its economies.

The University of Missouri was established as the first public university west of the Mississippi River in 1839, when Missouri’s statehood was still quite young. Built by proud Missouri citizens determined to leave a legacy for their children and the generations to come, the University of Missouri grew from the very roots of the state.

Today, the University of Missouri is one of the nation’s largest higher education institutions, with more than 73,000 students on four campuses and an Extension program with activities in every county of the state.

And in the future, the University of Missouri will continue to impact Missouri—every citizen, in every corner of the state.

Throughout its history, the University of Missouri has been the state’s partner in the education of Missouri’s citizens and the growth of its economies.

The University of Missouri was established as the first public university west of the Mississippi River in 1839, when Missouri’s statehood was still quite young. Built by proud Missouri citizens determined to leave a legacy for their children and the generations to come, the University of Missouri grew from the very roots of the state.

Today, the University of Missouri is one of the nation’s largest higher education institutions, with more than 73,000 students on four campuses and an Extension program with activities in every county of the state.

And in the future, the University of Missouri will continue to impact Missouri—every citizen, in every corner of the state.

Campuses

The University of Missouri-Columbia was founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City is one of few universities in the nation to have all four major health science schools: medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry, located on one campus.

Missouri University of Science and Technology is one of the nation’s leading technological research universities. Located in Rolla.

Founded in 1963, the University of Missouri-St. Louis is the largest university in the St. Louis region and third largest in Missouri.

Research Parks/Business Incubators

The University of Missouri System's statewide network of research parks and incubators encourages technology development and commercialization that advances Missouri's economy, and benefits research and related programs at the university. These parks attract new start-up companies from university research efforts, as well as firms across Missouri and throughout the world, representing ideas in a wide range of disciplines and spurring quality job creation.

Discovery Ridge is an emerging research park development near the University of Missouri-Columbia, the state's top public research university. Two anchor tenants employ nearly 300 individuals, and plans are underway for an expansion of the site that will include a new campus of buildings, including an 80,000-square-foot multi-tenant building that will include lab, office and potential classroom space.

Missouri Research Park in St. Charles County is the University of Missouri's first research park and also the first business park in the St. Louis region to market exclusively to technology-intensive and research-based companies. The 700-acre park includes 15 companies and two federal agencies occupying 1.5 million square feet and employing more than 2,000 people, and a golf course, trails and lakes as amenities

Missouri S&T Innovation Park, on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, will help solidify Missouri S&T's place as one of the top five technology universities in the nation by expanding its strong connection with private industry, as well as providing a location for long-term growth of the academic and research facilities of the campus

Located on 62 acres in St. Robert, Missouri, near Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, the UM Technology Park at Ft. Leonard Wood provides a home for businesses, agencies and organizations that support or enhance the missions and goals of Ft. Leonard Wood. The park is the first technology park in the nation located on an active Army post.

Located on its north campus next to Highway 70, the UMSL Business, Technology & Research Park is now the home of Express Scripts Inc., one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers. Express Scripts is the largest Fortune 500 company with corporate headquarters on a university campus.

The Missouri Plant Science Center in Mexico, Missouri, a partnership between the University of Missouri, Missouri Technology Corporation and the City of Mexico, is a nearly 25,000 sq. ft. facility that will house wet and dry labs, offices and unique pilot/scale manufacturing capabilities to process soybeans and other plant-derived materials into value-added products. Scheduled for completion in spring 2011, the center will bring together cutting-edge plant science research with the ability to develop the manufacturing processes needed to commercialize new discoveries. The facility has already attracted its first tenant, Soy Labs LLC, to Mexico from Fairfield, CA. Soy Labs is an emerging plant science company including soy-based ingredients for the food and health industries.

University of Missouri incubators help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into viable businesses by providing emerging companies with resources to increase their chances of success. Offering affordable, high-quality laboratory and office space, the university’s incubators are a place where new ideas can be nurtured and developed into successful commercial entities.

Our incubation programs are uniquely positioned to help entrepreneurs access resources from the University of Missouri research and academic community. We help advance your business, and advance Missouri by promoting innovation and creating jobs.

Agriculture Experiment Stations

Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), sponsored by Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), conducts research in agriculture, forestry, animal science and natural resources at farms, laboratories and forests throughout the state. Research conducted at AES and CAFNR facilities is geared to making the most effective use possible of the state's natural resource base; citizens throughout the entire state benefit from new knowledge and discoveries and university expertise.

Health Centers/Affiliates

The University of Missouri has a vast network of hospitals, clinics and outreach services. Additionally, we offer health education paths at all four campuses, including medicine, nursing, pre-medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology and the allied health professions.

University of Missouri Health Care is home to the state’s only public academic medical center, which provides care to people from every county in Missouri. In addition to providing access  to clinical trials and myriad specialists, each year MU Health Care provides millions of dollars in uncompensated and charity care .

The UM System’s outreach efforts are statewide. Some examples include UMSL’s Mobile Eye Center, which provides eye care to thousands of children and adults. Residents in rural Missouri have access to Ellis Fischel Cancer Center’s mobile mammography van, which visits more than a dozen communities quarterly. And, in Kansas City — home to the state’s only dental school — underserved children and adults receive dental care through Partnership for Smiles. All of our campuses also facilitate various health screenings, checking things like blood glucose levels and blood pressure.

We are also a leader in the adoption of medical technology. The Telehealth Network provides those with limited health care access, especially rural residents, with access  to MU Health Care’s wealth of specialists.

Additionally, the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation has become a model of how private businesses and public universities can partner to advance community health. Established in 2009, the Tiger Institute is facilitating a statewide alliance of health care organizations that can improve health care through health information technology and collaborative innovations with MU Health Care physicians, students and researchers. It’s estimated the innovations from this partnership will provide up to $1 billion in annual economic benefit to the state. Already, MU Health Care has been named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” Hospitals — the only facility in mid-Missouri making the list.

Small Business Technology Development Centers

The University of Missouri has the resources and expertise to move you forward and help you succeed.

Sponsored by University of Missouri Extension, Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers are part of a statewide network of business experts uniquely qualified to help businesses develop and thrive. MO SBTDC provides expert business counseling, training and online resources that assist small business with questions about management, human resources marketing and sales, finance, technology development and commercialization, complying with regulations and saving money by using "green" practices.

In fiscal year 2010, these centers served nearly 3,100 clients and there were more than 14,000 attendees at SBTDC-sponsored training events.

MOREnet

The Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet) provides Internet connectivity, access to Internet2, technical support, videoconferencing services, network security and training to nearly 800 Missouri schools, colleges and universities, public libraries, health care organizations, state government, and other affiliated organizations. The comprehensive service includes the MOREnet KnowledgeBase, a collection of more than 125,000 technical knowledgebase articles across more than 200 software titles that is available to all member faculty, staff, students and end users.

In operation for 20 years, MOREnet is committed to supporting and enabling its members' missions through the use of technology to enhance opportunities for public access, learning and research.

Telehealth Network

Through the advanced technology of the Missouri Telehealth Network, the expertise of University of Missouri physicians is made available in underserved areas throughout the state of Missouri.

Telehealth is a means of delivering medical information and health care through the use of telecommunication technologies. With the use of videoconferencing equipment, a patient can have a live, real-time interaction with a University of Missouri specialist, almost as if they are in the same room. The physician is able to obtain sufficient examinations of patients by questioning them about their past history and current symptoms, and by using electronic diagnostic equipment and other peripheral cameras. Telehealth also enables continuing medical education and grand rounds to health care providers.

The Missouri Telehealth Network began in 1994 as a 10 site network; today, there are over 200 endpoints in 56 Missouri counties.

Find a convenient Missouri Telehealth location.

Extension

Every year, more than one million Missourians turn to University of Missouri Extension to gain practical knowledge, solve problems, adapt to change and make informed decisions. The MU Extension program engages people, organizations and communities by connecting them to the knowledge base of the university, giving them a link to university resources to manage issues of local concern and improve their quality of life.

In service at 114 locations covering every county in the state, University of Missouri Extension has the capacity and professional resources to adapt university programs and resources to very different local needs and aspirations. MU Extension provides relevant, credible and valued education and resources on agriculture and natural resources, business and industry, community development and 4-H and family development to citizens around the state.

MU Extension is Missouri's one-stop source for practical education on almost anything. Specialized learning programs include university-level evening and online courses and degrees. Students in grades three through 12 can take independent study courses and even earn a high school diploma online. MU Extension's Fire and Rescue Training Institute, Law Enforcement Training Institute, and Community Emergency Management Program provide education and technical assistance to individuals and families, local governments, businesses, schools and organizations in preparing and responding to natural and man-made disasters.

MU Extension information is available face to face or at your fingertips. And their "Ask An Expert" feature is your personal link to the university's vast body of knowledge.

The University of Missouri Extension 2010 Annual Report, with embedded video clips, is avialable here.

By the Numbers

Mission Statement

The mission of the four-campus University of Missouri System-- a land-grant university and Missouri's only public research and doctoral-level institution-- is to discover, disseminate, preserve and apply knowledge. The university facilitates lifelong-learning by its students and Missouri's citizens; fosters innovation to support economic development; and advances the health, cultural and social interests of the people of Missouri, the nation and the world.

Scope

The University of Missouri System is comprised of four campuses (in Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis), a health system, 10 research parks and incubators, 22 agricultural research facilities and a vast network of Small Business Technology Development Centers and Extension offices across the state.

Students

There are more than 73,000 students enrolled in the four-campus University of Missouri System - representing approximately 45 percent of all undergraduate students enrolled in the state’s public four-year institutions, approximately 64 percent of the state’s graduate students and the overwhelming majority of professional school students.

Faculty

Nearly 8,000 top-quality faculty and researchers work on the campuses of the University of Missouri System.

Employees

With more than 28,000 faculty and staff, the University of Missouri System is among Missouri's largest employers. Last year, UM employees and retirees residing in the state paid $46.4 million in Missouri state taxes.

Alumni

About 230,000 university alumni live in the state of Missouri, comprising about half of all University of Missouri alumni around the world.

Economic Development

In 2010 the university attracted $318 million in research, funded primarily from outside the state but spent within the state. In 2011, the university was issued 31 patents and filed 58 patent applications; created five startup companies based on UM technologies; and brought in $7.8 million in licensing income.