University of Missouri - Columbia

University of Missouri - Columbia (MU) - public higher education institution in United States.

University of Missouri - Columbia - Description

The University of Missouri-Columbia was founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the first public university in Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase territory. Our distinct mission, as Missouri's only state-supported member of the Association of American Universities, is to provide all Missourians the benefits of a world-class research university. We are stewards and builders of a priceless state resource, a unique physical infrastructure and scholarly environment in which our tightly interlocked missions of teaching, research and service work together on behalf of all citizens. Students work side by side with some of the world's best faculty to advance the arts and humanities, the sciences, and the professions. Scholarship and teaching are daily driven by a sense of public service--the obligation to produce and disseminate knowledge that will improve the quality of life in the state, the nation and the world. The University of Missouri-Columbia, as the state's major land-grant university, honors the public trust placed in it and accepts the associated accountability to the people of Missouri for its stewardship of that trust. Our duty is to acquire, create, transmit, and preserve knowledge, and to promote understanding. We the students, faculty, and staff of MU... Founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the University of Missouri in Columbia is a member of the most prestigious group of 61 U.S. public and private institutions: the Association of American Universities. Today MU is a $2 billion enterprise with more than 34,000 students and 260,000 alumni worldwide. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that provide the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 19 colleges and schools and has the largest research operation of any public university in Missouri. In fact, the National Science Foundation has recognized Mizzou as one of the top 10 universities in the country for integrating research into undergraduate education; MU offers undergraduate research to some students as early as their freshman year. Home to the world’s first School of Journalism, Mizzou offers many strong, unique programs on its 1,262-acre campus. Some in the sciences are taught in collaboration with MU’s medical school, and humanities classes include such areas as music composition and creative writing where students frequently win national awards. One of only six public universities nationwide with medicine, veterinary... The University of Missouri (MU) was founded in 1839 as the first U.S. public university west of the Mississippi River. Today with a record enrollment of more than 34,500 students, 13,000 full-time employees and 262,000 alumni worldwide, Missouri’s flagship university is a $2-plus billion enterprise and an important investment for the state and nation. MU is a member of the Association of American Universities, the nation’s most prestigious group of 60 U.S. public and private universities. Membership recognizes excellence in teaching and research endeavors and includes only the nation’s top-tier institutions. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that offer the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 18 colleges and schools and accounts for 72 percent of the research dollars flowing to Missouri’s public universities. Nationally recognized for its campus writing program, living-learning communities and undergraduate research opportunities, MU is home to the world’s first School of Journalism and is one of only five universities nationwide with medicine, veterinary medicine, law and a nuclear research reactor on one campus. The university also has great strengths in agriculture, engineering and the basic sciences. MU’s mission is to improve the quality of life and serve the public good through teaching, research, service and economic development. The university serves and unifies the state via extension programs in more than 100 locations and through a comprehensive health system that includes four hospitals, numerous clinics and health care experts who conduct life-changing research and educate tomorrow’s physicians, nurses and allied health specialists. MU students come from every state in the nation and from more than 115 countries, and a strong international community thrives in Columbia. MU professors take their work around the world via international research partnerships and students participate in Missouri’s largest study abroad program. MU is known for collaborative discovery where faculty and students work together to solve problems and improve lives. Four interdisciplinary areas include top faculty and facilities that set MU apart from other universities: Food for the Future; One Health/One Medicine, the convergence of human and animal health; Sustainable Energy; and Media of the Future. As of July 2012, a member of the Southeastern Conference, MU’s Division I-A athletic program has more than 500 student-athletes in 20 sports, many ranked in the top 25 nationally