Missouri 100 Initiatives
Economic Development
Greg Steinhoff, Director of Economic Development for the State of Missouri, addresses a gathering of the Missouri 100 in Columbia. Learn more about the University's impact on the economy in our economic development video.
The University of Missouri has played a vital role in our state since its founding in 1839. Today, the University reaffirms its commitment to stimulating economic development by advancing the frontiers of knowledge; producing talented graduates; bringing knowledge directly to the people; and partnering and collaborating with state, federal and local government.
Highlights
- With $2.3 billion in total revenues and more than 25,000 employees, UM is the 21st largest publicly-held company in the state.
- 40 percent of Missouri's academic science and technology research expenditures are a result of research conducted at the University of Missouri.
- In 2006, the University held 172 patents and licenses and more than $2.4 million in licensing income.
- The University generates a 5-to-1 return in annual operating revenues for every dollar appropriated by the state.
- Federal grant funding at UM increased 16.4 percent to $199 million over the five-year period from 2002–2007.
- More than $207 million in statewide external research funding from federal and private sources was received last year.
Economic development--and Students
The relationship between education and earning potential has never been stronger. Studies show that college graduates will earn nearly $1 million more during their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. The resulting economic impact to Missouri can be tremendous. History has shown that more than 50 percent of the University's graduates will be retained in the state. UM is the only public university in the state to educate medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, optometrists and engineers. These graduates will have a significant economic impact in the cities and towns in which they'll live.
Economic development--and the State
In addition to classrooms that maximize training and laboratories that stimulate discovery, the University of Missouri has found the addition of business incubators and research parks as welcome tools to establish more entrepreneurial activity.
The University's oldest such facility, the Missouri Research Park in St. Charles county, has already proven its potential impact. The Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis, in operation since 1998, has had a direct investment of $27.1 million and attracted $719 million in outside investment capital for the creation of 26 companies and 300 new knowledge-based jobs.
Economic development--and the General Assembly
The University of Missouri has proven a good investment for the state, generating a 5-to-1 return in annual operating revenues for every dollar appropriated. In turn, University employees constitute one of the largest and highest value workforces in the state with annual payroll of $940 million and a direct return to the state of $126 million in taxes. This is in addition to the value University faculty and staff add each day by teaching students, responding to Extension clientele, providing health care throughout the state or creating new knowledge--be it literature, music, business or science.
Preparing to Care for Missouri's Citizens
As a four-campus system, the University of Missouri offers health care education comparable to no other institution in the state. With programs in dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy and an array of allied health fields in areas of rehabilitative, diagnostic and imaging sciences, the University recognizes the importance of educating tomorrow's health care workers.
Highlights
- UMKC offers the only dental school in the state with nearly 500 students enrolled in the program, the majority of whom are Missouri residents.
- The School of Health Professions at MU offers bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in a variety of medical specialties. The school graduates 140 students annually, with 86 percent of those graduates remaining in Missouri to practice.
- Schools of Medicine are located at MU and UMKC. Nearly 1,000 students are enrolled in the doctor of medicine program at both schools with another 900 pursuing a residency or fellowship.
- Nursing programs are available at MU, UMKC and UMSL. Bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees are available.
- UMSL offers the only educational program in Missouri--and one of only 17 in the country--leading to a Doctorate of Optometry. Each year, 44 students are admitted to the program.
- The School of Pharmacy at UMKC offers four degree programs, including the Pharm.D. program, which continues to be in great demand. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the school received approximately 600 applications for a class of 118 students. Because of high statewide need and demand from students, the UMKC School of Pharmacy is now offering a degree program on the MU campus.
Health Care--and Students
The University of Missouri has been training health care professionals for more than 160 years, first at MU and later at UMKC and UMSL. Today, it boasts one of the most innovative medical and health professional education programs in the country with training in nearly all medical specialties and subspecialties, nursing and the health professions. Its "Learn to Learn" concept encourages small-group, practical learning over traditional lectures.
Health Care--and the State
The University of Missouri provides a unique health care resource to the state. In fiscal year 2006, UM Health Care provided uncompensated care for nearly 72,000 patients totaling more than $47 million. Nearly 4,000 patients at UMSL's Center for Eye Care were treated with $303,000 in uncompensated care, and the UMKC School of Dentistry provided $344,000 in uncompensated care to 12,500 patients.
The University also continues to engage in groundbreaking research. The MU School of Health Professions conducted more than 30 research projects in 2006 with a combined total of nearly $1.5 million in grant funding. Topics ranged from autism to language development to the role of estrogen on skeletal muscle and traumatic brain injuries.
Health Care--and the General Assembly
While the University of Missouri is working to meet Missouri's health care needs, external forces will make this even more challenging. Our state--like many others--is experiencing an increasing health care worker shortage, particularly in rural areas, as well as an aging population. To counter this trend, UM, in conjunction with all the public community colleges and four-year institutions in the state, is requesting an annual appropriation of $38 million that will enable Missouri's public universities and community colleges to increase the number of health professional graduates by approximately 20 percent. After five years, this equates to hundreds more additional health care professionals annually, including 31 physicians, 30 pharmacists, 489 nurses and 288 allied health professionals, such as respiratory therapists and physical therapists.
Teaching and Research
Learn more about what's happening at the Univeristy of Missouri by watching our teaching and research video.
Nothing is more fundamental to the University of Missouri than research and teaching. As cornerstones of its mission, the University takes pride in the number of students it educates and the scientific discoveries it fosters. Its status as a land grant university gives all Missourians access to higher education regardless of social standing. Through unparalleled faculty and a dedication to fostering an enlightened society, the University of Missouri has had tremendous impact since its founding more than 160 years ago.
Highlights
- MU is one of only 34 institutions in the country that is a member of the prestigious American Association of Universities.
- More than 63,000 students were enrolled at one of the University of Missouri's four campuses in 2007, including more than 53,000 from Missouri. More than 12,000 degrees were granted.
- There are 202,302 alumni currently living in Missouri.
- The University received 53 percent of total funding awarded in Missouri by the National Science Foundation in 2005, and $207.6 million in external research funding from federal and private sources was received.
- The University employs more than 7,400 full- and part-time faculty.
- Recent studies show a markedly lower pay for ranked faculty during the last nine years when compared to similar universities in the country.
Research and teaching--and students
Students at the University of Missouri are just as unique as its four campuses. Whether it is attracting predominantly technologically-minded students at UMR, nontraditional students at UMSL, urban students at UMKC or the traditional college student at MU, the University takes pride in shaping the minds and experiences of today's learners and tomorrow's leaders.
In 2007, the University welcomed students from every county in Missouri, every state in the nation and 100 countries. As graduates, these students' impact will be undeniable. MU, for instance, ranks seventh in the nation in the number of graduates leading companies listed in Standard and Poor's 500 Index and boasts two of the nation's governors among its alumni.
Research and teaching--and the State
The pursuit of scientific discovery through research is a critical mission of the University of Missouri. University researchers are advancing frontiers of human knowledge, making discoveries that contribute to mankind and giving students the skills they need to succeed in our knowledge-based economy. This research has an economic impact of $440 million in the state of Missouri and supports more than 9,000 jobs.
Perhaps more important, however, are the health and social implications. University researchers are discovering tools to diagnose and treat cancer, unravel the mysteries behind debilitating genetic disorders, better understand antisocial behavior, improve agricultural production, enhance our nation's defense systems and improve the quality of life.
Research and teaching--and the General Assembly
The University of Missouri's status as a premier education and research institution is a credit to the more than 7,000 stellar faculty who enlighten students in the classroom and initiate scientific discovery in the research labs every day. Recruitment and retention of ranked faculty, however, are becoming increasingly more difficult. A recent study by the University confirmed that faculty compensation has been falling dramatically during the last nine years.
The University's Competitive Faculty Compensation Plan will help increase the average salaries for ranked faculty to the average salaries of comparable institutions. The state is being asked to fund half of the threeyear initiative--or $3.6 million each year for three years--and the University will match the state's funds through efficiencies and reallocations on all four campuses and the UM System.
