University of Missouri System is more than its 4 campuses, says board of curators
While the University of Missouri System does not have a campus in Springfield, it has deep connections in the community, says MU Board of Curators President Robin Wenneker.
While the curators normally would meet in Columbia for its June meeting, it was at the behest of Wenneker that the meeting Thursday was held in Springfield, where she highlighted these connections, along with announcing the recipients of the second annual Remington R. Williams Student Leader of the Year awards. Williams was the student representative to the curators who died in a car crash in 2022.
"This region is vitally important to the state of Missouri and to the University of Missouri System," Wenneker said about the Springfield area, noting other higher education institutions in the city. "We are proud to collaborate and partner with some of those institutions."
Roughly 10,000 people in southwest Missouri are alumni of one of the system's four universities and upward of 2,000 regional residents are current students at these universities in Kansas City, Columbia, St. Louis and Rolla. It also is understandable to think the UM System is for the rest of Missouri, when those university campuses are anywhere from 100 to 200 miles away from Springfield, Wenneker said.
"We have a responsibility to be a university system that benefits all of Missouri. We are in every county every day making a difference," she said, noting that while the system's four campuses support upward of 70,000 students, it also makes investments in other communities, like in Springfield and beyond.
"From Joplin to Cape Girardeau, from Kirksville to Springfield, no matter where you live in Missouri, we have a responsibility to be your statewide university system," Wenneker said.
The connections the UM System has in Springfield and southwest Missouri are through University of Missouri Extension and the MU School of Medicine clinical campus in partnership with Cox Health and Mercy Hospitals, among others.
"Since 2016, more than 350 physicians serving as MU faculty members (in Columbia) have been part of this clinical campus," Wenneker said, adding the medical school's simulation lab provides education for students from area colleges and universities studying health care-related fields, and University of Missouri Kansas City pharmacy school has a satellite campus in Springfield. There also are optometry students from University of Missouri St. Louis who conduct rotations in Springfield practices. There are mental health service partnerships, as well, she said.
On the science and technology side of things, there is a cooperative partnership between Missouri S&T in Rolla with Missouri State University in Springfield.
"This allows MSU and others to pursue S&T's mechanical engineering bachelor's degree program without traveling to the Rolla campus," Wenneker said, noting this is the most sought program at S&T.
Student leader awards
Students at each of the system's four campuses honored with the Remington R. Williams Award represent the same collaborative spirit of Williams, Wenneker said, adding it is the highest nonacademic award the Board of Curators bestows. They also receive $1,000 as part of the award.
Four MU students in Columbia and one student from UMKC, UMSL and Missouri S&T each, were awarded.
Each recipient was nominated by a student, faculty or staff member; was involved in at least two student organizations, including one in which the recipient held a major leadership position; and has a minimum 3.0 grade-point average or its equivalent in their current program, the Board of Curators said.
More: UM System Curators create award named after late 'champion' student Williams
Those honored were:
Vishvi Aurora, double major in biological sciences and physics at the MU College of Arts and Sciences; president of the Arts and Science Student Council, among other leadership roles;
Rithika Ginjupalli, doctoral candidate at UMKC school of medicine; executive director of UMKC Community Health Fair; president of Medicine Lost in Translation; American Cancer Society congressional lead;
Ryan Highfill, civil, architectural and environmental engineering at S&T; incoming executive director of Associated Students of the University of Missouri; at-large representative for the Missouri S&T Student Council, among other leadership roles;
Damilola Oduolowu, doctoral candidate at the MU School of Journalism; director of public relations and communication for the Graduate Professional Council; president of the Mizzou chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists;
Okunsogie Jessica Osaze, doctoral candidate at the MU School of Medicine; founder of Mizzou 2 student organization; director of professional development for the Graduate Professional Council;
Teja Teppala, graduate student at MU College of Arts and Sciences; outreach coordinator for the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Assocation, among other leadership roles; and
Angela Truesdale, business administration at UMSL; treasurer and accounting networking night coordinator for the UMSL Accounting Club; inducted member of the accounting, finance and information systems Beta Alpha Psi honor society.
More: These are the first recipients of Remington Williams Student Leader of the Year Awards
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How the University of Missouri invests in southwest Missouri
