MU Chancellor announces two new scholarships to help out-of-state and legacy students

University of Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright announced two new scholarships at his 100 days address Wednesday in a speech that was heavily focused on affordability.

The Black and Gold scholarship will expand MU’s out-of-state scholarships for children of alumni. The new initiative will provide a $7,500 scholarship to out-of-state, legacy students with a 25 or 26 ACT score. Additionally, the university will continue to provide out-of-state legacy students who have an ACT score of 27 or higher a scholarship that will reduce tuition to in-state levels.

Furthermore, the new Border State Scholars award will reduce out-of-state tuition by $2,500 for students coming from one of Missouri’s eight border states: Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma or Tennessee.

“This initiative will increase the number of students coming to Missouri for their education and we know that in many cases, they end up staying in the Show Me State after graduating and contribute to our state’s economy,” Cartwright said of the Border State Scholars award.

“Many of our students make decisions about their education based on financial constraints,” he added, noting that the university is committed to providing access to all.

Cartwright also stressed the importance of meeting the needs of transfer students.

“Affordability is one of the reasons some students choose to begin their education at other institutions such as community colleges,” he said. “We need to be ready to meet transfer students’ needs. Indeed, we’ve already started to partner with our community college colleagues and want to further expand that partnership.”

Cartwright’s speech — the first of multiple addresses — touched on a myriad of topics. In each address, he said he will talk about the things Mizzou is doing well, announce some new initiatives and challenge the MU community to think about what they can do better. Wednesday’s speech centered on student success.

“It is our job to provide students with the best environment that we possibly can, an environment that is safe, [and an] inclusive environment that challenges us all to strive for excellence,” he said. “We’re all in this together and it will take collaborative teamwork and engagement to continuously improve.”

Cartwright also spoke about the need to expand experiential learning. He said “employers are expecting more of students upon graduation… they want students to have relatable experience at the time of recruitment.”

“Are we prepared to meet the new demands and changing demographics of students?” Cartwright mused, adding, “I ask these questions because I want to encourage innovative solution.”

The importance of diversity was another big talking point during Cartwright’s speech. He said the university will always strive to be a place that embraces different backgrounds, viewpoints and abilities.

“Diversity is one of our state’s strengths and therefore should be our university’s strength,” he said before referencing the results of a study that found nearly all employers say college students “should have experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views are different from their own.”

Cartwright concluded his speech by emphasizing that Mizzou is a place where all students should feel welcome.

“At all times, our campus environment should exemplify our commitment to respect, to ensure that everyone feels at home,” he said. “We will always welcome people of differing views, race, ethnicity, and backgrounds. They all add to the vibrancy of this campus. This diverse environment prepares our students for the future.”

Cartwright, who has been chancellor on Mizzou’s campus for 107 days, received a standing ovation at the end of his speech. UM System President Mun Choi jumped on his feet at the conclusion of Cartwright’s address and was later seen giving a home-run gesture, suggesting that Cartwright hit it out of the park.