MU reaffirms commitment to research
The University of Missouri is reaffirming its commitment to research and promising to double research expenditures in the next five years.
The UM Board of Curators approved a resolution at its meeting in Kansas City Friday.
“MU has developed plans to continue its trajectory by doubling its competitively funded federal research over the next five years; doubling its number of memberships in national academics; and significantly increasing its number of national awards, fellowships, memberships and citations of its faculty,” the resolution stated.
Board Chairman David Steelman and UM System President Mun Choi kicked off Friday’s session at UMKC with a joint presentation on research.
Steelman said the university’s research dropped in 2008 because of a lack of state support.
“We’ve got ourselves in this mindset where if we don’t get state money, we don’t do research. We can’t survive like that,” he said.
Choi said Mizzou currently has 1500 faculty members engaged in research, but “because it’s such a big operation, people don’t know where the collaboration opportunities are.”
He said MU vice chancellor for research Mark McIntosh has developed a new program so faculty can see where research opportunities exist. McIntosh said it will go live in the fall, and his team will roll out a test product in October or November.
CFO Ryan Rapp said it takes investment to grow research, and the university has to find a way to do that. He said Arizona State has figured out a model that generates net revenue, even in times of declining state support. He said ASU is generating a lot of money from online programs and putting that money into research and scholarship.
Choi said the system is hoping to grow online education and said it “can make a big difference in the workforce development of our state.”
MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright also laid out strategies for growing research at Mizzou.
He said they are launching an office of research advancement and have requested college and school level growth plans. Leaders are also planning to do an annual academic program review and increase strategic hiring.
“MU has an impressive research portfolio but we are falling behind our peers,” Cartwright said.
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