$4 million investment to help students succeed at MU
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ.)
President Mun Choi of Mizzou announced a $4 million investment in student success during his State of the University address. A few things students can look forward to are more professors and state-of-the-art facilities.
Altogether, Mun Choi plans to fund 51 projects that will support student success. The awards are part of MizzouForward, a $1.5 billion comprehensive investment strategy that will enhance the university's research and education mission.
Each project will focus on the success of Mizzou students. The university plans to do this by making classroom upgrades, upgrading laboratories, or investing in new software that enhances classroom experiences and student learning.
Mun Choi also announced infrastructure updates. This includes federal funding in the amount of $60 million that will go towards construction costs of the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building and endowments of faculty positions. President Choi also mentioned a $20 million investment for the MU Research Reactor West which will open in 2024.
A $27 million investment will go towards the Department of Energy Radio Isotope Science Center expected in 2024.
Additionally, Choi said a $500 million dollar commitment toward salary increases within the next five years. This includes annual performance increases as well as retention of high-performing faculty and staff.
"And we are working to increase salary support, to increase professional development opportunities, to increase technology support for everyone on this campus," said Latha Ramchand, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
President Choi says with this investment students can look forward to new approaches to teaching and more availability from advisors.
"Students are going to see the impact from that right away, as well as more support for students that are interested in national honors," said President Choi.
Choi also wants to create a new veterinary lab, continue with rising enrollment numbers and growing research.
The university plans to use more than $60 million from the federal government to support NextGen construction and faculty endowments.
And President Choi hopes to continue investing in students' futures.
Currently, the school has a 95 percent success rate of recent Mizzou graduates who have found successful careers 6 months after graduation.
"There's much work ahead for us to achieve excellence and in these very different fields but I'm confident that with your support and hard work were going to achieve those successes," said President Choi.
