UM System Board of Curators approve Keene Street hospital project, housing and dining rate increase
Editor's note, 2/5: The story has been corrected to reflect how academic calendar changes made by the UM System would affect Reading Day.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
University of Missouri System Board of Curators will be meeting at 8 a.m. Thursday morning in Kansas City, with several topics up for vote on the agenda.
University leaders approved an $83 million renovation project for the Keene Street Medical Center, formerly known as the Women's and Children's Hospital.
The medical center is part of MU Health Care's growth strategy and will make less-severe outpatient procedures more convenient and easier to navigate, according to the meeting agenda. The Keene Street project will allow for more major surgeries and procedures to be done at the main hospital.
Leaders also approved a 5.2% price increase to MU campus housing and dining rates starting July 1, increasing prices from $13,130 to $13,807.
This comes as first-time college applications at MU for Fall 2026 are up 7% compared to last year.
Curator members will also be voting on changes to the academic calendar. If the vote is "yes," the change would be a 15-week semester and fall classes starting on the third Monday of August every year.
School spokesman Chris Ave told ABC 17 News that MU leaders are still discussing the calendar effects on Reading Day, a traditional day off from classes ahead of final exams.
In December, the MU Faculty Council was considering two proposals that would allow for scheduling flexibility, given that Veterans Day is now a paid holiday for UM employees. The proposals would also provide more room between the end of the fall semester and winter holidays.
