The University of Missouri-St. Louis is one of four campuses that constitute the University of Missouri, the ninth largest university in the United States. Founded in 1839 upon the ideals of Thomas Jefferson, the University of Missouri became a landgrant institution following passage of the Morrill Act by Congress in 1862.
The University remained a singlecampus institution until 1870 when the Rolla campus was opened. Two campuses were added in 1963. The private University of Kansas City became UM's Kansas City campus, and an entirely new campus was started in St. Louis.
In the 1960s a movement began across the country toward the creation of public universities located within metropolitan centers. That movement marked the most significant change in higher education in the twentieth century, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis is a product of that educational development.
UM is governed by a ninemember Board of Curators appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The Curators name the president of the University. Each campus is supervised by a chancellor.
UM-St. Louis, the fourth campus of the University of Missouri, was established in 1963. The notion of a major public institution serving the St. Louis area evolved from a dream to a solid reality, and today exceeds the expectations of those who created it.
Since the doors of the old Administration Building opened more than 30 years ago, UM-St. Louis has become the largest university serving St. Louisans and the third largest university in the state.
The University faculty has grown from 30 in 1963 to more than 900 members, committed to the future of the St. Louis area through teaching, research, and service.
One of the keys to this University's development as an outstanding institution has been the careful selection of faculty over the years. UM-St. Louis has attracted some of the top authorities in many fields. More than 90 percent of the fulltime faculty hold doctoral degrees, a figure that far exceeds the national average. These professionals develop new theories and new procedures, and in so doing attract hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in research funding.
Student enrollment has grown from 600 in 1963 to more than 16,000 in the 199697 school year. The numbers have changed, but not the spirit. Faculty and students are still most concerned with the education of new talent, which is the basis for the future social, intellectual, and economic health of Missouri's largest metropolitan area.
From its beginning on what was once the site of a country club with a single building, the University of Missouri-St. Louis has grown to a large modern campus of some 73 buildings on 250 acres, offering a full university experience.
The curriculum has grown to include 42 undergraduate programs, 26 master's programs, seven pre-professional programs, ten doctoral programs, and one professional degree program. There are programs which answer the particular needs of older students returning to school; of students pursuing prearchitecture, pre-law, pre-medicine, pre-pharmacy, preengineering, or pre-journalism courses; and of students interested in urban careers. There are also many opportunities for students to combine their academic course work with internships that often lead to job offers.
Mission Statement
As one of the four campuses comprising the University of Missouri, the University of Missouri-St. Louis has served the citizens of the St. Louis metropolitan area since 1963. It shares the University's landgrant tradition and is committed to research and public service. The productive scholars on the campus' faculty contribute significantly to the theoretical and applied research in their fields. The campus' business, chemistry, political science, and metropolitan studies programs already are internationally recognized. As it develops, the campus will support other centers of excellence in departments or clusters of departments as the quality of scholarship achieves consistent international recognition.
In addition to its role to advance knowledge as part of a comprehensive research university, the University of Missouri-St. Louis has a special mission determined by its urban location and its shared landgrant tradition. It works in partnership with other key community institutions to help the St. Louis region progress and prosper.
Through its seven schools and colleges, the campus provides opportunities for all the people of the metropolitan area, including the economically disadvantaged, to receive high quality and accessible liberal arts, career, professional, and graduate education.
Through a careful melding of strengths in scholarly research, teaching, and community service, the University of Missouri-St. Louis plays a leadership role in advancing scholarship; providing quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional instruction to the large and diverse numbers of students in the St. Louis area, while it contributes to economic development throughout the state and region.
In shaping and evaluating its undergraduate curriculum, the University of Missouri-St. Louis fosters intellectual independence, sound judgment, clarity of expression in writing, aesthetic refinement, and sharpened analytical skills. The campus provides high quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional instruction to an ethnically, racially, and economically diverse student body. Special efforts are made to fulfill the University's landgrant mandate to serve the working people of the state. Because most of the campus' graduates remain in the metropolitan area, they enhance the economic development and quality of life of the metropolitan area and the state.
These research, instructional, economic development and community service missions are accomplished by oncampus and extension programs in the schools and colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Nursing, and Optometry, as well as the Evening College and the Division of Continuing EducationExtension. In addition, the campus' humanities, fine arts, and performing arts programs enrich the cultural life of the metropolitan area.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis will work vigorously to achieve equal opportunity for all within the campus community through a strong affirmative action program.
The University: Academic Structure
The academic structure of the University consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, School of Education, Evening College, Graduate School, Barnes College of Nursing, School of Optometry, UM-St. Louis/Washington University Joint Engineering Program and Continuing Education-Extension.
The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest of the divisions, includes 18 academic departments that combine the best features of two different educational worlds. One world consists of general educational offerings and provides students with opportunities to acquire a breadth of knowledge and a foundation in the basic skills of intellectual inquiry. The other world supplies the basic preparation for the student's professional life by providing learning experiences leading to a career in a specific field.
The School of Business Administration maintains a balance between the specialization of professional courses and the diversity of liberal arts. Besides training students as qualified professionals for the business world, the School of Business Administration, through its bachelor's degree and master's degree programs expands student capability in communication, analysis, and judgment, thus enabling our graduates to deal more effectively with today's complex economic environment.
The School of Education provides undergraduate and graduate programs to prepare and sustain educational leaders for a variety of school and nonschool settings. The School is consistently one of the top three institutions in the state in the production of educators. Consistent with the School's theme of "Creating the 21st Century School of Education," programs emphasize stateoftheart technological applications to enhance teaching and learning as well as collaboration among university, school, agency, and corporate partners to prepare and revitalize educators. The faculty, including a number of nationally recognized endowed professors, is committed to a continuous exchange between research and practice that improves the learning environment for diverse learners.
The Evening College was established to provide a university education for those who cannot attend classes during the day. For those interested in traditional university study, the Evening College offers almost all of the degree programs available to day students and ensures that these programs conform to the same standards and requirements as their daytime counterparts. For students seeking innovative approaches to education, the Evening College has the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) Program, a unique concept designed for mature individuals who want more flexibility in reaching their educational goals. BGS students choose courses from the UM-St. Louis curriculum that they view as important to their education, and their degree program‘s structure will thus vary according to their needs. Most campus services available to day students are also available to Evening College students.
Programs offered in the UM-St. Louis Graduate School fall into two categories: professional programs designed to develop a special competence in a particular field, and academic programs designed to develop the student's command of a range of related subjects within a field. These graduate programs are carefully structured to meet the needs of the metropolitan area and to give students the skills and professional competence to succeed in today's world.
The School of Optometry is one of 17 schools of optometry in the United States. The School provides its students with a professional optometric education and clinical experience. Facilities are furnished with equipment for teaching and research. The School operates the University Eye Center located on campus, the Optometric Center of St. Louis located in the Central West End, and the East St. Louis Eye Center, jointly owned and operated by the UM-St. Louis School of Optometry and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
The Pierre Laclede Honors College, inaugurated in 1989, brings together a highly select group of intellectually curious and gifted students who are pursuing various career goals and earning degrees in disciplines offered by the University's other undergraduate schools and colleges. These Honors Scholars follow a special curriculum that combines a series of innovative Honors College classes and course work done for Honors credit in their major areas. They actively engage in their education in small seminars led by some of the University's finest teachers. In addition to offering scholarships and stipends, the Honors College has unique features such as the Community Mentorship Program which links Scholars with model urban citizens who share their interests.
The Barnes College of Nursing offers innovative programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is available for the individual wishing to pursue a program of studies which will lead to eligibility to complete state licensure examinations to become a registered nurse (R.N.). In addition, an upper level option designed for the associate degree or diploma educated registered nurse is available which avoids repeating basic nursing course work. The Master of Science in Nursing is a cooperative program with UM-Kansas City School of Nursing and offers studies in Adult, Children and Women's Health. Practitioner options are also available (Adult, Family, Pediatric, and Women) as part of the MSN program. The Ph.D. in Nursing offers studies focused on Health Promotion and Protection, Health Restoration and Support, and Health Care Systems. Studies at all three levels may be pursued fulltime or parttime.
UM-St. Louis/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program. In a pioneering program, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Washington University have joined forces to offer Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical, electrical and civil engineering. Students who enter the program take about half of their course work mathematics, physics, chemistry, humanities and social sciences, and some elementary engineering subject on the campus of UM-St. Louis. The remaining half of their degree programs, consisting of upper- level engineering courses and laboratories, is taken on the campus of Washington University and taught by Washington University engineering faculty members. Students register for all courses at UM-St. Louis, pay tuition at UM-St. Louis rates (plus a small surcharge on engineering courses), and receive their degrees from the University of Missouri.
The Continuing Education-Extension Division extends the University's expertise to the community by offering a variety of credit and non-credit courses, both on and off campus. It also sponsors programs in the community, such as the annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival. In 199697, more than 89,700 participants were served in 3,000 credit and non-credit programs.
The Office of International Student Services of the Center for International Studies assists international students and scholars to excel at UM-St. Louis and in the U.S. Services include undergraduate and graduate admission, credential and transfer credit evaluations, visa and immigration advising, pre-arrival and cultural adaptation assistance, new international student and scholar orientation, prospective student information requests, and personal advising.
The Office also coordinates activities for the successful integration of students and scholars into the community by facilitating cultural events and activities, coordinating the annual International Student Speaker's Bureau, and working closely with other campus and community organizations. For additional information about international student applications, see the section on Students from Other Countries, page 19.
The University: Student Life
UM-St. Louis is an educational institution that provides opportunities for all students through a demanding curriculum. But the life of the University is not all work. There are a great many leisuretime activities, either free or at reduced cost to students. Numerous student organizations, from the Accounting Club to Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, seek members-and leaders. Interesting speakers, concerts, film series, plays, exhibits, recitals and a host of informal gatherings crowd each week's schedule. And, if that's not enough, the St. Louis area offers still more recreational, sports, and cultural events.
The University offers a wide range of varsity and intramural sports of interest to UM-St. Louis students, whether as players or spectators. On the varsity level, the UM-St. Louis Rivermen and Riverwomen compete in most major sports. UM-St. Louis men's soccer teams have participated in numerous NCAA Division II tournaments; the team won the national title in 1973. The men's basketball, baseball, swimming and golf teams frequently play in national tournaments. The expanding women's program includes varsity competition in basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, swimming, and tennis. The UM-St. Louis women's soccer team ranks annually in the top 20 teams nationwide.
The Mark Twain athletic facility offers a stateoftheart fitness center, weight room, a swimming pool, basketball, volleyball, handball, and racquetball courts. Outdoor facilities include tennis and handball courts, a fitness trail, and baseball, soccer and softball fields.
Students will find fitness activities, both organized and individual, to suit their interests and needs. Intramural sports are available to all students, with schedules designed for maximum participation.
The University: Its Graduates
The graduates of the University of Missouri-St. Louis reflect the diversity found in a metropolitan community. The University has more than 50,000 graduates living in all fifty states and several foreign countries. Of these alumni, more than 80 percent continue to live and work in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The University is a major force in providing the region with a highly educated and diverse work force. Our alumni can be found in companies and organizations throughout the region and nation. UM-St. Louis has graduated more than 6,000 accountants, 600 nurses and 400 doctors of optometry. With more than 8,000 graduates, the School of Education is the largest educator of teachers in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The graduates of UM-St. Louis are establishing a new kind of university a public, metropolitan institution with a commitment to academic excellence and service to the community. We are proud of the tradition these alumni have established and we are committed to continue to be a valuable asset to our community and to the region.