Our Mission

UMSL | About Us

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Our Mission: We transform lives.

As the metropolitan, land-grant, research institution serving the most diverse and economically important region in Missouri, the University of Missouri–St. Louis delivers exceptional educational, research and engagement experiences that inform, prepare, challenge and inspire.

Vision

The University of Missouri–St. Louis will be a beacon of hope, a force for good, and a leader in the pursuit of excellence in education, impactful research and community service.

We boldly assert that education is for everyone who is willing and able to seek it out. We honor the duties inherent in our land-grant beginnings by positioning ourselves as partners in the search for knowledge, progress and positive change for ourselves, our communities, our world.

Core Values

TRUST – OUR FOUNDATION

At UMSL, trust is sacred. We understand it is actively established and earned at every moment. We build trust through goodwill, transparency, accountability and positive, measurable results. We foster trust with students, colleagues and friends through respectful interactions, clear expectations and soundly ethical research pursuits. To be deserving of this trust is more than a pursuit. It is the very heart of our mission, the basis of our integrity and the foundation that makes the rest of our values and goals a possibility.

ACCESS – OUR CHALLENGE AND OUR PROMISE

Our classrooms, our campus, our research, our creativity, our service to the community – all of it – is for everyone. Access is something we constantly seek to better understand and to improve. We believe that a learning environment free from barriers for any one person makes that environment better for all people. We recognize that our commitment to access demands continual change. We embrace it. Always.

INNOVATION – OUR DRIVING FORCE FOR TRANSFORMATION

We know innovation is about far more than coming up with new ideas, that at the heart of every great innovator lies the desire to see a problem solved or a person helped. We believe we are all innovators, driving change for the purpose of the greater good.

SUCCESS – OUR GREATEST COMMITMENT

The expectation of success, for each and every one of our students, is something we believe in at every moment, without exception. It's the reason we're all here. We are committed to meeting our students wherever they are, to inspiring and empowering them to meet their goals, break through their barriers and define and achieve what success means for them.

INCLUSION – OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE

We believe celebrating and appreciating diversity isn't enough. We strive to create a truly inclusive community, one where equity is reality. We recognize individual attributes and respect individual differences, all while firmly asserting that we are better together.

ENGAGEMENT – OUR CONSISTENT, STEADFAST ACTION

We believe it is our duty and responsibility to reach out with open minds, invite others into conversation and create solutions. We use our energy, wisdom and resources to forge partnerships – across campus and within the community – that are built in the spirit of collaboration. We have much to share and much to learn, and we understand that the two go hand in hand.

We pursue each of these values with the knowledge that there is no perfect end point, no top of the mountain. We climb anyway. Because it's the right thing to do. Because we're all in this together. Because we are UMSL.

Impact Statement

UMSL's economic impact on the entire St. Louis metropolitan region is immense. More than 73 percent of our more than 105,000 alumni choose to live and work in the area postgraduation. We don't just educate St. Louis; we are St. Louis.

Our influence begins in our own backyard, where we serve as a proud Anchor Institution in north St. Louis County. This role demands that we position ourselves not only as good neighbors but as active partners in the development of education health care, public safety, social service, and business and industry initiatives that strengthen our communities, our city and our state.

We share the belief that no accomplishment will be more critical to these endeavors than improving educational opportunity for all. As a result, we've partnered with the chamber of commerce to become a powerful force in the St. Louis Regional Education Commitment. We are committed to doing our part to increase the number of adults in St. Louis who hold a bachelor's degree to 40 percent by the year 2025. The direct result of this effort will be a more educated, empowered workforce – one that will make St. Louis an exemplary, desirable place for corporations, technology start-ups and other industry innovators who have the power to bring growth, opportunity and lasting stability to our region. As one of the largest, most culturally and ethnically diverse universities in Missouri, we believe no institution is better suited to assist with this goal than UMSL.

Finally, though we are proudly St. Louis, we also know that our impact reaches far beyond our immediate surroundings. The economic and philanthropic reach of our programs and partnerships spans the globe, most importantly through the influence of our graduates. Our alumni are business leaders, health-care professionals, educators and scientists who have found work in nearly every state, multiple countries and on several continents. Their accomplishments inspire our collective efforts to create solutions and positively impact society.

From our own backyard to the broader world, we are committed to building a future in which our greatest outcome is transformative change for all.

Code of Conduct

UMSL's Code of Conduct – Our Community, Our Commitment (PDF) is a resource designed to support us in doing all we can to live up to the promise of our mission, vision and values.