Charting Our Course Forward
The University of Missouri–St. Louis is the region's premier public research university — one that is a beacon of hope, a force for good and a powerful agent of change in Missouri and beyond. With a goal of becoming the nation's top urban, metropolitan public research university, the UMSL community is actively engaged in ongoing strategic planning efforts to ensure that we continue to live out our mission to transform lives. This includes outlining measures and investments to support enrollment growth, enhance student success outcomes, strengthen research and creative works, engage in community engagement and economic development, build inclusive excellence, and to shape our campus and community environment through focused planning, operations and stewardship. Please explore this site to learn more about these efforts.
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.
Nearly 75% of our over 115,000 alumni choose to live and work in the area post-graduation. We don’t just educate St. Louis; we are St. Louis, and our influence begins in our own backyard.
UMSL serves 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, 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 have partnered with Greater St. Louis Inc. 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% by the year 2025. The direct result of this effort will be a more educated, empowered workforce – one that will continue to make St. Louis an exemplary, desirable place for corporations, technology startups 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 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 and multiple countries. 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 a transformative change for all.
Unified public education for the greater good:
Formed in 1963, the UM System consists of system administration and four universities: the University of Missouri–Columbia, the University of Missouri–Kansas City, the Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Each university’s component parts, including but not limited to MU Health, MU Extension and UM Engagement, are an integral part of the system as well.
The UM System is organized to achieve more collectively than any component part could achieve individually. This principle guides decision makers in managing affairs, whether they be in academic, research or business operations.
It is the fundamental responsibility of each UM System university and its leaders to effectively manage resources to achieve the vision and mission of the UM System. Such a responsibility compels everyone involved to look beyond individual universities and interests and to enable the UM System as a whole to meet the needs of the people of Missouri, the nation and the world.
