Who We Are

The System including the Board of Curators, the President, General Officers and their leadership teams contributed to the following Guiding Principles of System effectiveness in order to fulfill the vision and missions of the UM System. These discussions were formalized into a University Task Force Report, approved by the Board of Curators in July 2018. The approach for specific actions and behaviors of the Board, president, chancellors, leadership and staff are listed after each Guiding Principle below:

Leadership and Excellence

Support courageous and proactive leadership that is articulate, unified, and committed to excellence in carrying out our existing core missions of teaching, research, engagement and economic development and in meeting the changing needs of the world and the state.

Collaboration and Mutuality

Establish a collaborative environment in which UM System universities work together to achieve collective results that cannot be achieved individually and are committed to each other and our mutual success.

Exercising Central Authority to Optimize Institutional Strengths

Exercise central authority that recognizes and respects institutional distinctiveness, appropriate deference and accountability.

Collaborative Decision-Making

Enact informed decisions based on collaboratively developed strategic directions and planning.

Core Values

Identify and promote systemwide core values, including respect for all people, transparency, accountability, stewardship and purposeful self-assessment of performance.

Our mission-driven work transcends the walls of the University. We offer an extraordinary environment to change lives by enabling student success, enriching our communities and driving innovative research that provides meaningful and empowering work for each and every one of us.

As the only public research and doctoral level institution in the state of Missouri, we are uniquely positioned to collaborate and share resources across the UM system. We achieve more together than we could on our own and give our employees the opportunity to lead and participate in work efforts that have broader impacts on the entire UM community.

We are a community of lifelong learners where each employee has an opportunity to pursue continuous professional and personal growth opportunities by exploring intellectual interests, acquiring new skill sets and participating in ongoing development activities.

We are committed to supporting the “whole employee” and valuing our employees’ contributions to making us a world-class institution by acknowledging our successes (individually and as a team) and providing role clarity and accountability measures to enable personal and professional success. We provide benefits programs to support individuals and encourage work/life balance throughout each stage of life (e.g., well-being, health and wellness, retirement, etc.).

We are committed to establishing a diverse and inclusive working environment for our faculty and staff, providing safe, secure working conditions and facilities and ensuring our employees have open, honest and trusting relationships with leadership and their peers.