Welcome Message from Chancellor Deaton

Dear Friends:

Education opened the whole world for me. As a young child growing up on a Kentucky farm, 4-H presented the first real opportunity and a glimpse of what might lie beyond. Later came college at the Universities of Kentucky and Wisconsin, followed by the Peace Corps and faculty positions at land-grant universities.

Today I serve as chancellor of one of the great universities of the future. Since joining the University of Missouri-Columbia 15 years ago as a professor, I have learned so much from the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who care passionately for their beloved Mizzou. They demonstrate their dedication in different ways, but they all share a commitment to honor the history they know and respect while working tirelessly to ensure an even brighter future.

I believe it is our duty to make a positive impact on the lives of the students we teach and to help them graduate with the skills to succeed as global citizens. I believe it is our duty to become a leader in research that will create benefits extending well beyond the state of Missouri. I believe we must continue to improve access to our programs and to increase the diversity of our faculty and student body. I believe that through our service to the state, we must touch the lives of Missourians -- from improving the quality of the food on their dinner tables to training the family physicians in their hometowns.

MU was founded 166 years ago as Missouri's flagship University. Today we are the only public institution in Missouri selected for membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) and ranked Doctoral/Research Extensive (Research I) by the Carnegie Foundation.

I invite you to explore all that MU has to offer via our Web site or by visiting our beautiful campus in Columbia, Missouri, where we offer the best education from the heart of the nation.