Chancellor Kristin Sobolik delivers her annual State of the University Address to an audience of faculty, staff, retirees and alumni at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

The University of Missouri–St. Louis turned the page on a yearlong celebration of its 60th anniversary this summer and began looking forward to the new academic year.

Chancellor Kristin Sobolik closed out the first week of the fall semester by delivering her annual State of the University Address with a big focus on how UMSL is positioning itself to serve students and the St. Louis region for the next 60 years and more.

“At UMSL, our vision is clear: campus sustainability and innovation for the future,” Sobolik said as she spoke to an audience of faculty, staff, retirees and alumni Friday morning in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall in the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. “We are committed to supporting our academic community while uplifting north St. Louis County, the broader St. Louis region, Missouri and the world. To achieve this, we must position our university as the inclusive economic growth engine that our region needs – not just for today, but for generations to come.”

The physical transformation underway across the UMSL campus is central to reaching that goal. The university has undertaken an ambitious Transform UMSL plan that includes more than $110 million in construction and renovation projects as it reimagines the academic core on North Campus with new state-of-the-art facilities and improved access to student support services. In the process, it will demolish outdated buildings, reducing deferred maintenance and making the campus more sustainable for the future.

Spot, the agile mobile robot dog from Boston Dynamics, joins Chancellor Kristin Sobolik on the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall stage during the annual State of the University Address.

The university has earned the support of elected officials and business leaders to help make that a reality. Sobolik detailed the investment the state of Missouri has made by directing $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and the MoExcels Workforce Initiative to support projects associated with the Transform UMSL initiative over the past several years. Some, like the renovation of UMSL’s Nursing Simulation Lab, the Geospatial Advanced Technology Lab and the second floor of the Patient Care Center with teaching labs and study spaces for the College of Optometry, have already been completed.

Work is progressing on other projects, including the deconstruction of the Social Sciences and Business Building Tower and the renovation of the UMSL Libraries, as the new academic year gets underway.

“This work is an absolute sign of progress as we look at UMSL’s future,” Sobolik said.

There is more to come, including construction of the Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center, an expansion of SSB in place of the tower that will serve as the home of the College of Education and Pierre Laclede Honors College, and renovated space for UMSL’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center.

But UMSL is also taking steps beyond the physical transformation to ensure it is meeting the needs of students today and in the future.

“We are doing this by developing and expanding academically relevant programs that align with the workforce and economic demands of our region,” Sobolik said.

In recent years, that has included adding new degrees in disciplines such as financial technology, cybersecurity, child advocacy studies, entrepreneurship, sport management, actuarial science, supply chain analytics and data science and analysis.

In fact, Sobolik was joined by a surprise visitor on stage – Spot, an agile mobile robot from Boston Dynamics – as she discussed new facilities and technologies supporting geospatial science.

“Spot has one problem: his name,” Sobolik said. “Now, Louie is already taken, but I think Spot needs a more UMSL-fied name.  We are going to launch a student competition to rename Spot, so watch for that coming up.”

After celebrating the progress to date, Sobolik then shared that UMSL is preparing to launch a school of engineering with ABET-accredited, on-campus bachelor’s degree programs in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. It will cater to traditional, full-time students and will operate alongside the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program, which allows students to take courses in the evening while working during the day. This year’s state budget directed $15 million to support renovating lab spaces in UMSL’s Science Complex that will serve students in the new school.

“The UMSL School of Engineering is perfectly aligned with Missouri’s workforce needs and the STL 2030 Jobs Plan,” Sobolik said. “Thanks to incredible support from our partners, the new school will provide high-quality, ABET-accredited degrees to benefit not just the St. Louis region but the entire state and beyond.”

Other highlights from the State of the University Address:

• UMSL has welcomed one of its largest entering classes to date with nearly 1,200 new students, most of them first-time college students. The university has seen a 35% increase in first-time college students, a 6% increase in transfer students and a 16% increase in graduate students this semester.
• The university received more than $22 million from philanthropic donors last year. More than $15 million is being directed toward Transform UMSL projects, bringing UMSL 63% closer to its fundraising goal for the initiative. More than 1,100 students received private scholarship support last year, and the university’s planned giving program also increased by 7 percentage points.
• UMSL researchers had another record year, bringing in $88 million in funding for research and sponsored activity during the last fiscal year. UMSL research awards have increased by 340% since fiscal year 2017.
• UMSL added 21 new faculty members this academic year across six academic units including arts and sciences, social work, libraries, business, nursing and optometry.
• UMSL is not alone in investing in the nearby area of north St. Louis County. Clayco, a full-service real estate development, architecture, engineering and construction firm, is moving its St. Louis team members into space across Interstate 70 from the UMSL campus. The new University Crossing development near the North Hanley MetroLink Station is set to bring 60 mixed-income apartments aimed at families to the area. The USDA has also been making progress on a new Food Safety and Inspection Service Laboratory on Natural Bridge Road, not far from the UMSL South MetroLink station.
• Sobolik closed her presentation by recognizing retiring Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan, who last winter became the first recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal. Sobolik also surprised UMSL Police Chief Dan Freet when she honored him as the second recipient of the award. The Chancellor’s Medal was created to honor members of the UMSL community who have made a significant contribution to advance the mission and values of the university. Freet is retiring in September after 11 years working at his alma mater, the last seven as chief.