MEDIA ADVISORY: UM Board of Curators to hold June meeting in Springfield, will celebrate southwest Missouri connections and hear from MU AD Veatch

President Choi, AD Veatch to be available to media on Wednesday, June 26; Board Chair Wenneker, Choi available to media on Thursday, June 27. 

WHAT: The University of Missouri Board of Curators will hold its June 27 board meeting at the White River Conference Center in Springfield, Mo. The board meeting will address several important connections to the southwest Missouri region. 

During the public meeting, MU Director of Athletics Laird Veatch will give a presentation on his first 60 days in the job. (See below for media availability opportunity with Veatch.) 
 

WHO: UM Board of Curators

• University of Missouri President Mun Choi
• UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal
• S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani
• UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik
• UM administrators
• MU Director of Athletics Laird Veatch

NOTE: The public is invited to attend. 
 

WHERE:  

James River and Dogwood Canyon Halls
White River Conference Center, Morris Conservation Center
600 W. Sunshine St., Springfield, Mo., 65807 
 

WHEN: June 26 and 27 

Wednesday, June 26: Choi and Veatch will be available to media from 2:30-3 p.m. 
NOTE: This will be the only opportunity for media to meet with Veatch. For details on location of the availability, please contact Christian Basi at BasiC@umsystem.edu or 573-882-4430. 
 

Thursday, June 27 (times are subject to change):

• 8 a.m. – Board meeting begins with executive closed session.
• 1:15 p.m. (approximately) — Public session begins.
• 5 p.m. (approximately) – Press conference with Choi and UM Board of Curators Chair Robin Wenneker. 
  NOTE: Only Choi and Wenneker will be available at this time.  

NOTE: The University of Missouri System has a more than $6 billion economic impact on the state of Missouri, which comes in the form of jobs, business with vendors, federal dollars for research and work projects led by the university. Specific examples in the Springfield area include:

• University of Missouri-Columbia:  The MU School of Medicine Springfield Clinical Campus opened in 2016 as a public/private partnership between the MU School of Medicine and CoxHealth and Mercy hospitals where doctors provide patient-centered care for the people of Missouri and beyond. This campus also works to increase the number of physicians who choose to practice in rural areas. Additionally, the Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center is a key resource for farmers, providing them with the latest information on beef genetics and alternative crop research along with being a hands-on resource for high school, undergraduate and graduate students. 
• Missouri University of Science and Technology: In collaboration with Missouri State University, Missouri S&T offers bachelor’s degrees in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. MSU students take engineering courses from Missouri S&T and take non-engineering classes through MSU, all while never leaving the MSU campus. 
• University of Missouri-Kansas City: The UMKC School of Pharmacy created a collaborative campus with Missouri State University in 2014 to make pharmacy programs more accessible to more students and better serve the health care needs of the state.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis: The UMSL College of Optometry and College of Nursing have partnerships with Springfield clinics so students have an opportunity to have key clinical experiences in the region.  
• Extension: The University of Missouri Extension Greene County Office continues the UM service mission by providing educational opportunities on agriculture, natural resources, garden improvements, nutrition and health, families, and emergency management. The office also works to support the regional 4-H program and many other services that ensure a better quality of life for Greene County residents.