The University of Missouri was founded in 1839 as the first U.S. public university west of the Mississippi River. Today with an enrollment of around 30,000 students, 8,000 full-time employees and ovear 315,000 alumni worldwide, Missouri’s flagship university is a $2-plus billion enterprise with global connections. MU is a member of the Association of American Universities, the nation’s most prestigious group of 60 U.S. public and private universities. Membership recognizes excellence in teaching and research endeavors and includes only the nation’s top-tier institutions. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that offer the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction and research activity. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 13 colleges and schools. MU is home to the world’s first School of Journalism and is one of only six universities nationwide with a school of medicine, veterinary medicine, law and a nuclear research reactor on one campus. The university also has great strengths in agriculture, engineering and the basic sciences. MU’s mission is to improve the quality of life and serve the public good through teaching, research, service and economic development. The university serves and unifies the state via extension programs in more than 100 locations and through a comprehensive health system that includes four hospitals, numerous clinics and health care experts who conduct life-changing research and educate tomorrow’s physicians, nurses and allied health specialists. MU students come from every state in the nation and from more than 100 countries, and a strong international community thrives in Columbia. MU professors take their work around the world via international research partnerships and students participate in Missouri’s largest study abroad program. MU is known for collaborative discovery where faculty and students work together to solve problems and improve lives. The university’s nationally prominent faculty bring discoveries into the classroom, publish an average of 2,000 scholarly articles and books each year and spend $205 million annually on scientific research. A member of the Southeastern Conference, MU’s Division I-A athletic program has more than 500 student-athletes in 20 sports, many ranked in the top 25 nationally. Finally, the Univresity of Missouri is fortunate to be located in one of America's most livable cities. Ranked by the American Institute for Economic Research as one of the nation’s top 10 college towns, Columbia combines small-town comforts, community spirit and a low cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources. Our city of about 110,000 people lies midway between Missouri’s largest metro areas: St. Louis and Kansas City. It is packed with restaurants and entertainment venues; home to multiple parks and outdoor recreation sites such as Rock Bridge State Park and the MKT Trail; and hosts more than a dozen annual cultural festivals. Money magazine, Fortune magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Men’s Journal, MSN.com and others have all named Columbia one of the best places in the country to live.