MU STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES …

                          MU STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES

                       Recommendations from the Task Force
                           Co-Chairs of the Task Force
                             Brian Foster, Provost and
                       Richard Wallace, Chancellor Emeritus

                             (Approved September 19, 2007)


Background

A critical element of MU's strategic planning is to identify the areas in which the
University is positioned to be competitive with the best institutions of higher education.
To identify such areas, it is important to identify those unique assets--e.g., facilities,
collaborators, program strengths--that provide opportunities for extraordinarily
competitive initiatives that can position MU uniquely in higher education. In 2006,
Provost Brian Foster appointed a task force to identify such assets, which we called
"strategic advantages." After a great deal of campus input and discussion--written input,
focus groups, public forums, discussions with deans and others--the Task Force
approved its list of MU's Strategic Advantages. These advantages are not programs;
rather they are the foundation stones on which competitive program initiatives can be
built. MU faculty, deans, the Office of Research, external partners, and others will now
create the program initiatives.

MU has unique assets that no one else has or can hope to have, which position MU
uniquely in the world of higher education. These assets can take several forms:

       Unique mix of programs
       Collaboration with external partners
       Institutional culture
       Unique facilities


Facilities and environment

       A. Nuclear reactor

                  MU has the largest research reactor at any university in the U.S. Its
                  activities include research, instructional, and production functions.

       B. Interdisciplinary campus culture

                  Faculty at MU work across disciplinary boundaries and are very
                  entrepreneurial in putting together unusual and forward-looking
                  initiatives. Interdisciplinary successes are numerous, including nano
                science and materials, the Thompson Center for Autism and
                Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and the broad collaboration on policy
                research.

      C. Unique state-wide presence

                MU is a land-grant university with a public service commitment that
                touches every corner of the State of Missouri, with an Extension
                presence, including extension councils, students, and alumni in
                literally every county. Other examples include MU's Telehealth
                Network, Area Health Education Centers, and broad-based economic
                development initiatives.

      D. External partnerships

                MU has strong corporate, governmental, foundation and other non-
                profit partnerships that complement program strengths, together
                enabling uniquely strong program thrusts in areas that will define the
                future of the U.S. and of the University. Some examples include the
                Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Washington University in St.
                Louis, Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories Inc. (ABC Labs), and
                Cerner Corporation.


Unique program mix

      1. Veterinary Medicine/Medicine/Animal Science

                MU is one of a half dozen universities with Veterinary Medicine,
                Medicine, and Animal Science on the same campus. This
                combination, when allied with Engineering, Biological Sciences, and
                other disciplines, allows unique approaches to comparative medicine
                in both basic and translational research and ultimately in clinical
                applications. (Intersects with A, B, and D above; also with 2, 3, 4, and
                6 below.)

      2. New Media

                Numerous programs at MU have interests that touch on new media.
                MU's premier Journalism program, which has a focus on new, global
                media, has strong relations with Missouri external partners (e.g.,
                AT&T, Sprint, the Missouri Press Association, The Kansas City Star,
                the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and with diverse programs across campus
                (e.g., engineering, especially digital design and imaging disciplines,
                writing, graphic design, and Center for the Digital Globe). Other
                important media programs whose interests overlap with those above
           include the Center for eResearch, which partners with Apple and
           Adobe, the Museum of Art and Archaeology, and the School of
           Information Sciences and Learning Technologies in the College of
           Education. (Intersects with B, C, D, and 1 above, and 4, 5, and 6
           below.)

3. Informatics

           MU's corporate and governmental partners give a unique shape to
           research and instructional efforts to extract information from very
           large data bases in areas as diverse as health care (Cerner) and
           geospatial data bases (Geospatial Intelligence Agency). Programs as
           diverse as Marketing, Environmental Science, Plant Genomics, and
           Epidemiology embody applications of informatics technologies.
           (Intersects with A, B, D, and 1 above, and 5 and 6 below.)

4. Aging

           MU's unique Tiger Place, along with corporate partner Americare,
           brings together numerous campus academic programs as diverse as
           Nursing, Health Professions, Sociology, Business, Engineering,
           Medicine, Human Development and Family Studies, Architectural
           Studies, Social Work, and the Center for Health Policy. Research in
           Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Nutrition, Education,
           Extension, and other areas contribute to a unique mix of campus
           initiatives in aging, with a particular emphasis on aging in place and
           on biomedical, clinical, and social aspects of aging. (Intersects with B,
           C, D, 1, 2, and 3 above.)

5. Agribusiness

           Missouri's two major urban areas bracket a uniquely strong
           agribusiness axis, with a Plant Science anchor in St. Louis and a
           world-prominent animal health cluster in the Kansas City area. MU
           plays a key role in this Agribusiness corridor, including partnerships
           with Monsanto, the Danforth Center, Bayer, and other prominent
           organizations. This axis aligns with the mix of MU programs
           (especially Animal Science, Plant Science, Life Sciences Center,
           Veterinary Medicine, and Biological Sciences), with the strong
           agricultural industry of rural Missouri, and with MU Extension's
           support network. (Intersects with A, B, C, D, 1, 2, and 3 above.)

6. Design disciplines and Imaging Technologies

           MU has a broad array of disciplines with strong design components,
           including Journalism, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Textiles,
Theatre, radio-nuclear imaging, computer design technologies in
Engineering and elsewhere, and in the broadest sense, Engineering.
These strengths intersect with imaging technology programs including
film and animation technologies, Film Studies, geospatial analysis
(Geography, Engineering, and application areas including Marketing,
Environmental Studies, and Epidemiology), medical imaging, and
Journalism. (Intersects with A, B, D, 1, 2, 3, and 5 above.)