UMSL Chancellor Delivers State of the University Address; Campus Bike Trail Officially Opens

University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellor Tom George delivered the State of the University Address Sept. 19. He touted important campus news, recognized the work of faculty and staff and discussed university goals, including ongoing efforts to increase student enrollment. A copy of the chancellor’s presentation is available for download on his website.

Other events happening on campus include:

• Sunshine, ice cream, balloons and bicycles created a festive air to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Great Rivers Greenway trail Thursday. The trail connects the existing cross-campus St. Vincent Greenway Trail with the Ted Jones Trail on the UMSL campus.
  
  
• Thanks to Express Scripts, UMSL’s carbon footprint just got smaller. With funding from the company, UMSL has completed its first solar panel installation to generate electricity. The roof of UMSL’s Mark Twain Athletic & Fitness Center, just across the street from Express Scripts headquarters, features a 25-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that converts sunlight into electricity.
  
  
• A modern work force needs a modern learning environment. That environment is exactly what UMSL strives to offer its students, said Chancellor Tom George. Thanks to a $750,000 gift from St. Louis-based Peabody Energy, two existing UMSL science labs will be renovated and equipped with up-to-date technology. One of the labs is in Benton Hall, and the other is in Stadler Hall.
  
  
• The International Business program at UMSL extended its streak of U.S. News & World Report top 20 rankings to 10 consecutive years. The magazine has released online its 2013 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook, which named the International Business program at UMSL the 15th best undergraduate international business program. The ranking also meant UMSL offers the best undergraduate international business program in Missouri and second best program in the Midwest.
  
  
• In October, a group of UMSL piano students will embark on a whirlwind trip to Russia that will include performances, lectures and, of course, sightseeing. They will perform a preview piece of their Russian trip program at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 in Recital Room 205 of the Music Building. The event is free and open to the public.
  
  
• Sheilah Clarke-Ekong has long been a standout as an associate professor of anthropology at the UMSL. Going forward, she will play a larger role in helping shape general education at the university. The resident of Ballwin, Mo., has been named the director of General Education at UMSL and chair of the General Education Committee. 
  
  

For more comprehensive coverage of the happenings at the University of Missouri–St. Louis visit UMSL Daily.

UMSL is the largest university in the region. More than 16,000 students from 48 states and 62 countries are enrolled with 50,000 additional students enrolled in non-credit continuing education programs. It employs more than 1,400 full-time and part-time teaching and research faculty members. While its graduates have taken leadership roles nationally and internationally, their influence remains centered in the St. Louis region. More than 75 percent of UMSL’s 80,000 graduates still live and work in the region.