Provost Announces Mizzou Advantage Grants

Grants totaled more than $900,000; focused on five Mizzou Advantage initiatives

May 4th, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— University of Missouri Provost Brian Foster announced more than $900,000 in grants to MU faculty today as part of the Mizzou Advantage program. The purpose of Mizzou Advantage is to increase MU’s visibility and stature in higher education locally, statewide, nationally and around the world. This first round of grants will fund 26 proposals.

“For this initiative to work, we must provide our faculty and staff with the resources that will allow them to bring their visions to reality,” Foster said. “By funding these proposals, we hope to strengthen existing faculty networks, create new networks and propel Mizzou’s research to the next level. I’m very excited about the proposals and the opportunities they present for faculty and staff and for our students.”

The projects , which cover all five areas, are separated into two groups. “Network Proposals” are those projects that will build relationships, seed new and productive collaborations, and deepen MU’s presence in each of the five initiatives. These activities will forge relationships among departments, individual faculty members and external collaborators who are working on related topics in the broad initiative areas. Foster hopes that these collaborations will enhance the work of all and perhaps open new opportunities that no one person or center could pursue alone.

“Fellow Proposals” are grants that will seed substantive research, education, service or economic development projects in the initiative areas—to build the foundation for future activities in Mizzou Advantage. These grants should bring together researchers from around the campus and/or from outside campus in innovative ways that enhance opportunities for major efforts in the future.

“These two types of proposals are complementary, and both are essential foundations for the success of the Mizzou Advantage,” Foster said.

“Along with new research collaborations, we are hoping to engage and enhance the student experience at MU through Mizzou Advantage opportunities,” said LuAnne Roth, educational coordinator for Mizzou Advantage. “Some of the activities we are exploring include adding certificate programs to our current degree offerings; creating interdisciplinary, team-taught courses; and developing a summer field or laboratory experience that could take place at MU, off-campus, or at a study-abroad location. We want to build upon our existing strengths, such as our FIGs and learning community programs, to augment the Mizzou collegiate experience.”

NOTE: A full list of funded proposals can be found at: http://provost.missouri.edu/proposalsawardedspring2010.pdf