COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri has launched MU Community Connect, a platform designed to improve opportunities for connection between the university and various populations in the communities they serve.

“Whether it’s finding impact data on education and wellness programs, learning about university resources you can bring to your community, or finding opportunities to engage with university events and faculty, MU Community Connect makes the university more accessible to the people it serves,” said Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement.

PARTNERSHIPS: The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab works with the Missouri Department of Conservation to test deer harvested throughout Missouri for chronic wasting disease.

IMPACT: The College of Education’s Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is a unique career leadership training program for high school students with disabilities. Participants cultivate leadership, citizenship, social and career development skills during the program.

CONNECTIONS: The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, coordinates hundreds of volunteers around the state who sample water from various lakes to create a real-time snapshot of Missouri’s water quality and a database showing changes in water quality over time.

RESOURCES: Through its Creating Digitally Connected Communities Guide process, the UM System Broadband Initiative helps communities develop feasible, strategic plans to expand local high-speed internet infrastructure and access.

POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS: Through more than 150 years of extension and engagement work, MU has connected communities across Missouri’s 114 counties and the city of St. Louis with university knowledge, resources and research. In addition to these connections and partnerships, the UM System is mobilizing the assets of all four universities to tackle Missouri’s grand challenges. MU hosts several virtual events yearly as part of UM System’s Extension and Engagement Week. Faculty, staff and members of the community are encouraged to register and attend.

The MU Community Connect website features stories of community engagement, upcoming events, resources, services and campus contacts to support community conversations. Users can also find an Impact Report with key data about the impact the university is making in their communities. At the UM System level, users can sort data by county or legislative district to see programs, opportunities and impact data in targeted areas.

MU Community Connect was developed in partnership with the MU Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES), the team that also manages the data that powers the impact reports.