A Word from the President

UCM Rich in Opportunities

Whenever I speak to people about the University of Central Missouri, I always look forward to telling them about the opportunities we provide for our students. As a higher education institution, we strive to provide an educational environment rich with experiences that prepare our students for the intellectual and social challenges they will face in the workplace, in their communities, or wherever their personal and professional journeys take them.

As you read this issue of Today, you'll learn about three Distinguished Alumni Award recipients who attribute their career successes to early opportunities they received at UCM.

Bryan Burns, for example, says the "on the-job training" he received as a student on campus helped prepare him for a career that eventually led to ESPN, where he's currently vice president of strategic business planning and development. A UCM education also provided a good foundation for Robert Buhrkuhl, who helped fight the war on terrorism by getting critical supplies to U.S. military troops. Distinguished International Alumnus Charles Olaiya also values the learning opportunities he had at UCM. His research on the removal of chromium from nuclear waste led to a process expected to save the U.S. Department of Energy an estimated $2 billion.

Such alumni are a source of pride for us all. They remind us of the need to continue to make opportunities for a UCM education possible for more students, particularly in these tough economic times. We're grateful to our Student Financial Services staff members who worked hard during the past few months to accommodate a 10 percent increase in financial aid applications. This truly demonstrates the need for our exciting new Scholarships NOW initiative, which will provide more scholarship dollars for more of our students, and help us to make a college education possible.

As you read through this issue, please consider Scholarships NOW as part of your charitable planning. We will continue to look for new ways to make education more accessible and affordable, and will keep you posted on our progress.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of Today, and encourage you to let us know of opportunities that make you proud of UCM.

Aaron Podolefsky, Ph.D.
President, University of Central Missouri