The University Community
The University of Missouri-Columbia (MU)
is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri system. With over 30,000 students and a wide diversity of colleges and programs
(including agriculture, law, medicine, veterinary medicine, journalism, education, engineering, and numerous programs in the arts and sciences),
MU is a vibrant and exciting place to study. The Truman School of Public Affairs is located in Middlebush Hall on the campus of the University
of Missouri.
- Library Facilities MU has an outstanding library system. Ellis Library contains more than 3,000,000 volumes and 21,000
periodicals. Professional staff are available to answer questions and help solve research problems. Additional services include reserve desk
and seminar rooms, library instruction, literature search services, numerous on-line and CD-ROM based databases, a microcomputing lab, and
library services for persons with physical disabilities. Ellis Library has become fully accessible on-line from your computer.
- A Wired (and Wireless) Campus MU's Division of
Information Technology (DoIT) operates numerous computer labs at various
locations on the campus. DoIT operates a state-of-the-art ethernet
fiber-optic data backbone which connects all campus computers and computing
sites with one another as well as with the outside world. Wireless Internet
services are available on the Columbia Campus in many buildings and outdoor
areas across campus. Users can access MERLIN, the system wide online library
catalog and can access numerous data bases across the country
and throughout the world via the Internet.
- Career Services The University of Missouri Career Center offers many placement services. The on-line services include
career assessments, job search preparation information, job search databases, and on-line resumes. For more information on the Career Center,
please visit: http://career.missouri.edu/. The Truman School of Public Affairs
does not maintain a separate placement office; job openings, internship opportunities and placement information are posted outside the
School's main office in Middlebush Hall. and should be checked on a regular basis.
- Living Accommodations Graduate students may choose to live on or off-campus. In addition to abundant off-campus
apartments in a variety of price ranges, MU graduate residence halls, which include room and board, are available for men and women
students. MU also has over 350 unfurnished apartments available for married student families and a limited number for single graduate
students. Application forms and additional information about campus housing may be obtained by writing to: Department of Residential
Life, 125 Jesse Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, or by calling (573) 882-7275. The Student Parent Center is an infant and toddler child care
center offered only to MU students. For child care information, contact the center at (573) 882-4224.
- Student Life There are more than 400 student-run organizations at MU, reaching a wide spectrum of interests.
From sports clubs, special interest groups, religious and service organizations to the Graduate Professional Council and the Truman
School’s own student group AMPAS, there are many different opportunities for student involvement. Further information can be found
on the campus website at http://web.missouri.edu.
- The Community Located on Interstate 70 midway between St. Louis and Kansas City, Columbia is a college community
with a population of about 85,000. Its economy is based largely on the "clean" industries of education, medical services and insurance.
Besides MU, Columbia is home to two other institutions of higher education - Columbia College and Stephens College; and its five hospitals
and several major insurance company operations provide Columbia with a substantial base in the medical and insurance industries as well.
Lectures, concerts, art exhibits, dramatic productions and other cultural, educational, and recreational activities on the three local
campuses are open to the public throughout the year. Columbia is known as one of America’s best places to live. It combines a small town
feel with the diversity and cultural opportunities often found only in large cities.
- Sports and Recreation Columbia has Big 12 conference football and basketball (MU) as well as NCAA Division I baseball,
soccer, gymnastics, wrestling, softball, volleyball, and track and field. During the late summer, Columbia hosts the statewide amateur
Olympic-style "Show-Me State Games." Over 35,000 athletes compete in 34 different events in what has become the largest state games in
the nation. Bikers, hikers, and joggers can enjoy the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail, a pea-gravel-coated path constructed along the route
of the former MKT railroad tracks. Finger Lakes State Park is a 1,110-acre area for swimming, diving, off-road motorcycling, and canoeing.
In addition, the city maintains 40 parks and recreation facilities with over 1,850 acres of land on which to fish, boat, or picnic. Other
outdoor sites in the area include Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (2,100 acres featuring a natural rock bridge formation and an underground
cave system), Gans Creek Wildlife Area, Three Creeks State Forest, and Shelter Insurance Gardens (growing more than 15,000 flowers and 300
varieties of trees and shrubs). Because Columbia is only about a two-hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City, sports fans can take a short
drive to enjoy watching professional sports teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals, Rams and Blues or the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs.
