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Former name | Kansas City School of Law (1895-1938) Kansas City Dental College (1881-1919)[1] Western Dental College (1890-1919) Kansas City-Western Dental College (1919-1941)[2] Kansas City College of Pharmacy (1885-1943)[3] Kansas City Conservatory of Music (1906-1959) Horner Institute for Fine Arts (1914-1926)[4][5] University of Kansas City (1933-1963) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law"[6][7][8] |
| Type | Publicresearch university |
| Established | October 1, 1933; 92 years ago (October 1, 1933)[9] |
Parent institution | University of Missouri System |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $204.14 million (2023) (UMKC only)[10] $2.24 billion (2023) (system-wide)[11] |
| Budget | $457.46 million (FY 2024)[12] |
| Chancellor | C. Mauli Agrawal |
| Provost | Jennifer Lundgren |
Administrative staff | 661 (2023)[13] |
Total staff | 3,576 (2023)[14] |
| Students | 15,327 (fall 2023)[15] |
| Undergraduates | 10,197 (fall 2023)[16] |
| Postgraduates | 5,130 (fall 2023)[17] |
| Location | ,, |
| Campus | Large City, 157-acre (0.2 sq mi; 63.5 ha) |
| Other Campuses | |
| Newspaper | Roo News |
| Colors | Blue and gold[18] |
| Nickname | Roos |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I –Summit League |
| Mascot | Kasey the Kangaroo |
| Website | umkc |
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TheUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC orKansas City) is apublicresearch university inKansas City, Missouri, United States. UMKC is part of theUniversity of Missouri System and has amedical school.[19] For the 2023-2024 academic year, the university's enrollment was over 15,300 students.[20] It is the largest university in the Kansas City metro area. Among all postsecondary institutions (including community colleges), it ranks among the top three by enrollment.[21] It offers more than 125 degree programs over 12 academic units.[22] UMKC now holds aCarnegie “R1: Very High Research Activity” designation, making it the only R1 university in Kansas City.[23] UMKC is also home to theSchool of Dentistry, Missouri’s only public dental school.[24]
The school has its roots in theLincoln and Lee University movement first put forth by theMethodist Church and its BishopErnest Lynn Waldorf in the 1920s. The proposed university (which was to honorAbraham Lincoln andRobert E. Lee) was to be built on theMissouri–Kansas border at 75th and State Line Road. Proponents of the school said it would be a location "where North met South and East met West."
In 1930, after the Methodists had brought the Kansas City Dental School into their fold, the two plans were merged. The new school was to be called "Lincoln and Lee, the University of Kansas City."[25] and plans were underway to develop it into a four-year school.
The university was built on a 40-acre (16.19 ha) plot, southeast of the Nelson mansion.William Volker had purchased and donated this land for the University of Kansas City. The original Volker purchase did not include the Dickey mansion itself. Dickey died unexpectedly in 1931 and Volker acquired it to be the first building.
The two groups were to squabble back and forth, with Ernest H. Newcomb attempting to mediate. The Church did not maintain its ties, and the Lincoln and Lee name was abandoned. The school announced that it would start if 125 students enrolled. The target was met, and theUniversity of Kansas City, or "KCU" for short, held its first classes in October 1933 with a faculty of 17 and a student enrollment of 264.
The campus (now expanded to 90 acres or 36.4 hectares) is called the Volker Campus. The Dickey mansion is now Scofield Hall. The second building on the campus, the library, was named for Newcomb. ACarl Milles fountain on Brush Creek opposite the Nelson Gallery is called the Volker Fountain.[26]
The University of Kansas City grew quickly, and soon incorporated other existing local private institutions of higher learning. TheKansas City School of Law, which was founded in the 1890s and located indowntown Kansas City, merged into the university in 1938. The Kansas City-Western Dental College followed in 1941 and the Kansas City College of Pharmacy merged in 1943. This was followed by the Kansas City Conservatory of Music in 1959. During this period, the university also established the School of Administration in 1953, the School of Education in 1954, and the Division for Continuing Education in 1958.
On July 25, 1963, at the urging of alumnusHilary A. Bush,[27] the university became part of theUniversity of Missouri System and $20 million of assets including 23 buildings were transferred to the University of Missouri. At the time, KCU had 3,300 students (2,000 full-time) and 175 full-time faculty.[28]
At the time Missouri already owned the campuses inColumbia andRolla. Accordingly, the university's name was changed to the University of Missouri–Kansas City. After this, UMKC established the School of Graduate Studies in 1964, the School of Medicine in 1970, the School of Nursing in 1980, the School of Basic Life Sciences in 1985 (which was renamed the School of Biological Sciences in the mid-1990s), and the School of Computing and Engineering in 2001.
In 2012, the school conducted studies on whether to rename the school back to the University of Kansas City (while still remaining in the University of Missouri system). In November 2012, the school decided against the change noting at the time, "while prospective students and the community at large had strong interest in the name change, several other important groups — current students, faculty/staff, and alumni — do not favor a name change at this time."[29]
In the mid and late 2010s, UMKC came under fire for corruption and cover-ups that alleged a pursuit of outside money above all else.[30][31] Critics highlighted examples in the management school and pharmaceutical school, including a faculty member who required international students to perform personal tasks for him and false information used to rank the business school.[32][33][34][35][36]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 48% | ||
| Hispanic | 16% | ||
| Black | 14% | ||
| Asian | 11% | ||
| Two or more races | 5% | ||
| International student | 4% | ||
| Unknown | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 39% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 61% | ||
Today, the academic divisions of UMKC are as follows:
TheSchool of Medicine is known for its six-year post-secondary program, wherein a student spends only six years obtaining both aBachelor of Arts andDoctor of Medicine degree. The school operates two campuses, one inKansas City, Missouri, and one inSt. Joseph, Missouri.[39] TheSchool of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri, is known as the Health Sciences District campus or HSD. It is situated away from the main campus onHospital Hill, where it is connected toUniversity Health Truman Medical Center, an extensive research hospital. The St. Joseph campus (STJ) is based in St. Joseph, Missouri. Students initially trained within Mosaic Life Care hospital facilities, but in August 2025 UMKC opened a new 22,000-square-foot, $14.5 million medical education building. The facility houses classrooms, simulation labs, and clinical training spaces, and serves as a hub for expanding rural health education.[40]
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TheSchool of Law is one of four law schools in Missouri (St. Louis University School of Law,University of Missouri School of Law, andWashington University School of Law are the others). It is one of only seven American law schools to have educated both aPresident of the United States (Harry S. Truman) and a Justice of theSupreme Court of the United States (Charles Evans Whittaker). Truman attended but did not graduate from the law school and never practiced law. The schools that actually have had President-Supreme Court graduates who practiced law areYale Law School,Harvard Law School,Columbia Law School, theUniversity of Virginia School of Law, theWilliam & Mary Law School and theUniversity of Cincinnati College of Law.[41]
The university is the home ofNew Letters, aliterary magazine, as well as the nationally syndicated public radio programNew Letters on the Air.[42] For over 50 years, UMKC has broadcast live, taped, and syndicated programming overKCUR, the university's radio station andNPR affiliate.
In 2004, theFungal Genetics Stock Center moved to UMKC where it is in the School of Biological Sciences. The FGSC was founded in 1960 and is supported by the USNational Science Foundation. The FGSC distributes research materials around the world, and is part of theWorld Federation for Culture Collections. Collaborators include researchers at theBroad Institute and the US Department of EnergyJoint Genome Institute.
UMKC Theatre is considered to have one of the stronger M.F.A. programs in acting in the country. In 2017, 2018, and 2019 the MFA costume design program was ranked in the top 10 best costume design schools in the country byThe Hollywood Reporter.
The university is the site where theSupplemental Instruction program was established and developed.[43]
As of the 2026U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, the University of Missouri–Kansas City was ranked:
Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.[44]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[45] | 265 |
| U.S. News & World Report[46] | 232 |
| Washington Monthly[47] | 372 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[48] | 257 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[49] | 801–900 |
| QS[50] | 1001–1200 |
| THE[51] | 501–600 |
| U.S. News & World Report[52] | 681 |
UMKC's mascot is KaseyKangaroo (originally drawn byWalt Disney).[53] Historically, UMKC athletics had used the identity of "UMKC Kangaroos," but the short form "Roos" was widely used both within and outside of the program. On July 1, 2019, the athletic program officially rebranded itself as the Kansas City Roos.[54] The school's colors are old gold androyal blue. It is a member of theNCAA'sDivision ISummit League, having rejoined that conference on July 1, 2020, after seven years in theWestern Athletic Conference.[55]
The men's soccer team won the Summit League men's soccer championships in1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2010.[56] The team set an NCAA record on October 12, 2001, with the fastest trio of goals scored in Division I soccer during the MLS era, by scoring three times in 1:46 againstValparaiso University.[57] Notable Roos soccer players have included goalkeepersKevin Corby andConnor Sparrow, defendersRoberto Albuquerque and Coady Andrews, forwardsLevi Coleman,Eric McWoods, andJordan Rideout, and midfieldersManny Catano,Jony Muñoz, andBryan Pérez.
UMKC sponsors 16 sports for both men and women at the intercollegiate level. The department sponsors: men's basketball and women's basketball, men's soccer and women's soccer, men's tennis and women's tennis, men's golf and women's golf, men's indoor and outdoor track & field and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, men's cross country and women's cross country, softball, and volleyball. The men's and women's basketball teams play atSwinney Recreation Center. In April 2007, the school dropped its Co-Ed Rifle Program in order to add women's soccer and men's baseball. Women's soccer was added to the institution for the 2009–10 school year.
UMKC is spread across multiple locales; the main Volker Campus, home to the majority of university operations, is located in Kansas City, Missouri's Rockhill neighborhood, east of theCountry Club Plaza, and adjacent to both theStowers Institute for Medical Research and theLinda Hall Library. In 2017 the university, in collaboration withUniversity Health Truman Medical Center,Children's Mercy Hospital, the Missouri Health Department, the Jackson County Medical Examiners Office, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health Behavioral Medicine, formed the UMKC Health Sciences District onHospital Hill. This district is a first-in-the-nation partnership between local and state governments, the university, and these nationally recognized healthcare faculties, designed to promote collaboration in research, innovation, education, grant funding, and community outreach, for the advancement of health and wellness in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.[58] Also in 2017, the university announced plans to expand its metropolitan identity with the construction of a downtown Campus for the Arts, located near theKauffman Center for the Performing Arts.[59]
UMKC has two campuses in Kansas City. Most of UMKC's main campus (Volker campus) is inside a square formed by Volker Boulevard (north), Oak Street (west), 53rd Street (south), and Troost (east). The Health Sciences District campus houses the health sciences academic departments. Directly across Troost from UMKC isRockhurst University, a Jesuit university.
The Health Sciences District campus houses theSchool of Nursing, theSchool of Medicine, theSchool of Dentistry, and theSchool of Pharmacy.
The UMKC School of Medicine–St. Joseph campus opened a new 22,000-square-foot, $14.5 million medical education building in August 2025. Located inSt. Joseph, Missouri, the facility includes classrooms, simulation labs, and clinical training spaces designed to expand rural health education.[40]
Built in 1972, the Biological Sciences Building is located north of the Spencer Chemistry Building and east of Katz Hall. The building houses offices, classrooms, and research laboratories of the School of Biological Sciences. The school offers undergrad, grad, and doctoral degrees in thelife sciences. The Biological Sciences Building and Spencer Chemistry Building are connected on four of its floors; in addition to this, the south stairwell on the basement floor of the Biological Sciences Building is the north stairwell of the Spencer Chemistry Building.
The Fine Arts Building was built in 1942 and remodeled in 1975. Currently, the Art and Art History departments use the building. Student works are often displayed in the building's UMKC Gallery of Art.[60]
The building, located at 51st & Rockhill, was built in 1972 using funds donated by Helen Spencer. The purpose of the building was to nurture scientific advancement at UMKC. It currently houses the main office of the Chemistry Department, as well as several chemistry laboratories and classrooms. Spencer Chemistry Building and the Biological Sciences Building are connected on four of its floors.
The majority of UMKC's students regularly attend classes in buildings on the Quad. These buildings are Flarsheim Hall, Newcomb Hall, Manheim Hall, Royall Hall, Haag Hall, and Scofield Hall.
Cockefair, (pronounced coke-fair), is located on Rockhill across from Flarsheim Hall. It was built in 1950 and is named for former faculty member Carolyn Cockefair, who was a humanities professor at UMKC. The building currently houses the departments of History, English, and Philosophy.
Flarsheim Hall was built in 1999, and is the largest building on UMKC's campus. The Chemistry, Physics, and Geosciences departments, as well as the School of Computing and Engineering, are located in Flarsheim Hall. The hall was named after Robert H. Flarsheim, who left a $9 million endowment to the university in his estate. Flarsheim Hall is located on the northeast corner of the Quad.[61]
Haag Hall (pronounced Hāg), built in 1937, contains offices and classrooms including the departments of mathematics and communication studies. Its most recognizable features are large murals stretching along the main stairwell. Haag Hall is connected to both Royall and Flarsheim Halls. Haag Hall is located on the southeast corner of the Quad.[62]
Completed in 1965, Katz Hall is named in honor of Isaac and Michael Katz, founders of a major Kansas City drug store chain. The building currently houses the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design's offices and classrooms, and was once the location for the School of Pharmacy. The Pharmacy School has moved to the Health Sciences Building on UMKC's Hospital Hill campus, approximately four miles north of the Volker Campus.[63]
Manheim Hall, along with Newcomb Hall were the first two buildings originally built for the university. It is named forErnest Manheim, a professor of sociology, who taught at the university and founded its sociology program. Currently, Manheim Hall houses offices. It is connected to Royall Hall by a second-floor walkway. Manheim is located on the southwest corner of the Quad.[64]
Newcomb Hall (built in 1936) was named after the first manager of the university, Ernest H. Newcomb. Originally designed to house the library, Newcomb Hall is now home to offices, the University Archives, the Western Historical Manuscript Collection and the Edgar Snow Collections. Newcomb Hall is located on the extreme west edge of the quad.[65]
Royall Hall was built in 1968 and is almost exclusively classrooms. Two large lecture halls are on the ground floor, and an astronomical observatory is on the roof. Also on the ground floor is a lounge area with anEinstein Bros. Bagels. Royall Hall is connected to both Manheim and Haag Halls, and to a five-level parking structure across the street. Royall Hall is located on the south end of the Quad.[66]
Scofield Hall was built in 1912, and was originally a private residence. In 1931, William Volker acquired it and donated it to the university. It was named after Carleton Scofield, who was chancellor of the university when it merged with theUniversity of Missouri System. The Arts & Sciences advising office as well as the Language Resource Center and the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures are located in Scofield Hall. Scofield Hall is located on the north end of the Quad.[67]
Epperson House is located south of 52nd St. between Oak and Cherry.[68] TheTudor-Gothic structure was completed in 1923 at a cost of $450,000. Originally built as a private residence, Epperson House contained 48 rooms, six bathrooms, elevators, a swimming pool, and a billiard room, spread through four floors. The residence was built by Uriah S. Epperson, who was a banker, industrialist, and philanthropist who amassed significant wealth from insurance and meat-packing industries. The building was donated to the university in 1942 for use as a men's dormitory until 1956. Epperson is well known for its apparent hauntings, which earned it a spot onUnsolved Mysteries as one of the top five haunted houses in the United States. The house now sits vacant and unused, awaiting incite from the chancellor on what it will be used for next.[69][70][71]
The University Center (known as the "U-Center") was built in 1961. The student dining hall is located here, as is Pierson Auditorium, an often used site for career fairs or luncheons. In 2012, the University Center underwent renovations and was rededicated as the Atterbury Student Success Center. It was designed to promote student academic success.
Swinney Recreation Center was built in 1941, and was gifted to the university by E. F. Swinney. There are five basketball courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, racquetball and squash courts, weight-training center, soccer field, and indoor and outdoor tracks at the recreation center. Along with theKansas City Club and thePembroke Hill School, Swinney is one of only three locations in Kansas City containing squash courts.[72] University students, faculty and staff have access to the center, and paid memberships are open to others.[73]
Known on campus simply as the PAC (Performing Arts Center), this building partially houses the Conservatory of Music and Dance and the Department of Theatre, as well as theKansas City Repertory Theatre. The PAC, designed byKivett and Myers, opened in 1979 and contains White Recital Hall,Helen F. Spencer Theatre, and a black box theatre space, Studio 116.
Greek Life at the University of Missouri–Kansas City includes some 24 Greek Letter Organizations. Although the Greek population is relatively small, it maintains a proud heritage, and several chapters have received awards from their organization's international offices.[74]
One of the best known traditions in the history of UMKC was Hobo Day, later known as Bum Friday. The campus-wide event was created as Hobo Day, and it first occurred on May 8, 1935, to celebrate the end of the spring semester. Students dressed as hobos throughout the day, and various events and competitions took place. In 1982, the Student Life Office put a stop to Bum Friday and replaced it with "Roo Fest", which lacked many of the activities and traditions of Bum Friday and its predecessor, Hobo Day.[75][76]
Alumni members of the former Bounders Fraternity raised nearly $30,000 in donations for the purchase of a Van Bergen 49-bellcarillon. The Bounder Bells was dedicated on the UMKC campus in May 1989. The carillon is located in the tower of the Swinney Recreation Center. The bells controlled by an electronic keyboard, and they ring on the hour. The bells can also be programmed to play melodies.[77][78]
Presidents (when the school was independent)/Chancellors (when the school became part of the University of Missouri system) of the school are:[79]
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