Robert Blitz

The Board of Curators meeting included several reports and approvals. Key discussions in the public session involved the University of Missouri Board Chair's report, which touched upon Distinguished Professors recognition, a partnership with South Korea, the Memorial Stadium Centennial Project, and the Schools of Law at MU and UMKC. The University System President's report covered US News and World Report ratings, FTE Enrollments, Graduation Rates, Student and Faculty Success, and Major Grants. The University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor's report focused on enrollment outlook, new faculty, research activity, and the Transform UMSL update. The Consent Agenda included approval of the revised 2026 Board of Curators Meeting Calendar and amendments to CRR 330.110 Standards of Faculty Conduct. General business in the executive session included updates on MU Athletics, KWMU and KCUR Public Radio Stations, Faculty Salary Competitiveness, and the MURR Contract. The Board also addressed reports from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the General Counsel. The meeting concluded with the election of the 2026 Board Officers, naming Curator Todd Graves as Chair and Curator Robert Blitz as Vice Chair.

The Board of Curators meeting included General Business where the Chair presented on Remington R. Williams recipients and Curators Distinguished Teaching Professors, and discussed a 3-year contract extension for the President. The President's report provided updates on Core Appropriations, Federal FY26 funding, new faculty hires, and major grants. The Consent Agenda covered approval for the June 26, 2025 Board of Curators Meeting minutes, amendments to Collected Rules and Regulations concerning UMSL Faculty Bylaws, Veterans Day holiday observance, electronic signatures in the Retirement, Disability and Death Benefit Plan, and Fall Semester 2025 degrees. Project approvals were granted for the Olson Performing Arts Center Addition & Renovations Phase 1 at UMKC and the Physics Building Renovation Project at S&T. The Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services Charter was also approved. The Finance Committee addressed the Fiscal Year 2025 Investment Performance Review, the Fiscal Year 2026 Strategic Dividend Distribution, and approved mid-year modifications to the Five-Year Capital Plans for all campuses, including specific project shifts and additions. The committee also approved retaining the investment consulting firm Verus for one year. The Governance, Compensation and Human Resources committee approved the creation of the Curators' Outstanding Staff Award. The Academic, Student Affairs, Research and Economic Development committee authorized the University of Missouri-Columbia to request approval to offer the full 4-year Medical Doctor (M.D.) curriculum in Springfield, MO. The Audit, Compliance and Ethics Committee authorized the employment of Forvis Mazars LLP for audit services for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. Both the Audit, Compliance and Ethics Committee and the full Board held executive sessions to discuss matters including litigation, personnel actions, and confidential communications with counsel and auditors.

This presentation, uploaded on November 6, 2025, emphasizes the critical need for rigor and reproducibility in pre-clinical traumatic brain injury (TBI) studies, aligning with NIH's 2023 data sharing mandate. It introduces "precise TBI," an inter-agency research resource (VA, NIH, and DoD) established in 2022 as a five-year project. The initiative aims to enhance the quality and transparency of TBI research by developing common data elements, an open data commons (ODCTBI), a model catalog, and a platform for sharing standardized protocols. The objective is to facilitate data accessibility, improve research translation to clinical practice, and assist researchers in fulfilling data sharing requirements for grant proposals.

The meeting addressed several key financial considerations, including the approval of the 2014 executive committee and board standing committee appointments. Discussions covered resolutions for executive sessions involving the board as a whole, the finance committee, and the compensation and human resources committee. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to tuition and fees, with presentations and recommendations from the finance committee, including context provided by Interim Vice President Tom Richards. Topics included resident undergraduate tuition, required fees, housing and dining rates, and supplemental fees.

The meeting included discussions on various topics such as celebrating graduates, the success of Missouri S&T's Mars rover program, state support for public higher education, enrollment updates, student success, teaching excellence, research proposals, and philanthropy. The board also acknowledged the importance of negotiations for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the health system and preserving local access to care for rural Missourians.