Criterion One: Mission and Integrity Core Component 1c: Understanding of and support for the mission pervade the organization.

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	To create a vibrant learning and campus life experience Commitment to UMKC’s mission extends beyond our academic units. Our administrative support units are also leading the way in fulfilling the mission, especially in the area of creating a vibrant learning and campus life experience for our students.
Departments within UMKC’s Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management [SAEM], for example, offer our students more than 275 student clubs and organizations that help enrich the lives of our students. SAEM’s Student Life Office advises many of these organizations, including seven general honor societies. Membership in any UMKC honor society represents a student’s exemplary academic performance, as well as a dedication to leadership, networking, community service and friendship. In addressing our mission to create a vibrant campus experience for our students, Student Life also provides oversight and support for our University Center and the new Student Union, Residential Life, our sororities and fraternities, and our campus recreational facilities in partnership with UMKC Athletics. In the summer, Student Life oversees Roo Camp for incoming first-year students, encouraging students to establish friendships, discover UMKC’s unique traditions, and learn about the University’s student opportunities and activities. This valuable information, which is an important part of our retention efforts, helps new students adjust to life at UMKC and develop a college career that is productive, active and fun. Our Office of Residential Life, which works closely with Student Life, offers three different on-campus living experiences for our students. Students can choose to live in our newest suite residence hall, the Herman and Dorothy Johnson Hall, which is divided into eight 41-person communities (wings). Designed to help students form friendships, the communities allow students to gather in a social lounge, kitchen, classroom and music practice rooms. Completed in 2008, our Oak Place Apartments also promotes a sense of community. Residents can play sports, grill burgers and socialize at picnic tables in the complex’s two courtyards. Oak Place has a 24-hour fitness center and will eventually feature a restaurant and convenience store. Opened in August 2004, Oak Street Hall, our largest residence hall, provides 559 students a variety of opportunities to enjoy a high-tech classroom, music practice rooms and an outdoor courtyard. Similar to Johnson Hall, Oak Hall’s floor plan is divided into community areas where students can meet other students with similar interests and academic goals. UMKC Housing Some of our most important innovations in Residential Life are our Living-Learning Communities [LLC], which are located in the Oak Street Residence Hall. Each community, comprised of 20-50 students who share common interests in academic areas, has its own goals, characteristics and programs. Some common characteristics include (1) contact with fellow students who share similar interests/experiences, (2) special community social activities, (3) service activities related to the community’s interests, (4) study groups, (5) some shared classes (some of which may be in the residence hall), as well as on-site faculty and academic interaction. Our 17 Greek organizations, which are overseen by Student Life, also provide exceptional student development opportunities, from leadership training to social events. UMKC’s sororities and fraternities, where many of our residential and non-residential students come together to form life-long relationships, have posted grade point averages exceeding UMKC’s all-campus grade point average for 11 out of the past 12 semesters. On Oct. 3, 2008, we celebrated the groundbreaking of our new $38.3 million Student Union, which is scheduled to open Fall 2010. UMKC students had outgrown the present University Center, which was built in 1961 for a student population of 3,600. With UMKC enrollment projected to increase 20 percent by 2011, the new four-story facility will feature a two-story bookstore, 300-seat theater, open areas for student meetings and congregations, coffee shop, food court, retail space, event space, office space for student organizations, game room, garden terrace and parking garage. Designed with sustainability as a key objective, the project is seeking LEED® Silver certification and includes a green roof, pervious pavers on the garden terrace, use of native landscaping, water efficient fixtures, daylight and storm water collection. UMKC’s Swinney Recreational Center enriches campus life for all of our constituencies, including our students. The center features a swimming pool, exercise/weight rooms, and sports courts. UMKC’s recreational opportunities expanded in April 2008 when the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation pledged a $5 million gift to the UMKC Athletics Department for the construction of a new soccer stadium and recreational field in the heart of UMKC’s Volker campus. When opened in Fall 2009, the Durwood Stadium will be one of the top soccer facilities in the Midwest. In addition to serving the student-athletes, the facility will host student intramurals, community sports and recreational events. Locker rooms and offices, which are part of the complex, will benefit UMKC men’s and women’s soccer, softball, and track and field programs. The complex also includes a premier four-lane track and a concession area.
UMKC’s Swinney Recreational Center enriches campus life for all of our constituencies, including our students. The center features a swimming pool, exercise/weight rooms, and sports courts. UMKC’s recreational opportunities expanded in April 2008 when the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation pledged a $5 million gift to the UMKC Athletics Department for the construction of a new soccer stadium and recreational field in the heart of UMKC’s Volker campus. When opened in Fall 2009, the Durwood Stadium will be one of the top soccer facilities in the Midwest. In addition to serving the student-athletes, the facility will host student intramurals, community sports and recreational events. Locker rooms and offices, which are part of the complex, will benefit UMKC men’s and women’s soccer, softball, and track and field programs. The complex also includes a premier four-lane track and a concession area.