Criterion Four: Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

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	2007-2009 Self Study UMKC fully embraces the components of its mission as described in Criterion 1, as well as the general obligations addressed in Criterion 4 of contemporary American universities to acquire, create, and preserve knowledge, and to transmit it to the current generation. These obligations require us to master existing knowledge through study, to generate new knowledge through research, to preserve knowledge in every useful manner such as maintaining and enhancing library resources, and to transmit new and received knowledge through sound and inspired teaching. Imparting knowledge implies both general education and specialization in specific fields. We include as “knowledge” the creative process in relevant fields such as the fine and performing arts, and we enable the greatest possible application of knowledge by teaching relevant skills.