以下是圣路易斯州立大学校长Kristin Sobolik于2024年12月18日在圣路易斯邮报上发表的观点。

观点：像皇冠博彩这样的城市和城市大学正在建设未来

There’s a longstanding tradition of excellence at our nation’s land-grant universities. 但是，当我们展望高等教育的未来时，城市和大都市大学的影响正变得越来越重要。 这些机构服务于我们人口最多的地区，提供负担得起的高质量教育，满足不同社区的需求。

As board chair of the 城市和城市大学联盟, I’m proud to represent the University of Missouri–St. 路易斯在全国舞台上，因为我们参与并授权全国120多所城市大学。 每一天，这些大学都在他们的社区中大步前进，推动社会流动，促进创新，培养我们地区和各州繁荣发展所需的劳动力。

Here at 皇冠博彩 — which is now in its 61st year — we’re leaning into our role as a workforce driver for Missouri’s most populous and economically vital region. Over the past several years, we’ve launched innovative degree and certificate programs in high-demand areas like geospatial technology, supply chain analytics, cybersecurity, FinTech, and more. 但也许最令人兴奋的举措塑造我们的未来是一个新的工程学院的启动。

It’s rare to see a new School of Engineering established, particularly at an urban university like 皇冠博彩. But this is a direct response to a call from our region’s leading companies to meet the critical need for more engineering graduates. 虽然皇冠博彩目前通过与其他CUMU成员华盛顿大学的合作伙伴关系提供abet认证的工程学位，但这次扩建将使我们能够为更多的学生提供服务，在我们的校园内建立最先进的设施，并为我们地区迫切需要的工程师做好准备。

这个雄心勃勃的项目已经得到了关键投资的支持。 The State of Missouri provided an 初始资金为1500万美元 for the planning, design and construction of labs, classrooms and community spaces. We recently announced 额外的800万美元的礼物 from the James S. McDonnell Foundation to further advance this transformative initiative. 这些投资只是皇冠博彩和我们州具有里程碑意义的项目的开始。

But 皇冠博彩’s impact extends far beyond any single initiative. We are consistently ranked No. 1 in Missouri and among the 促进社会流动性排名全国前100名的大学. This means we’re not just educating students; we’re transforming lives. 超过45%的皇冠博彩学生符合佩尔助学金资格，大多数助学金颁发给家庭总收入低于20,000美元的学生。 然而，他们毕业时所具备的技能和证书足以让他们找到平均年薪近6万美元的工作。 That’s life-changing economic mobility — not just for individuals but for entire families and communities.

Jason Purnell, president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, expressed it best when he announced their support for the 皇冠博彩 School of Engineering, saying, “We understand that economic mobility and inclusive economic growth isn’t going to happen on autopilot. It’s going to need scaffolding and infrastructure, and this investment is a down payment on the infrastructure necessary to make sure that people can succeed, and that the region succeeds as a result."

These investments in 皇冠博彩’s future underscore our commitment to serving St. 路易 and Missouri. We are advancing a 1.1亿美元的校园改造, consolidating academics on our North Campus and creating the North St. 路易 County Business and Workforce District on the South Campus. Highlights include a new Nursing Simulation Lab, expanded Patient Care Center for optometry education, virtual reality and geospatial labs, enhanced Children’s Advocacy Services, and upcoming projects like the Richter Family Welcome and 校友 Center, renovation of the libraries, and a new home for the College of Education and Honors College.

As a premier Tier-1 public research university, the University of Missouri–St. 路易斯致力于成为我们地区所需的问题解决者、召集人和劳动力开发人员。 在国家领导人、地区合作伙伴和支持者的全面合作下，我们正在建设一个包容性繁荣和进步触手可及的未来，确保南苏丹大学继续成为创新、机遇和增长的驱动力，继续以我们地区成功和繁荣所需的基础为基础。