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The University of Missouri System (UM System) Engagement Week will be held the week of October 21-25 to celebrate systemwide efforts to connect University research and resources to communities within the state.

This year’s Engagement Week events will address local and state needs to provide timely and relevant solutions that benefit the communities that the UM System serves. Systemwide events will highlight varieties of topics, including the role of engagement in public universities, engaged leadership and a summit championing the need for reliable broadband access for all Missourians.

Some of the events held at the University of Missouri (MU) will be available for members at UMKC, Missouri S&T and UMSL to livestream. As part of Engagement week, the MU Extension Summit will be held on Oct. 22. This year’s theme, “Connection to Empower. Engage. Extend”, will provide an annual opportunity for Extension employees across the state to catch up, network, receive training and hear Extension’s vision for the next year. President Choi and Vice Chancellor for Extension and Engagement & UM System Chief Engagement Officer Marshall Stewart will be addressing the Extension faculty and staff at the opening luncheon of the yearly gathering. In addition, each school will feature their own events for engagement week. The celebration will showcase the impact extension programming and university engagement have on the state’s problems and challenges.

At 10 am on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Dr. Robert Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will give a keynote address on “The Engaged University.” His presentation will be followed by a discussion panel that includes the chancellors of all four UM System universities, moderated by MU School of Journalism Dean David Kurpius. The chancellors will discuss the impact of University Engagement on the community and how that role impacts stakeholders.

The 2nd Annual Novak Leadership Speaker Series will take place from 5-7 pm on Oct. 23 and will feature an invitational keynote speech from Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust, followed by a conversation between Covey and David Novak (BJ ’74, retired CEO and Co-founder of Yum! Brands and CEO of oGoLead). Entitled Leading with Trust, Covey and Novak will discuss how trust is crucial to the success of any leader and organization and give tips to build trust and respect to maximize leadership effectiveness.

Speeches will also feature two fast-paced sessions focusing on regional and local broadband access. These sessions will feature key speakers, panel and tabletop discussions, strategy sessions with legislators, industry partners and stakeholders on how to make high-speed broadband access more accessible to all Missourians. Special guests for these sessions include Lt. Gov. Kehoe, Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture Chris Chinn, Missouri Commissioner of Higher Education Zora Mulligan, Missouri Director of Broadband Development Tim Arbeiter and others.

These sessions showcase the UM System’s efforts to advance engaged leadership, partnership and learning to address the role of university engagement in the state and beyond. Our commitment to meaningful engagement is one of the key drivers for the NextGen Precision Health Initiative. This initiative leverages all four UM System campuses to make cutting edge health care solutions available to all, improving health care and overall quality of life for Missourians. NextGen, the Novak Leadership Series and other engagements are a part of the compact for Engagement and Outreach.  Established in the UM System Compacts for Achieving Excellence, the Engagement and Outreach compact works to leverage programs to translate research and teaching at the university to citizens of the state.