There are but a handful of individuals in Columbia’s 204-year history who have significantly impacted the trajectory of our city as much as University of Missouri System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi. His vision for a world-class institution of higher education and his dogged determination bode well for what was once a sleepy college town in the middle of Missouri. If Choi continues to pursue his vision, our community will be positively impacted for generations to come.
I will reluctantly admit that I didn’t like Choi when he first arrived on campus. My first assessment was that he was overconfident and too quick to part ways with some longtime university staffers who had served Mizzou well under the most trying of circumstances. I suspected that Choi would not last long, given the fact that his rogue board of curators seemed to be running the university from their law offices in St. Louis and Kansas City. I also did not believe that Choi had the wizardry needed to tackle a dysfunctional athletic department and wrestle control away from a pack of power hungry curators and coaches.
During his nearly nine years at Mizzou, Choi has repeatedly proven me wrong. He has won the unlikely respect of the Missouri legislature and the hearts of a once disgruntled student body. More importantly, Choi has worked his magic with key alumni and business leaders across the country. The partnerships recently forged with business interests in South Korea to help build MU’s NextGen Research Reactor are further proof of Choi’s abilities.
One of Choi’s strongest skill sets has been his ability to cast a vision for what Mizzou could become. His prescience for top academic standards, innovation and research has helped make him an extremely effective recruiter. As much as we love our fair city, you have to imagine that it’s a tough sell to convince top scholars, scientists and innovators from half a world away that there’s a bright future for their academic and professional pursuits at Exit 124 off Interstate 70 somewhere between the states of Kansas and Illinois. Despite the long odds, Choi has consistently sealed the deal with some of the best and brightest minds from around the world.
Choi is resolute. Choi is firm. Choi doesn’t back down from a fight. He’s had to deal with more than his fair share of resistance from campus chancellors, faculty members and a handful of entitled student organizations. He’s not been willing to let disparate interests sabotage something as important as the university’s future. He’s clearly discovered how the “Show-Me” state got its name.
Most of us got a taste of Choi’s intestinal fortitude when he recently voiced concerns about crime and violence in downtown Columbia. Though he ruffled the feathers of Columbia’s mayor and city manager, he made it clear that safety issues in our city were impacting his ability to protect university students, staff and faculty members. City Hall’s refusal to take proactive measures was hurting Choi’s business. As the CEO and president of Columbia’s largest employer and economic driver, Choi felt duty-bound to sound an alarm. He didn’t simply complain; he came to the table offering solutions while Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and City Manager De’Carlon Seewood stuck their heads in the sand. These “town vs. gown” stances prevent Columbia from becoming the best version of itself.
To his credit, Choi trods along unfazed. He’s playing a long game that requires an altogether different diet of resilience and a steadfast commitment to a vision. Choi says he wants to retire at Mizzou. There’s no doubt that he has already turned away offers from the greener pastures of a dozen Ivy League and highly-rated AAU competitors in favor of finishing strong at Mizzou, and for that, we can all be grateful.
While I’m bullish on Choi, I’m confident that I wouldn’t want to work for him. He knows what needs to get done and that kind of work requires the extraordinary loyalty of foot soldiers who are willing to work just as hard as their boss. That’s often the price successful leaders pay. Historians looking back on this era of Columbia’s history will surely recognize Choi’s tenure as a turning point for a university and a college town that only began to prosper when its stakeholders all started rowing in the same direction. More than an effective coxswain, Choi will be remembered as a catalyst for dynamic change in our community. We should all seize this opportunity to pitch in and do what we can to make sure that we end up on the right side of history. Mun Choi has certainly earned our support.
