Campaign kickoff

Photos by Nicholas Benner
Published Oct. 9, 2015

Celebrity alumni including singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow, BS Ed '84, and 1990 Miss America Debbye Turner Bell, DVM '91, as well as current Mizzou wrestler J'Den Cox, helped kick off Mizzou's new comprehensive funding campaign, Mizzou: Our Time to Lead, at Mizzou Arena Thursday night.

The campaign seeks to raise $1.3 billion to support and advance education and research goals. Priorities include increasing the endowment for programs, scholarships and research; supporting and developing new signature centers and institutes; and renovating and constructing campus buildings. Reaching the goal can help elevate Mizzou's status in the Association of American Universities (AAU) and increase the university’s capacity for education, research, and student and faculty recruitment.

Learn more about the campaign »

Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin makes a toast among the guests, major donors and Mizzou supporters, gathered at the black-tie event on the floor of Mizzou Arena.

J'den-Cox — Junior psychology major and wrestler J’den Cox performs an original song he wrote about his experiences at Mizzou. Cox is a two-time NCAA All-American.

Sheryl-2 — In a surprise private show for donors, Sheryl Crow and her band perform three of her hit songs, “The First Cut is the Deepest,” “Are You Strong Enough to Be My Man?” and “Soak Up the Sun.” Crow performs a concert in the Missouri Theatre Friday night as a fund-raiser for the School of Music. “While the campus is really beautiful – it’s spectacular," she told the crowd at Mizzou Arena, "the music school, well, just needs a little loving care.”

Campaign kickoff

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