UMKC earns prestigious research designation

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The University of Missouri-Kansas City has reached a historic milestone, five years ahead of schedule.

The university is Kansas City’s first Carnegie R1 institution. The designation means UMKC s an elite group of top U.S. institutions.

To be a Carnegie R1 university, an institution must spend at least $50 million on research and development and award at least 70 research doctorates on average in a single year. UMKC spent $55 million and awarded 134 doctorates.

“This milestone is a huge victory for all of the Kansas City area and its top research university,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said in a news release. “We’ve seen a steady and rapid rise in the excellence of UMKC, thanks to the incredible hard work and drive of our faculty, students, staff and community partners.”

Achieving the classification was part of the University’s strategic plan and comes years ahead of the 2030 goal.

“This is a landmark day for the University of Missouri-Kansas City as it s the ranks of the nation’s top research institutions,” said Todd Graves, chair of the UM Board of Curators.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that the designation not only adds to the reputation of the university, but also the reputation of the city.

Only 187, or six percent of universities in the country have this designation.

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