ONE JOURNEY€¦ · Josephine Baker. Wall Street crash. Flappers. Buster Keaton. Fedoras. Babe Ruth. In Kansas City, it was the age of jazz and of Tom Pendergast. And although the

ONE JOURNEY100,000 STORIES

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY

1920sOur storyBringing the university’s history to life.

A roaring time of social change

By the numbers

Scopes trial. Women’s suffrage. Charles Lindbergh. Golden age of radio. Josephine Baker. Wall Street crash. Flappers. Buster Keaton. Fedoras. Babe Ruth. In Kansas City, it was the age of jazz and of Tom Pendergast. And although the market crashed, the city’s leaders were determined to move forward and cement the region’s future with several bold moves.

The story of a university is told by its people. Those who founded it. Those who built it brick by brick. Those who have stood by it. Those who taught within its walls. And those who left its grounds to make their mark on the world.

The story of this university is one of obstacles becoming opportunities. It’s a tale of triumph over turmoil. It’s a testament to the power of partnerships, where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The small group of 260 students who began classes at the University of Kansas City on Oct. 1, 1933, paved the way for the more than 100,000 graduates who would join the alumni ranks. And on that opening day, more than 2,000 community members celebrated the campus’ opening in what would become a hallmark of this university’s story: civic engagement.

The university’s history is far more than the mile markers of buildings and programs. It’s a story perhaps best told by the more than 100,000 Kangaroos who now cover the globe. Enjoy this look back — and forward — at the impact and history of Kansas City’s university.

“Among the things I have tried to do in this city,

I am sure the university will pay the greatest

dividends to the most people…certainly it is the

best investment I have ever made.”— William Volker,

founding father and patron

1925n A Chamber of Commerce committee recommends the establishment of a university in Kansas City.

1925 1926 1927 1928 1929

1929n A charter for UKC is granted on June 10.

A list of university sponsors

President and Mrs. E.H. Newcomb

4 existing schools joined UKC after 1933: Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy and the Conservatory ...

... many of the earliest

alumni are dental graduates who

completed their degrees as their college joined

UKC.

1930sA worldwide economic crisis

By the numbers

Amelia Earhart. The Hindenberg disaster. Al Capone. Parker Brothers’ “Monopoly” game. Joe Louis. The Wizard of Oz. Bonnie and Clyde. Joe DiMaggio. The end of Prohibition. Charlie Chaplin. Mao’s long march. Bessie Smith. The rise of Adolf Hitler.

The university’s early days were a time of transition and sweeping change in the country. And despite the Great Depression, which defined the decade, the city’s leaders were undeterred in establishing a university in Kansas City. Roosevelt’s words during his inaugural address expressed it best: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

The university’s first years drew students from across the region and the nation. By 1940, more than 1,100 students had earned their degrees from the University of Kansas City.

1930n William Volker purchases 40-acre tract that would become the Volker campus.

1934n Students protest the firing of three popular professors.

n Students name blue and gold as the official school colors.

1935n The new science building, known as the Geology-Physics building, is completed.

n Students establishHobo Day.

1931n Volker acquires the Dickey mansion and the surrounding 10 acres for UKC.

1937n Contracts are awarded to begin building a liberal arts building, which today is known as Haag Hall.

n Campus population:Faculty: 46Students: 700

n The Kangaroo, penned by Walt Disney, becomes the official UKC mascot.

1938n The Kansas City School of Law (est. 1895) joins the university to become the UKC School of Law.

n Accreditation is granted by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

1936n The new library building is dedicated.

n William Volker purchases what will be the president’s residence at 51st Street and Rockhill Road.

n UKC’s Alumni Association is established.

1933n The University of Kansas City is officially dedicated on Oct. 1, with 260 students and 18 faculty.

UKC basketball team in 1933

University faculty

William Volker

Students from UKC’s entering class of 1933

Hobo Day

Early publication of The Kangaroo

magazine in 1937

Walt Disney’s Roo from 1937

President’s residence

1930 1931 1933 1934 1935 1937 1938 1939

More than

1,100alumni…

… hailing from 44states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

1940sA world at war

By the numbers

The first McDonald’s hamburger. The first multi-lane superhighway. The first color televisions. Big band music. Hollywood. Jukeboxes. But nothing shaped the decade more than World War II.

The university made headlines when the Dental School became one of the only schools to open its doors to students of Japanese descent, many of whom had been expelled from dental schools on the West Coast and forced into internment camps. That story is kept alive by today’s alumni, most of whom are concentrated in Hawaii. The Dental School’s Hawaiian Alumni group was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal in 2008 for outstanding service and dedication to the university, a relationship with its roots firmly in this decade.

1941n The dental department of the Kansas City Medical College (est. 1881) and the Western Dental College (est.1890), which merged in 1919, join the university as the UKC School of Dentistry.

n Swinney gymnasium opens on campus.

1947n UKC opens admissions to all students regardless of race.

n Harold L. Holliday becomes the first African-American admitted to the university, entering the School of Law in 1947.

1948n A temporary military theater is brought to campus from Camp Crowder in Neosho, Mo., and dedicated as the University Playhouse with a performance by Broadway star Jane Cowl.

n A barracks building is relocated to campus and turned into the student union.

1942n The new chemistry building is constructed as a gift from Volker.

n Epperson House is donated to the university.

1943n The pharmacy department (est. 1886) of the old medical school joins the university as UKC’s School of Pharmacy.

1945n President Harry Truman receives the university’s first honorary degree on the Quad.

1946n Postwar enrollment surges 60 percent in one year to 3,350.

Epperson House

Swinney gymnasium is unveiled in 1941

The February 1940 edition of the KCU Kangaroo

Student Union

Nearly

3,000alumni… … hailing from 50

states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the District of

Columbia and

5 countries.

1940 1941 1945 1946 1948 1949

Students from the School of Dentistry

University Playhouse

1950sA new era of optimism

By the numbers

The GI Bill. Elvis. Sputnik. Jackie Robinson. The polio vaccine. Rosa Parks. The Korean War. Leave It to Beaver. Rock ‘n’ roll. Saddle shoes. Jazz. The Red Scare. This decade shaped the strides for civil rights as the movement grew and Jim Crow laws were struck down. Internationally, it saw high tensions between the world’s powers as the Cold War took hold. The post-World War II years meant not only an economic upswing and the Baby Boom, but a surge in enrollment at the university.

1950n A new building is constructed

for the School of Law.

n Liaquat Ali Khan, prime minister of Pakistan, receives an honorary degree.

1953n Four hundred forty-four graduates receive diplomas on the Quad.

n The School of Business Administration is established.

1954n The School of Education is founded.

n Intercollegiate athletics take hold. The Kangaroos open against Rockhurst College in basketball.

1958n David Beals, chairman of the Board of Trustees, is the first recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal.

n The University Associates are founded as a civic group dedicated to university support that would continue until 2007.1955

n Ground is broken for a new, four-story brick dormitory.

n Eleanor Roosevelt speaks at the University Playhouse.

n Fraternities and sororities are established on campus.

n The College of Liberal Arts changes its name to the College of Arts and Sciences in 1953.

n The KCUR radio station begins broadcasting in 1953.

1959n The Kansas City Conservatory of Music (est. 1906) joins the university.

Students at the KangaRoost, a popular hangout

Children attend art classes on campus

UKC float in the annual American Royal Parade

Cherry Street Hall

Kansas Citian magazine

features a story on UKC

Students from the nursing program

More than


states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the District of

Columbia and

6 countries.

1950 1951 1952 1956 19581957 1959

1960sLove and peace

By the numbers

Vietnam. Martin Luther King Jr. The Beatles. Sesame Street. Cuban missile crisis. Bell bottoms. Batman. Motown. The pill. JFK. The space race. Stonewall. Star Trek. Mickey Mantle. Woodstock. Peace signs.

The 1960s was a time of growing political awareness, student movements and cultural trends. After three decades as a private institution, the university’s financial instability led it to join the University of Missouri System, changing the campus’ name to the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1963.

1960n The Carolyn Benton Cockefair Chair in Continuing Education is established.

1961n The University Center, with Pierson Hall donated by Elmer Pierson, opens after construction is financed by federal loan.

1964n Civil and mechanical engineering master’s programs begin.

n The Missouri Repertory Theatre is started and houses UMKC’s professional theater in residence.

n Forty-seven new faculty members are hired to accommodate an enrollment jump from 4,394 to 6,114 students.

1965n Oxford Hall becomes the home of UMKC’s School of Business and Public Administration.

1966n The School of Graduate Studies is established.

n The university’s new library and chemistry buildings open.

n University enrollment increases to 7,891 students.

1968n Robert F. Kennedy Symposium is established; the principal speaker is Muhammed Ali.

1969n TAASU, the African American Student Union, is founded.

1963n After several years of financial turmoil and depleted funds, the university joins the University of Missouri System and becomes the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

1967n University enrollment increases to 8,418 students.

n Family Study Center, later renamed the Women’s Council, is founded by Martha Jane Starr.

Conservatory Accordian Orchestra at Pierson Hall, January 1962

African American Week, 1969

Student working with an adding machine in 1967

Oxford Hall

More than


states, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and

14 countries.

1960 1961 1964 1966 19681967 1969

1970sA decade of opportunity

By the numbers

The energy crisis. The Brady Bunch. Disco. Margaret Thatcher. Platform shoes. The Munich Olympics. The Jackson 5. Apollo 13. Watergate. Jonestown. Hippies. The ERA. Star Wars. Leisure suits. M*A*S*H. Hip hop.

Economic times were tough as the country struggled through an energy and oil crisis. The feminist movement and environmentalism gained momentum. At the university, the student body continued to grow larger and more diverse as new programs and schools were added.

1970n The School of Dentistry moves into a new building.

n The School of Medicine opens with 40 students enrolled in its new six-year program.

n Communiversity, UMKC’s adult education program,begins.

1973n The School of Education moves to a new $2.8 million building.

n Ground is broken for Truman Medical Center on Hospital Hill.

1978n Six hundred thirty-four African-American students are enrolled at UMKC.

1971n The Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Fund is established.

n The Women’s Resource Center is founded.

1974n The School of Medicine’s building is completed adjacent to Truman Medical Center.

n UMKC’s Edgar Snow Memorial Fund is founded to advance the legacy of Edgar Snow and friendship with China.

1977n Jazz great William “Count” Basie receives an honorary degree.

1979n The School of Nursing is established.

n The Performing Arts Center, now the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, is dedicated. (Ground was broken in 1974.)

n The new Law School building opens.

n KCUR increases its power to 100,000 watts and began broadcasting around the clock.

More than



21 countries.

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 19781977 1979

Inside a typical 1970s classroom

Looking west above Hospital Hill

1980sThe Reagan Revolution

By the numbers

Tiananman Square. Perestroika. Live Aid. The Berlin Wall. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. Personal computers. Marvin Gaye. Mount St. Helens. Shoulder pads. Boom boxes. The space shuttle. Nelson Mandela. AIDS. MTV. Rubik’s Cube. Pac-Man. Michael Jordan.

By the close of the 1980s, change was sweeping the former communist nations in Europe. UMKC saw steady growth of its international student body and growing relationships with China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

1982n The Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City (left) opens on campus in the former Tureman mansion.

n The first electronic billboard is installed at the intersection of Cherry Street and Rockhill Road.

n Handicapped access on campus is challenged and installed, well ahead of ADA laws.

1984n The Program for Adult College Education (PACE) begins to help nontraditional students earn bachelor’s degrees.

n The university opens the Center for Business Innovation.

1983n UMKC celebrates its 50th Jubilee.

n Haag Hall Annex is renamed Royall Hall.

n The New Horizons Campaign, UMKC’s first capital campaign, finishes early and surpasses its goal by $3.2 million.

1986n The Board of Curators approves the university’s move to the NCAA.

n Henry W. Bloch provides an endowment to support and name the business school.

1987 n Campus is expanded along Troost.

n Malcolm Forbes receives an honorary doctorate.

n The Eye Foundation, under the leadership of Felix Sabates, is established.

n 1987-88: First year of Division I basketball opens for men and women.1985

n Construction on a multi-purpose facility is started at Swinney Recreation Center and finished in 1988.

n The School of Basic Life Sciences is established and later renamed the School of Biological Sciences.

1988n The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs opens.

n The former Hospital Hill home of E. Grey Dimond, M.D., and the late Mary Clark Dimond becomes Diastole Scholars Center.

1989n The Nelson School is renamed Grant Hall.

n The International Student Affairs Office is founded.

More than



33 countries.

1982 1983 1984 198819871985 1989

Grant Hall

Brochure from the 50th Jubilee celebration

Swinney Recreation Center under construction

UMKC basketball moves to Division I

1990sThe electronic age gears up

By the numbers

Oklahoma City. Friends. Rwanda. DVDs. The Internet. Seinfeld. Grunge. Princess Diana. The X-Files. Rodney King. Hong Kong. The end of apartheid. The European Union. Dolly the sheep. Microsoft Windows. Forrest Gump.

From cable television to the ever-decreasing size of computers and phones, students in this decade were shaped by rapidly changing technology more than any generation before them. Classrooms, study spaces, labs and residence halls would soon reflect evolving technologies as the way students learned and communicated.

1990n Archbishop Desmond Tutu is granted an honorarydoctorate.

1992n The Edgar L. and Rheta A. Berkley Early Childhood Development Center opens.

n University Center renovations are completed, costing $3.2 million.

1993n A new Student Government Constitution is created and approved.

n First Lady Hillary Clinton visits Hospital Hill.

1997n The UMKC Debate team makes history – UMKC becomes the first school to top both the CEDA National Sweepstakes and the NDT national Ranking Report.

1999n UMKC achieves Carnegie-level Research II status.

1995n The UMKC Debate Team wins the 1995 CEDA National Sweepstakes Championship.

n University Center builds the first computer lab on campus.

1991n UMKC becomes one of the first recycling sites in Kansas City.

n The library is rededicated, after Phase II of its completion, and is renamed in honor of longtime civic leader and trustee Miller Nichols.

1998n UMKC purchases Twin Oaks apartments, which is later razed for the new residence halls.

1994n The UMKC Debate Team wins the 1994 Cross Examination Debate Assocation (CEDA) National Tournament.

More than



40 countries.

1990 1991 1992 199619951994 1997

UMKC cheerleaders

Miller Nichols Library

University Center

A Halloween party in University Center

2000sThe turn of the century

By the numbers

Human Genome Project. Sept. 11. American Idol. Flash drives. NASA Mars rover. War on Terror. Katrina. Google. Swine flu. The dot-com bubble. GPS. Y2K.

Although the markets and economy tumbled, this decade marked significant growth for the university. Through public/private partnerships, UMKC opened several new residence halls to accommodate the growing undergraduate student body and the desire for an on-campus college experience.

2000n Flarsheim Hall opens on the Volker campus.

2004n Oak Hall opens on the Volker campus as a new suite-style residence hall.

2007n The Health Sciences Building opens on Hospital Hill, housing the schools of Nursing and Pharmacy.

n The KC Rep’s Copaken Stage opens downtown, adjacent to the H&R Block World Headquarters.

2002n The Rockhill Parking Structure opens.

2003n The LGBT Office is established to serve gay, lesbian and transgender students.

2001n The Trustees’ Scholars program begins, providing the first full-ride scholarship program.

n The School of Computing and Engineering is created via the combination of the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department and the Computer Science Electrical Engineering Department.

2006n Tulips on Troost neighborhood beautification project begins.

n Twin Oaks apartments is razed and ground is broken for the Oak Street West Residence Hall, apartment-style housing. 2009

n The remodeled Miller Nichols Library opens with an automatic retrieval system.

n The Herman and Dorothy Johnson Residence Hall opens.

n The UMKC Foundation is established.

n The Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field opens.

More than



51 countries.

2003 20082007 2009

Tulips on Troost

Oak Hall

Miller Nichols Library

Flarsheim Hall

Health Sciences Building

2010sLarge and small

By the numbers

Social media, Arab Spring. Cloud computing. Usain Bolt. Global economic crisis. MP3s. UMKC attracts a growing number of students thanks to on-campus housing. Students entering UMKC from high school in this decade were born in 1992 or later — they’ve never needed to use a card catalog to find a book in a library. As the campus grows to accommodate the enrollment goal of 20,000 students by the year 2020, technology has also evolved. Perhaps no place is this more evident than in the library, where the automatic retrieval system (or “RooBot”) enables the stacks to take up less room and opens up creative study space. The Bloch School’s new Executive Hall also incorporates the latest technology to support internationally ranked entrepreneurship programs.

2010n UMKC experiences a dramatic increase in enrollment and rises to 13,500 students.

n The new 10,000-square-foot Student Union opens.

2011n UMKC’s Bloch School of Management is ranked No. 1 in the world for innovation management research.

n The Atterbury Student Success Center, formerly the University Center, opens in 2012.

2013n UMKC is ranked a Best Value College for the second consecutive year by the Princeton Review.

n UMKC opens two buildings on campus: The Miller Nichols Learning Center and the Henry Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

n UMKC joins the Western Athletic Conference.

2012n The Cherry Street

Parking Structure opens.

UniversityleadershipSince the university first opened its doors, it has attracted a pool of talented leaders.

1938–1953

1961–1965

1991–1999

1953

1965–1967

2000–2005

1953–1956

1968–1976

2006–2008

1933–1936

1956–1961

1977–1991

2008–present

1936–1938

Ernest H. NewcombExecutive Secretary of the Board of Trustees

Dr. Clarence DeckerPresident

Dr. Carlton F. ScofieldActing Chancellor and Chancellor as of 1963

Dr. Eleanor Brantley Schwartz Chancellor

Dr. John Duncan SpaethPresident

Dr. Roy RinehartChief Executive Administrator

Dr. Randall Whaley Chancellor

Dr. Martha Gilliland Chancellor

Dr. Earl McGrathPresident

Dr. James C. Olson Chancellor

Dr. Guy Bailey Chancellor

Dr. Richard DrakeActing Chancellor and Chancellor as of 1957

Dr. George Russell Chancellor

Leo E. Morton Chancellor

More than

100,000alumni…

… hailing from 50states, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the District

of Columbia and

52 countries.

20112010 2012 2013

Atterbury Student Success Center

Henry W. Bloch

View a map of our alumni density around the world at perspectives.umkc.edu.

Proposed retail/housing development at 51st and Oak streets

Parking Garage

Parking Garage

E 24TH ST

E 24TH TERR

E 23RD STE 23RD ST

E 25TH ST

LOC

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RD

E 22ND ST

KEN

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AV

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LM

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ARL

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TRO

OST

AV

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MPB

ELL

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RRIS

ON

ST

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ARL

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UMKCMedicineBuilding

UMKCDentistryBuilding

UMKCHealth SciencesBuilding

TrumanMedicalCenter

Children’s MercyHospital

HospitalHill MedicalPavillion

Center forBehavioral Medicine

Children’s MercyHospitalModularBuildings

EyeFoundationof KC

HospitalHill Center

DiagnosticandTreatmentCenter

DavitaDialysisCenter

TMCBehavioralHealthNetwork

RonaldMcDonaldHouse

Safety Street

Kansas CityHealth Dept.

DiastoleCompound

UMKC Hospital Hill Annex

JacksonCountyMedicalExaminer

Planned Hospital Hill residential housing on the east side of Troost Avenue near 25th Street

57

Brush Creek

Brush Creek

KauffmanLegacyLake

JohnsonResidence Hall

Oak St.Residence Hall

AdministrativeCenter

Student Union

SwinneyRecreation Center

Atterbury Student Success Center

DurwoodSoccerStadium &RecreationalField

LawBuilding

Oak PlaceApartments

Oak PlaceApartments

Olson Performing Arts Center

Fine ArtsBuilding

Flarsheim Hall

Newcomb Hall

ManheimHall

RoyallHall

Haag Hall

GrantHall

Toy &MiniatureMuseum

EducationBuilding

Katz Hall Biological

SciencesBuilding

UniversityHouse

General Services

CockefairHall

Berkley Center

Old MaintenanceBuilding

SpencerChemistryBuilding

Cherry Hall

RockhillParking Garage

BlochManagementBuilding

Playhouse

NicholsLibrary

BlochExecutiveHall

NicholsLearningCenter

Looking aheadNew opportunitiesUMKC’s story continues to be one of risks, strategy and opportunities as the campus evolves to serve current students, the city and the region. The move toward on-campus, residential experiences for students is extending to Hospital Hill, where housing construction is under way. The city and the university are exploring a phased-in development of a downtown arts campus that would house the Conservatory of Music and Dance, theater programs and place student and faculty in proximity to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. New retail and university growth along the west side of the Volker campus border also is in planning. UMKC’s future promises one where the whole is truly more than the sum of its parts. Nothing underscores that more than its product: the 100,000-plus alumni who honed their skills here and are transforming their communities and professions — one journey, 100,000 stories.

Hospital Hill campus

Volker campus

Bloch Executive Hall completed August 2013

The Miller Nichols Learning Center completed August 2013

Future plans call for a prototyping center on the Volker campus that would

function as a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs to take their ideas from concepts to products.

CREDITS Special thanks to the following people for their assistance with photographs and archival information:

Tonya Crawford, University Archives

Chris Wolff, University Bookstore

Strategic Marketing and Communications

Many thanks also to UMKC Advancement Services for its assistance in compiling alumni records by decade, and to Brent Never of the UMKC Bloch School of Management for his work on creating the online map via ESRI software through the University of Missouri.

ADV1305317UMKC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

Documents

ONE JOURNEY€¦ · Josephine Baker. Wall Street crash. Flappers. Buster Keaton. Fedoras. Babe Ruth. In Kansas City, it was the age of jazz and of Tom Pendergast. And although the