university identification

In all publications, presentations and news releases, the first reference should be University of Missouri. Thereafter, use MU, Mizzou or university (with lowercase u).

  • The words University of Missouri must appear on covers of publications directed to external audiences.
  • Do not use the acronym UMC as a reference to the University of Missouri in Columbia.
  • Do not use MU or Mizzou in such a way to imply that either refers to the University of Missouri System.
  • Do not use Missouri University as a reference for either the University of Missouri or the University of Missouri System.
  • Do not use Columbia campus to refer to the University of Missouri in Columbia.
  • Write MU without periods, even in headlines. It is not an acronym for Missouri University.
  • MU is Missouri’s only public member of the Association of American Universities and is classified as research university/very high by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. As such, the word flagship is appropriate for describing MU: Missouri’s flagship institution or Missouri’s flagship university.
  • MU is also affiliated with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), formerly the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). The university was given land-grant status in 1870 under the 1862 Morrill Act, which provided for the donation of public land for institutions to serve the citizens of a state.