Mun Choi
Mun Young Choi (Korean: 최문영; born March 19, 1964) is an American academic. He currently serves as Chancellor of the University of Missouri and President of the University of Missouri System.[2] Prior to his appointment at Missouri he was Provost & Executive Vice President at the University of Connecticut.[3] He has also taught at Drexel University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Columbia, Missouri.
Mun Choi | |
|---|---|
Choi in 2017 | |
| President of the University of Missouri System | |
| Assumed office March 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Wolfe |
| Chancellor of the University of Missouri | |
| Assumed office July 28, 2020 Interim: March 25, 2020 – July 28, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Cartwright |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Choi Mun Young March 19, 1964 Seoul, South Korea |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Columbia, Missouri |
| Alma mater | Princeton University University of Illinois |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최문영[1] |
| Hanja | 崔門永 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Munyeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Munyŏng |
Early life and education
Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea.[4] Choi immigrated to the United States in 1973, settling in Akron, Ohio with his parents and three younger sisters at the age of nine.[4] He attended Leggett Primary School in Akron, Ohio, and Trumbull Primary School in the Andersonville neighborhood and Boone Middle School in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. He graduated from Stephen Tyng Mather High School in Chicago in 1983. He earned a BS degree (1987) in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and M.A. (1989) and Ph.D. (1992) degrees in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.
University of Missouri
This article may lend undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. (October 2020) |
On March 1, 2017, Choi became president of the four-campus University of Missouri System.[5] On March 25, 2020, Choi agreed to serve as interim Chancellor of the University of Missouri flagship campus in Columbia (MU).[6][7] This position was made permanent on July 28, making Choi the first to be both Chancellor of the University of Missouri in Columbia and President of the University of Missouri System simultaneously.[8][9]
In the spring of 2020, students at MU petitioned Choi to remove a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson, purchased and installed by MU alumni in 2001, from the University of Missouri's Francis Quadrangle. Choi instead proposed it be "recontextualized" with input from a task force.[10] Choi subsequently rebuked reporters (who are also on the MU journalism faculty) for making what he called "inappropriate" social-media comments about Choi's refusal to remove the statue and characterized the comments as attempts to undermine the university.[11]
In July 2020, Choi and MU's provost fired the College of Education's dean, and when faced with criticism from some faculty,[12] Choi reportedly demanded administrative support for this decision.[11] This removal and its aftermath, along with his response regarding the Jefferson statue, has led to the criticism that Choi brooks no dissent.[11]
During the fall of 2020, some MU students said that Choi blocked them on Twitter after they expressed COVID-related health and safety concerns about conditions on campus.[13] Examples of concerns relate to COVID-19 testing protocols and lack of running water in some campus bathrooms.[13] MU alumnus Christopher Bennett threatened legal action on First Amendment grounds over Choi's blocking of student accounts.[14] MU justified Choi's actions by stating that he "has been on the receiving end of messages/tweets that were disrespectful and not constructive [and] some contained profanity."[13]
A faculty survey of Choi conducted in May 2022 found his performance "unsatisfactory", with the majority believing that Choi should not retain his position.[15]
See also
- History of the University of Missouri
- Elmer Ellis, the only other person to lead both the University of Missouri and the University of Missouri System (not at the same time)
References
- ^ 손대성 (February 14, 2019). "최문영 미국 미주리대 총장 포항공대서 명예박사 학위 받는다". Korean: Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "UM System President Mun Choi refuses pay raise on contract extension". Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri.
- ^ "Mun Choi Curriculum Vitae"
- ^ a b McKinney, Roger (May 31, 2022). "Mun Choi, first Asian-American leader of UM System, reflects on AAPI Heritage Month". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Jason (May 29, 2018). "Politically Speaking: President Choi on challenges and opportunities for UM System". KWMU. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Whitford, Emma (July 29, 2020). "University of Missouri Board Votes to Combine Leadership Roles". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Claxton, Dan (March 26, 2020). "Mun Choi appointed interim chancellor of MU". KRCG. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Mara Jose (July 28, 2020). "President of 4 universities now also head of Mizzou. Faculty at other schools worry". Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ McKinney, Roger (July 28, 2020). "Choi gets dual role at University of Missouri over opposition from other campuses". Columbia Daily Tribune. Columbia, Missouri. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Bacharier, Galen. "Final decision on MU Jefferson statue not stopping protests". Columbia Missourian. Columbia, Missouri. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ a b c Brown, Sarah (August 31, 2020). "The Pandemic Isn't the Only Problem Facing Mizzou's Chief". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ Bacharier, Galen. "MU College of Education faculty criticize removal of dean in meeting". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ a b c "Students From Mizzou Say The School's President Is Blocking Them For Expressing Concerns Online About COVID Safety". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ Geisler, Lucas (2020-09-10). "Lawyer threatens lawsuit over MU chancellor's Twitter blocking". ABC17NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ Adkison, Michael. "Faculty review of University of Missouri's Mun Choi finds him "unsatisfactory"". KRCG. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
External links
- Office of the President
- Office of the Chancellor