Benefits Derived from External Funding

The University seeks to undertake research and sponsored programs that would otherwise be impossible due to the constraints of our budget.

Faculty, staff and students undertake sponsored programs (research) that;
 

• Contributes to the public good – Basic and applied research are essential to the benefit of society. Although the value of applied research is often demonstrated by the significance of the problem being addressed, basic research builds the knowledge base for later, unforeseen uses. Ultimately, both endeavors have the potential to enhance the quality of life for all.
• Encourages faculty development – The process of creating, conducting, and disseminating research ensures that faculty keep current in the issues and methods driving their respective disciplines. A significant measure of quality is evidenced through a faculty member’s sharing of research results, particularly through peer-reviewed publications and activities. Faculty who remain stimulated by their creative work will in turn motivate their students. For Missouri State University to become more competitive as a source of new knowledge, faculty research is required and must be prized.
• Enhances the educational process – Excellence in faculty research and scholarship enhances the quality of classroom instruction. The integration of research into undergraduate and graduate teaching has become a necessity. To educate future generations, Missouri State University recognizes that research is crucial to the vitality of the university and society. Professors who on the "cutting edge" of their disciplines are optimally able to engage students and promote academic curiosity, critical reasoning, and discipline-specific skills. Such skills not only benefit the student’s primary field of study but generalize to develop truly educated persons in all endeavors. Understanding the research process is critical, both for those students who will conduct research in their chosen careers and for those who will be educated citizens in an information-rich society.

(Taken from Missouri State University, Imagining and Making Missouri's Furture; Chapter III, Incubating New Ideas, September 2006)

Through these efforts, the students receive an opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to address problems that will provide valuable experience as they move onto their professional careers, and the faculty strengthens the advancement in their professional fields whether that be in basic research where the findings expand the body of knowledge in the natural and social sciences and in the health fields, or through their creative efforts, in the arts and humanities.