Mun Choi
President of the University of Missouri System
Assumed office
March 1, 2017
Preceded byTim Wolfe
Chancellor of the University of Missouri
Assumed office
March 25, 2020
Acting: March 25, 2020 – July 28, 2020
Preceded byAlexander Cartwright
Personal details
Born
Choi Mun Young

(1964-03-19) March 19, 1964
Seoul, South Korea
Children3
EducationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BS)
Princeton University (MS, PhD)
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationChoe Munyeong
McCune–ReischauerCh'oe Munyŏng

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.

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

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

References

  1. ↑ 손대성 (February 14, 2019). "최문영 미국 미주리대 총장 포항공대서 명예박사 학위 받는다". Korean: Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ "UM System President Mun Choi refuses pay raise on contract extension". Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri.
  3. ↑ "Mun Choi Curriculum Vitae"
  4. 1 2 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.
  5. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jason (May 29, 2018). "Politically Speaking: President Choi on challenges and opportunities for UM System". KWMU. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. ↑ Whitford, Emma (July 29, 2020). "University of Missouri Board Votes to Combine Leadership Roles". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. ↑ Claxton, Dan (March 26, 2020). "Mun Choi appointed interim chancellor of MU". KRCG. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Bacharier, Galen (23 June 2020). "Final decision on MU Jefferson statue not stopping protests". Columbia Missourian. Columbia, Missouri. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  11. 1 2 3 Brown, Sarah (August 31, 2020). "The Pandemic Isn't the Only Problem Facing Mizzou's Chief". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  12. ↑ Bacharier, Galen (10 July 2020). "MU College of Education faculty criticize removal of dean in meeting". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  13. 1 2 3 "Students From Mizzou Say The School's President Is Blocking Them For Expressing Concerns Online About COVID Safety". BuzzFeed News. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  14. ↑ Geisler, Lucas (2020-09-10). "Lawyer threatens lawsuit over MU chancellor's Twitter blocking". ABC17NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  15. ↑ Adkison, Michael (September 2022). "Faculty review of University of Missouri's Mun Choi finds him "unsatisfactory"". KRCG. Retrieved 1 September 2022.


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