How Donors Are Powering Student Success at UMKC

At the University of Missouri-Kansas City, success isn't just measured in diplomas, it's measured in impact.

For thousands of students, a UMKC education is more than a degree. It's a pathway to opportunity and improving their community. But behind every student success story is another powerful force: a donor who believed in their potential.

Philanthropy at UMKC is not just appreciated, it's essential. Strategic gifts from generous donors are helping UMKC meet its boldest goals, including improving graduation rates, supporting first-generation students and creating career-ready graduates.

A Legacy of Access: The Victor Wilson Learning Collaborative

This fall, thousands of UMKC students will visit the Victor Wilson Learning Collaborative for the first time. Officially opened in May 2025, the collaborative is a testament to the university's unwavering commitment to supporting all students' success.

Housed on the fourth floor of Miller Nichols Library, the Victor Wilson Learning Collaborative brings together all the tools students need to thrive including academic coaching, Supplemental Instruction, Peer Academic Leaders, First-Gen Roo Scholars and more.

This vision was made possible through the generosity of many, including a $2 million match from the Miller Nichols Charitable Foundation, support from the Bloch Family Foundation and a $250,000 gift from longtime faculty member Elizabeth Noble. But the heart of the story begins decades earlier, with a man named Victor Wilson.

Wilson was a quiet Kansas City businessman who left his fortune to UMKC upon his death in 1948. For the past 75 years, his forward-thinking trust and investment in Kansas City's top university has supported thousands of student scholarships, and now the learning collaborative that bears his name will empower thousands more each year to reach their highest potential.

Fast Tracks and Big Dreams: More in 4 at Bloch

For many students, the biggest barriers to earning a degree are time and cost. The More in 4 program at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management was designed to solve both.

Launched in early 2024, More in 4 allows high-achieving students to complete a bachelor's degree in business administration or accounting and a Master of Business Administration in just four years, cutting tuition, accelerating career entry and maximizing the return on their investment. These students also receive up to $25,000 in scholarships, intensive advising and access to internships and mentors.

The driving force behind this innovation is donor support from UMKC alumnus and trustee Nathaniel Hagedorn, who provided funding for scholarships and, inspired by his own accelerated college experience, a strategic vision to lessen the burden of time to degree for students.

"I had professors who challenged me to think differently, who cared about my future," Hagedorn said. "UMKC was my launchpad. Now, I want to be that launchpad for someone else."

Strengthening Communities: The Community Impact Fellowship

UMKC understands our students' success extends past the boundaries of our campuses. Their success enables them to be change-makers for the betterment of their neighborhoods, businesses, nonprofits and communities in Kansas City and beyond.

That's why the UMKC Foundation established the Community Impact Fellowship, which empowers students to partner with local organizations and deliver real-world transformation.

Through the Community Impact Fellowship, and generous support from the Hall Family Foundation, the UMKC Center for Neighborhoods in Architecture, Urban Planning + Design in the School of Science and Engineering has three fellows from Kansas City working on initiatives that have potentially citywide impact.

The fellowship serves as a driving force to develop community experts who can contribute to the continuation and development of resilient neighborhoods and stabilized communities.

Learn More or Get Involved

To explore how you can support UMKC's student success programs, visit the UMKC Foundation website.

Your gift is more than a donation. It's a legacy of impact.