To maximize the benefits of the Kummer gift, S&T will seek investments from donors, corporate partners, research sponsors, consortia members, and our state and federal government partners. The Kummer Institute has the potential to grow Missouri's GDP by $703 million over 10 years, and by more than $2 billion over 25 years.

Students

The Kummer Institute will provide scholarships and fellowships for highly qualified and deserving students through two new programs:

Kummer Vanguard Scholars
The Kummer Vanguard Scholars Program will provide scholarships to 350 to 400 STEM scholars each year. Each Kummer Vanguard Scholar will receive $1,000-$3,000 a year for four years. These scholarships may be combined with other university scholarships to provide a broader array of financial support for students. Students from around the world will be selected based on academic and non-academic criteria. Read more.

Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Doctoral Fellows
The Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellows Program provides generous 12-month stipends and tuition remission for up to 100 STEM Ph.D. students a year. The program is open to domestic and international students and provides an array of exclusive opportunities designed to inspire an innovative mindset among our brightest doctoral scholars. Read more.

Undergraduate Students

• High-achieving — students with meritorious academic achievement who want a STEM education and can compete for a slot at the very best schools
• Highly qualified but with significant financial need — students with good scores but who have financial and socioeconomic limitations
• Distance and online — students who would benefit from a quality STEM education and who are likely to use it to contribute to our state’s economy but who are place-bound
  
  

Graduate Students

• High-achieving — Ph.D. students from the very best schools who will compete for “Innovation and Entrepreneurial Fellowships” awarded by the Institute
  
  

Faculty and Staff

Transforming S&T into a leader in innovation and entrepreneurial education requires the right academic leadership. S&T will immediately begin recruiting and hiring 20 new “catalytic” faculty — 10 professors and 10 chairs — whose work is internationally renowned in our Center areas. These faculty members will drive the work of the Institute: one will serve as the Institute’s Executive Director, and the other four will serve as directors of the four Centers.

Over three to five years, another 60 to 100 strategic faculty hires will join S&T and support the goals of the Institute. In this way, the assets of both Missouri S&T and the Institute can be leveraged to allow both institutions to grow and thrive together, thereby transforming the Rolla community and all of Missouri.

Facilities

The mark of a great university is its state-of-the-art facilities, which attract faculty, students and partners. Three new facilities are envisioned.

• The Kummer Institute for Education and Research will be anchored by an expansion of S&T’s Engineering Research Lab, to be known as “XEng.” The name XEng signals the facility’s flexible laboratory and research space, which can be configured to the needs of any engineering discipline (thus, “X” Engineering) and which will provide room for the work of the four Centers.
• The Kummer Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development will be anchored by a Systems Integration and Prototype Development Facility, located off campus.
• The “Lighthouse” is a facility that integrates a full range of student programs and resources into a central campus location and is key to reimagining the student experience. It will be a beacon to all students and serve as the hub for connecting students with each other and the university.
  
  

Equipment and Instrumentation

To be responsive to the needs of the new and growing Institute, S&T will enhance and upgrade its equipment and instrumentation. Innovative faculty and entrepreneurial students will require leading-edge technology to turn their ideas into products and businesses. Investments will be focused on equipment needed to support the Institute’s four Centers and S&T’s new School of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Management

Outreach

The Institute will grow and thrive through its close partnerships with S&T’s faculty and staff, as S&T departments and programs collaborate across disciplines to fuel the Institute’s research breakthroughs.

The Institute will also advance its goals through external partnerships with industry, public and private research foundations and grant-makers, the government, and consortia. The Executive Director will have an extensive network of contacts from which to build external relationships. Additionally, S&T will hire an Associate Director of Outreach who will identify prospective Institute partners and nurture existing partnerships with S&T’s industry partners.