Dear friends, neighbors and community partners,

We are just a few weeks into a new academic year, and it has already gotten off to a great start. This year, UMSL welcomed a group of about 1,600 first-year students to campus. (They are pictured above around our Louie the Triton logo on the soccer field.) Our new buildings are coming online, and we just celebrated the dedication of both the UMSL Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center as well as the College of Optometry’s new academic home in the adjacent J.C. Penney Building. Our fall sports are underway including soccer, volleyball, swimming and golf. We invite the community to check out our athletics calendar and come help cheer on the Triton athletes throughout the year.

We are also excited about other events starting this month including the opening of the 2026-27 Touhill Concert Series featuring our Arianna String Quartet. Additionally, we are launching our second cohort of the Civic Collaborations Fellows. These programs reflect our partnerships and highlight the many ways our university connects with and enriches the broader community. We encourage you to explore the events and opportunities featured in this newsletter and to stay engaged with us. And after a long, hot summer, we're all looking forward to cooler days that September promises to bring.

Many of the University of Missouri–St. Louis’ biggest supporters recently gathered to celebrate the dedication of the new Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center and recognize the donors and partners who helped make the project possible. The dedication ceremony honored the vision of the late Kirk Richter, brought to life in the new building that is located on the east side of Alumni Circle and connected to the J.C. Penney Building. Richter, a 1968 accounting graduate of the Ed G. Smith College of Business and devoted alum…hoped it would be a place that could connect the university’s past with its future, welcoming prospective students to campus while also providing a dedicated space for alumni to return and get involved at their alma mater.

Members of Richter’s family, including daughter Laura, son Dan and wife Maureen, joined Chancellor Emerita Kristin Sobolik, Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling, Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams, University of Missouri Curator Lyda Krewson, UMSL Alumni Association President Kat Riddler and others in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center will mark its official opening with an Alumni Open House on Sept. 24. Read more about the dedication event, Kirk Richter and this important new space for the university.

Building stronger communities requires strong partnerships, shared learning, and bold leadership. That's the foundation of the Civic Collaboration Fellows (CCF) program, which has announced its second cohort of leaders from across the St. Louis region dedicated to advancing economic mobility and expanding opportunity. The CCF program brings together Neighborhood Leadership Fellows alumni and civic and economic development practitioners for a year-long learning experience. It is designed to expand participants' understanding of civic infrastructure and economic mobility, strengthen critical civic networks, and cultivate collaborative regional leadership. Throughout the year, Fellows will explore innovative approaches from communities across the country and apply those lessons to create positive change in the St. Louis region.

As part of the program, Fellows will use the Civic Muscle Index to examine how neighborhood-level civic infrastructure and place-based social capital contribute to economic mobility. The Civic Muscle Index provides a framework for exploring the characteristics that contribute to thriving communities and engaged citizenry, focusing on four key dimensions: Belonging, Contribution, Leadership, and Vitality.

Civic Collaboration Fellows is a partnership between University of Missouri Extension and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), made possible through the generous support of the James S. McDonnell Foundation. Learn more about CCF.

_{Beyond Housing State of the Community, July 2026}

In Part One of their recent State of the Community series, the Beyond Housing Family Cohort was introduced—an exciting step forward within the broader community development strategy, which includes housing, education, health, economic development, municipal capacity, and more.

Part Two of this series moves beyond the vision and into the beginning of the journey. On a Saturday in late July, participating families gathered for the inaugural Family Cohort kickoff celebration. They learned more about what to expect in the months ahead and took the first steps toward greater economic mobility and long-term success. Part Two, provides a glimpse of the families beginning this journey and why the Family Cohort is not just another program—it’s a deeper, more integrated pathway to success. Read more about this new initiative at BH. 

_{Citizens for Modern Transit website, Karen Troxell, Aug. 3, 2026}

As highlighted in a recent East-West Gateway blog post, the northern part of St. Louis County can soon expect to see the benefits of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) by way of the $20M University Crossing project and the $45M Triton Pointe development located just south of Highway 70 near the N. Hanley MetroLink Station. The combined developments will provide 252 mixed-income residential units just steps away from the station many locals catch a MetroBus or MetroLink train at.

With St. Louis Lambert International Airport just west of the station and the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ campus just to the east, the sites are set to be great residential options for those looking to work at either major employer due to the ease of access via the MetroLink alignment. Read more about this new development.

All residents of St. Louis County who are registered voters will again be able to cast their votes on campus in the general election this year. The UMSL Millennium Student Center at 117 Arnold Grohman Drive will serve as a polling place for St. Louis County voters on  Tuesday, Nov. 3 in one of the third-floor rooms. Additionally, UMSL will serve as a satellite site for returning absentee ballots or casting absentee ballots in person.
• Weekdays, Oct. 20 thru Nov. 2, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

• Saturdays, Oct. 24 and 3, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

• Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Check out this video to learn more about voting in St. Louis County. 

Learn more about what is on the ballot and other polling locations. 

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Learn more about job opportunities at UMSL. Check back regularly for new listings.

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Learn more about community development trainings and programs.

River Soundings 2026 – Traveling Big Rivers Conference
Wed., Sept. 16, 2026

10:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Beyond Housing HQ

6506 Wright Way

6:00 PM Keynote

24:1 Cinema,

6755 Page Ave.

Join the Greenway Network to learn about different ways things travel in and along Big Rivers. To wrap up the day, Hasan Davis, in his role of York from the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803, will lead a discussion following the short documentary Big Medicine: York Outdoors shown at the 24:1 Cinema at 6:00 PM.

Arianna String Quartet - Brahms & Friends
Fri., Sept. 18, 2026

6:45 PM pre-show talk

7:30 PM show

UMSL Touhill Performing Arts Center

Join the UMSL Arianna String Quartet opening the 2026-27 Touhill Concert Series featuring Wendy Chen on Piano
and Johnathon Swartz, on Viola. General audience: $10 to $30. 

Kids Fishing Derby 
Sat., Sept. 19, 2026

7:30 AM - Noon

Ramona-Mathison Lake

8940 Ramona Lake Dr.

(off Springdale Ave.)

Amazon, the City of Berkeley and the Kiwanis Club of Normandy 24:1 invite kids ages 15 and under to enjoy a FREE day of fishing, family fun, food, and prizes! Discover the fun of the great outdoors without phones or video games. Rods and reels will be available for loan at the event. 

Ferguson’s 3rd Annual Pawpaw Fest 
Sat., Sept. 19, 2026

8:00 AM - Noon

Ferguson Farmers’ Market, 501 S. Florissant

This event celebrates the pawpaw fruit, with a delicious taste of custardy mix of banana🍌, mango🥭, and pineapple🍍native to MO. EarthDance is bringing pawpaws,  cookbooks, and Pawpaw Fest shirts, hats, stickers, etc. Vendors will offer pawpaw-themed cooking demonstrations, cornbread, ice cream, kombucha, tea, trees, education, art, and more! 

The Saint Louis Ballet presents Giselle
Oct. 9 - 11, 2026

2:00 and 8:00 PM

UMSL Touhill Performing Arts Center

Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi brings haunting beauty to this legendary tale of love and betrayal, culminating in the unforgettable second act where the ghostly Wilis emerge from the shadows of the forest. Giselle is the perfect theatrical experience for the mysterious spirit of the season. Tickets range from $55 to $100.

We'd love to hear your questions and comments about UMSL and stories about great things happening in our communities. Your thoughts will help shape content covered in future newsletters to be pertinent to you and your neighbors. Leave any suggestions, questions or stories on Community Connection's feedback form. Thank you!