The UMKC network of alumni and friends is so important to us. These generous individuals are constantly reminding us of their support - volunteering at events, mentoring students, connecting us to the community, supporting scholarships and more.

Alumni

Our alumni network is more than 135,000 strong, spanning all 50 states and more than 60 countries around the world. This outstanding network includes artists, educators, researchers, entrepreneurs, care givers, public servants and many more who are proud to call themselves Roos.

Here are just a few examples of why our alumni make us UMKC proud:

• Of the three women who currently lead Federal Reserve banks, two of them are UMKC graduates: Mary C. Daly (B.A. '85) and Esther George (EMBA '00).
• Bloch graduate Femi Olagoke (B.B.A. '07) appeared in the blockbuster movie "Black Panther."
• Voice actor Rick Wasserman (M.F.A. '98) is the voice of AMC, the network that originated "The Walking Dead," "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men" and other hit television shows.
• Former student-athlete Courtney Frerichs (B.A. '15) is a two-time Olympian (2016, 2020). She won the silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
• Mark Morgan (J.D. '95) spent more than 20 years using his law degree in his work at the FBI.

Learn more about alumni achievements.

Giving

In the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year, friends of UMKC donated more than $41 million to the university, creating 646 scholarships and providing funding for renovated spaces, new facilities and outstanding opportunities for faculty, staff and students. 

Equally impressive is the fact that 96% of those gifts came from individuals and only 4% from businesses or foundations.

Here are just a few stories of donors who embody this spirit of giving:

• At their wedding, UMKC graduate Marshall Miller (B.A. '67) and his wife Kathleen Kilway, chair of the UMKC Department of Chemistry, asked their guests to donate to UMKC in lieu of gifts. 
• After working graveyard shifts six nights a week to pay for his education, alumnus Brent Hodges (B.S. '70) created a scholarship to help other students with financial need.
• Inspired by his parents giving one quarter a week to their church, Ronald Newton (B.S. '96) established a scholarship named in their honor.
• Kimiko Black Gilmore (B.A. '89) became a monthly donor out of her love for both UMKC and Kansas City, which she calls, "a marriage made in heaven."

Discover the many ways to give.