A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City's University

From its beginning, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has been an institution embedded into the very fabric of Kansas City. Synonymous with STEM, research and the arts, UMKC’s mission to be an urban-serving university has focused on educating future leaders and making Kansas City and the world beyond a better place. With more than 47,000 alumni living and working in Kansas City, its impact and reach are boundless.

With A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University, UMKC history buff and alumnus Christopher Wolff traces the development of UMKC from a small, private liberal arts college of 260 students to the robust, urban-serving research university of more than 16,000 that it is today. A culmination of three years of research and writing, Wolff has assembled a thorough look into the history of UMKC.

Wolff’s extensive research shows the rich and complex roots of the university and how the University of Kansas City grew into UMKC and joined the University of Missouri system. Containing hundreds of photographs, many never before published, this book chronicles the historical events and stories that embody the character and set the foundation for Kansas City’s university of today.

A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University will be released on September 23, 2016. Preorder your copy today, and you will receive the book once it’s released. Proceeds from A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University will support the UMKC Alumni Association’s student scholarships.

About the Author:

Chris Wolff was born in Kansas City but spent his teenage years in California, where he eventually earned Bachelor’s degrees in Comparative Literature and Anthropology from California State University-Long Beach. Dreaming of one day becoming an archaeologist or historian, he earned a Master’s degree in Classics from the University of Kansas. Following his graduation in 1996, he became an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he taught Greek and Latin. UMKC’s campus and community greatly impressed him and he was saddened when other life opportunities took him away from UMKC in 2000. However, he made a triumphant return in 2006, when he was hired as the General Merchandise Manager for the UMKC Bookstore and he has held that position ever since.

While at UMKC, Wolff earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and began to merge his love for the university with his passion for history. He became a frequent visitor to the UMKC University Archives, where he discovered the lost history of the university.

Originally as a ploy to get out of the store for some fresh air, Wolff started giving lunchtime historical tours of the campus in 2013. There he met many fellow UMKC employees, who often asked him when he was going to write a book about UMKC’s history. This encouragement led him to partner with the UMKC Alumni Association for the creation of A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University.