by Jonathan Haile

Wednesday, July 24, is going to be a historic day for the University of Central Missouri. Never before has a sitting president visited UCM. President Barack Obama will come speak on the economy, and university president Charles Ambrose expects the Missouri Innovation Campus to be of interest to him, as well.

If you were unaware, the Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) is a collaboration between UCM, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College, and various businesses, meant to help students earn bachelor’s degrees within two years of earning their high school diplomas.

“Through The MIC, we are reshaping the way students experience education,” President Ambrose said. “We’re making college more affordable by connecting students with businesses that share responsibility for their development and who will become their future employers who will reap the benefits of hiring these job-ready employees.” (UCMO/Obama)

The Innovation Campus is another one of UCM’s commitments in allowing students to “learn to a greater degree”. It proves that choosing Red is less of a choice and more of an investment in a better future for all mules and jennies. It’s also an example other universities and college programs will want to try to emulate.

As Obama and the university prepare for his visit, social media use is off to the races. No matter the political persuasion, people have something to say about Obama making a short stay in the Burg. It’s the perfect time to give those who don’t know about UCM a great impression of our university. I suggest that if you tweet, Instagram a photo, update a status, or vine about Obama’s visit (and I know you will), use the hashtags #ChooseRed or #POTUSatUCM.

Let’s get them trending. If we can’t get them trending around the nation, we can get them trending in Kansas City and St. Louis. We can show that choosing red is the right choice. Even if it’s for a few hours, Obama has chosen red for a reason. Let’s give people who don’t know about it a reason to ask why.

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