Founded in 1839 as the first publicly supported institution of higher education in Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase territory, the University of Missouri has grown from a cluster of buildings on a field in rough-and-tumble Boone County to an economic and scholastic powerhouse with an enrollment of nearly 35,000 and annual research expenditures of approximately $250 million.

One of its more than 275,000 graduates, Kansas City Star reporter Brian Burnes, discusses the book he has written for Kansas City Star Books commemorating the school’s 175th anniversary. The 220-page, coffee-table publication features historical and contemporary photos along with Burnes’ history of the university.