O7 Important Competitors

No other state-supported four-year institutions exist within a 40-mile radius of Western (map). In and around Kansas City are 17 two-year colleges, other four-year colleges, and theological seminaries. Missouri has 13 public universities. Western’s primary service region includes the Missouri counties of Buchanan, Andrew, Clay, Clinton, and Platte. The secondary service region consists of Caldwell, Daviess, DeKalb, Jackson, and Ray counties, all in Missouri.

Western competes directly with more selective admissions four-year public universities in Missouri.

• The University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC) is designated a selective admissions public research university enrolling more than 27,000 students. Western competes with UMC for students from Buchanan, Andrew, Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Jackson counties.
  
• The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), 55 miles south of Saint Joseph, is a selective admissions institution that enrolls more than 14,000 students. Western competes with UMKC for students from Buchanan, Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Jackson counties.
  
• The University of Central Missouri (UCM) in Warrensburg, Missouri, 50 miles southeast of Kansas City, is a moderately selective admissions regional public university enrolling more than 10,000 students. Western competes with UCM for students in Andrew, Clay, Jackson, and Ray counties.

As an open access institution, Western competes somewhat with two-year colleges such as North Central Missouri College (89 miles northeast) and Metropolitan Community Colleges in Kansas City (50 miles south).

Competitive differentiators for students include location, cost, program quality, qualified and approachable faculty, faculty-student ratio, personable support services, and applied learning opportunities.

Western competes with Missouri institutions for faculty. Competitive differentiators include opportunities for teaching, research, and professional development, teaching facilities and technology, and opportunity for faculty/student research. Faculty enjoys peer recognition, such as the Distinguished Professor Award, and interdisciplinary teamwork opportunities.