Dear Valued Member of the Tiger Scholarship Fund,

We have entered unparalleled times here at the University of Missouri and it is truly an exciting time to be a Mizzou Tiger!  As you are aware, the University of Missouri has made application to and has been unanimously accepted for membership in the prestigious Southeastern Conference (SEC).  We are scheduled to become full members of the SEC on July 1, 2012.

As a generous member of our Tiger Scholarship Fund, you have directly impacted our program in an outstanding way. Your support has given us the resources needed to succeed academically and athletically, which has allowed us the opportunity to be placed in the current position we are now facing.  As we begin this transition, we will be tireless in our efforts to communicate, collaborate, and educate our alumni, donors, and fans regarding Mizzou Athletics as we move forward into our new “family”.  Without you, none of this would be possible! 

While we are excited for this next phase in Mizzou’s history, we recognize that we are a better Athletics Department due to our affiliation with the Big 12 Conference.  We acknowledge and are appreciative of all of the benefits we have received due to our collective efforts. As an institution we thank the Big 12 for those opportunities and wish them all the best in the future.  However, we know that change is sometimes inevitable and is always hard. Through the course of several weeks/months the University of Missouri determined that the SEC would provide stability, trust, vision, equality, and commitment to MU and ensure the success of our student-athletes.  Dr. Deaton has provided tremendous leadership in this effort, and we are so fortunate to have him as our “CEO”.  In addition, the support of our Board of Curators, Interim President Steve Owens, Interim General Counsel Phil Hoskins, and others have been instrumental in this historic announcement.

As we enter a new era of Mizzou Athletics, we are preparing to join a conference that is called the strongest conference in America.  The SEC has been in existence for 78 years, and only four schools have been added to our new league since its inception…..South Carolina (1991), Arkansas (1991), Texas A&M (2012) and the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI (2012)!  Our new teammates for our 14 member league are:  Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and MISSOURI.  What a great group of “teammates” academically and athletically!

Thank you for ALL that you do for our 502 student-athletes and for the entire University of Missouri.  Our future is bright and your continued support is critical as we transition into this exciting new chapter. 

With gratitude…Go Tigers!

Mike Alden

PS.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to the team in the Tiger Scholarship Fund office at 573.882.0704 for more information.  You can also stay current at the TSF website (tsf-mizzou.com).