The UMKC Institute for Human Development is one of 67 national University Centers for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in every state and territory. The Institute for Human Development began in the late 1970s as the UMKC Institute for Community Studies. At that time, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities were encouraging expansion of community based programs for people with developmental disabilities. To this end, in 1977 the Institute for Community Studies established the Missouri University Center for Excellence (UCE). The new UCE specifically addressed consumer-identified needs from a community based perspective. Given Missouri’s dual rural and urban nature, the expectation was that the program would be outreach oriented and responsive to needs across the state.