The University of Missouri System has provided teaching, research and service to Missouri and the nation since 1839. The university was the first publicly supported institution of higher education established in the Louisiana Purchase territory. Its philosophy of education was shaped in accordance with the ideals of Thomas Jefferson, who was an early proponent of higher education. Today, the University of Missouri System is one of the nation's largest and most prestigious public research universities, with more than 64,000 students on four campuses and hundreds of thousands served statewide through University of Missouri Extension and University of Missouri Health System.