There was only standing room at 11 a.m. Tuesday as Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin opened a celebration of MU’s 175th year of education with an oh-so-familiar “M-I-Z” chant on stage in the MU Student Center.

The crowd that had gathered for the event readily answered with a roaring “Z-O-U!”

Students and alumni gathered on the main floor to take part in the birthday party, which featured select members of Marching Mizzou, the Golden Girls and of course, beloved Truman the Tiger.

In his opening remarks, Loftin offered many thanks to the students and faculty who had welcomed him into his new position at the university.

“I appreciate the warm welcome,” he said. “And I am honored to serve.”

Once Loftin had finished his opening statements, he recognized attending members from Columbia Chamber of Commerce, as well as honoree graduates from the class of 2014.

Then, it was time to cut the cake.

After a joyous rendition of “Happy Birthday” was sung by an a cappella quartet and reinforced by the many audience members who had joined in, Loftin and Truman the Tiger blew out the candles, marking the true start of the celebration.

Confetti and streamers filled the celebration area, and the band played MU’s fight song while nearly everyone in attendance sang along.

There were free T-shirts for everyone, along with an array of cupcakes and Tiger Stripe ice cream to add the finishing touches to the event.

For a fleeting few moments, the Student Center was overrun by smiles, and an overwhelming sense of school pride before everyone was forced to return to their daily routine.