Jesse Hall is the main administration building for the University of Missouri. Its dome has towered 180 feet above the south end of David R. Francis Quadrangle since its completion in 1895. In the lawn in front of Jesse Hall are The Columns, all that remains of its predecessor Academic Hall, which burned in 1892. The building contains the office of the chancellor, university registrar, graduate school, admissions, and financial aid. One of the most photographic landmarks in Missouri, the building was designed by Missouri architect Morris Frederick Bell, and is his largest surviving work. Jesse Auditorium had hosted graduations and many university functions over the years. The University Concert Series presents national and international concerts, Broadway shows, performers, bands, speakers, and theater to the largest auditorium in Columbia. As the former home of the School of Music, student performances occasionally happen. The building is the most prominent contributing structure to the David R. Francis Quadrangle National Register of Historic Places District. In 1922 "New Academic Hall" became "Jesse Hall" in honor of retiring University President Richard Henry Jesse.

Jesse Auditorium is not only the largest performance venue on the University of Missouri campus; it is also the largest in Columbia. Through the decades, the usage of the auditorium has varied greatly, not only in content, but in quantity. After the fire of 1892, which destroyed Academic Hall, a new building was built just north of that site.

The University of Missouri is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in 1839 and was the first public university west of the Mississippi River.

The Auditorium attracts first-class performers including Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris and Maya Angelou, just to name a few.