Bears Care: 2,400 Students say Thank You - Assessment in Action

Assessment in Action

Understanding Student Learning

Bears Care: 2,400 Students say Thank You

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From April 13 to 23, Missouri State administered the Bears Care: Online Transition Survey to see how our students were doing with the transition to online learning due to COVID-19. We decided to ask them, “Is there anyone at Missouri State who has been especially helpful during this challenging time? Please tell us so we can thank them.”

Over 2,400 students added a thank you. A small fraction of these comments are included below: 

Thank you! 

Watch a short video to acknowledge some of the Missouri State faculty and staff thanked by students.

Darr College of Agriculture Students 

  • “The College of Agriculture has been super supportive and sending videos of encouragement throughout each week.” 
  • “Dr. Sudbrock, Dr. Webb and Dr. Sukovaty are amazing professors in this hard time!” 
  • “Dr. McClain, Dr. Bledsoe, Dr. Goerndt, Marilyn Odneal. MSU Darr College of AG.” 

 College of Arts & Letters Students  

  • “All of my current professors have been very helpful with this transition.  They have all been making sure that we as students are still able to be successful within our studies as well as making sure that we are all staying healthy.”
  • “All of my professors have been very responsive, helpful, flexible, and strong despite the challenges they are facing as well.”
  • All of my professors within the Communication department and the staff in the Study Away Programs office.”  
  • “All of my professors have been really great about communicating the plans for the upcoming weeks and adapting- Matt Calihman, Lori Rogers, Antoinette Barffour.” 

College of Business Students 

  • “All of my professors have been amazing. They’ve done what they can to help us adjust all while having their own lives turned upside down.” 
  • “All of my instructors have been very positive and have the students’ best interests at heart.” 
  •  “All of my teachers have communicated swiftly and directly (Wayne Anderson, Raju Mainali, Jessica Long, Jennifer Lowenthal-Hershey, and Olen Greer). All have been great and care about their students. In particular, Raju Mainali has been amazing. Not that the others have not, they all have, but this is Raju’s first year and he has been phenomenal.”    

College of Education Students 

  • “All of my teachers have been equally helpful and understanding. Couldn’t ask for better professors!” 
  • “Many teachers reaching out to us all and making sure we’re doing okay. They have been very helpful and sensitive towards our stress at this time. I’m happy to be a Child and Family Development major and I will miss MSU so much after graduation!!!” 
  • “All of my professors—Dr. Davis, Dr. Livers, Dr. Bishop, Dr. Wood, Dr. McCafferty-Wright, and Dr. Benedict-Chambers.” 
  • “Yes, Dr. Correll, Dr. Chaston, and Dr. Atkinson have all been really amazing in helping guide me through this. Also, Jennifer Jensen with registering me for Fall 2020.”  

McQueary College of Health & Human Services Students 

  • “All my professors have been extremely accommodating and understanding. All of them have changed the way they set up their class in order to make the transition easier for us.” 
  • “I would like to thank all of my professors. They have completely turned their worlds upside down to pick up where we left off before spring break. They are among the many heroes of this pandemic and they should be recognized for that.” 
  • “All of my professors have done an amazing job at helping with this transition!! Erich Steinle (Chemistry), Kimberly Hogan (Public Speaking), Devin Diaz (Kinesiology Lab), John Downing (Kinesiology Lecture), and Abby Templer Rodrigues (Sociology).” 
  • “All the professors in the Physician’s Assistant Department are FABULOUS! Dr. Canales, Professor Hauschildt, Professor Cook, Professor Miracle, Professor Applegate. As well as the Biomedical Science department, Dr. Timson, Dr. Wang, and Dr. Brooks! You guys are awesome. 

College of Natural & Applied Sciences Students 

  • “All of my professors and advisors have been amazing and completely understanding of personal situations that occur during this time.” 
  • “All of my professors have been amazing during this stressful time, including my academic advisor and graduate advisor.” 
  • “A lot of my professors have been going the extra mile to make sure we are all up to speed. Specifically, Professors Kovacs, Phelps, Maher, and Greene. 

College of Humanities & Public Affairs Students 

  • “All my professors have done nothing but work to help me get through this time. The professors deserve a round of applause and a lot of thanks.” 
  • “My professors (specifically in the Sociology department) have done a great job on their part trying to ease the tension of the sudden transition to an online format making themselves available to students for additional help with assignments as we finish up the semester.” 
  • ”All of my professors at the different departments, especially Dr. Baynes and Dr. Artman from the Religious Studies department, Dr. Mitra, Dr. Julia Gallaway and Dr. Basu Roy from the Economics department and Daezia Smith at International Programs. These professors have reached out to me and seen if I felt comfortable and had my basic needs met.” 
  • “Dr. David Rohall, Dr. Elizabeth Sobel, Dr. Tonia Tinsley, Dr. Walker-Pacheco, Dr. William Meadows, Dr. Jorge Rebaza.”
  • “My professors Dr. Baynes, Dr. Kyle Miller, Dr. Hobbs, Dr. Artman, and Nora Cox have all been understanding about deadlines, given clear communication, and been so kind during this troubling time.”
  • “All of the Criminology professors have been really great about working with the students to help make this transition as easy as possible while still ensuring that we still learn.  Dr. Kuiper in the Religious Studies department has also been really great with his adaptability to our cancelled Study Away program and being able to still offer it as a class so as not to set anyone back in their educational career.”  

University Libraries 

  • “Tracy Stout in Meyer Library – she took cell phone pictures of three chapters in a book so I could have access to that information. Amazing!”    

University Administration  

  • “I think Clif Smart and the MSU administration has done a great job given the circumstances, and it makes me proud to be here!”  
  • “I am thankful for the University’s steps at taking everything into consideration before rushing to decisions. I am thankful for the videos of President Clif Smart that keep us up to date. I feel very well informed and very well taken care of during this pandemic. I just miss my teachers and friends.” 

Student Affairs  

  • “Everyone who has worked the Garst Dining Center the past month.  They have been fantastic.”  
  • “Residence Life has helped me tremendously during this time. I am an RA on campus and staying employed during this pandemic has helped me in more ways than one. I am able to still make money, have access to fast and reliable internet and a quiet place to concentrate on my work. I am so grateful for Missouri State University and how they have put students first in every way possible during this crisis. Thank you!”  
  • “Magers Health and Wellness has done a lot to go above and beyond to care for me. Especially since I thought I had COVID. ALSO Elizabeth Strong with Study Away is doing an incredible job caring for me during quarantine and making sure I am Ok. Just above and beyond in every way. I am very grateful to have such a caring University to come home to.” 

Saints & Angels  

  • “Alisha Tuttle, a professor in the School of Nursing. This woman is a saint–– very understanding, adaptable, and genuinely cares about each of our unique new situations.”  
  • “Dr. Rothschild is a saint. Always looking out for us as students and is always making sure we are all doing okay not just with school, but with our day to day lives. More teachers should be like Dr. R.”  
  • “Dr. Gautam Bhattacharyya.  That man is a saint.”  
  • Joe Price and Kathleen Hains are our Theatre department angels. We couldn’t live without them. 
  • I’m in the Psychology department and my professors are amazing. I fully believe our department has the most caring professors. Dr. Payne is an angel, Dr. Cathey, Dr. McNew, Dr. Abernathy. All amazing.” 
  • “Steven Senger, that man is an angel sent from heaven haha.”