From student, to alumna, to professor
Those have been the steps that Professor Jerri Lynn Kyle has taken to get to where she is now. A communication professor at Missouri State University.
“I was treated so well as a student and I thought well maybe if I got hired there, maybe I would be treated just as well as a faculty member. And that has certainly been the case, every step of the way.”
Kyle received her masters at MSU in 1997 and began working here in 1998, however it didn’t come easy.
On top of taking classes, she was also working full-time and raising two kids. She even took a semester off after each of her children were born.
“It was a great experience and I could not have asked more for better faculty, better support here. It seems like since I stepped on campus to begin my master’s program, this has been home.”
There were numerous reasons why Kyle wanted to stay at MSU, even after graduation. She said she always knew she wanted to teach here because her husband’s business was and is still here. They also wanted to raise their family in Springfield and she just really liked Missouri State.
From Past to Present
Kyle says Missouri State changed a lot over the years, especially with the number of students.
“We have so many students here, which is great, and we’re able to offer so many classes in so many different ways. The modality that we’re reaching students is incredible. So I look around and I see all of the students that are here on campus and I think how many do we have taking online classes? How many do we have in China? And it’s just amazing to think about here in southwest Missouri, in Springfield, Missouri, what an outreach we have to others to offer them education in so many different ways.”
Something that has not changed however, is the tradition of Homecoming at MSU.
One of Kyle’s favorite things about Homecoming is that so many of her former students come back and they are so excited to not only see their friends, but the faculty as well.
“I love the parade, I love the football game, the band, tailgating, it’s almost like a holiday in itself,” Kyle said.
“You don’t have to buy any gifts for anybody, you don’t have to go to some silly, ya know, exchange and take a gag gift, I mean you really just get to go and the gift is the present of other people’s presence. And that’s what I love about it,” said Kyle.
As for the future of Missouri State, Kyle hopes for growth.
“I just hope that we continue to grow and remain strong and remain true to our values and our ethical core. And I think that is serving students at the heart of it and doing our best job.”
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