Today’s Showcase Spotlight highlights a presentation coming from prolific author Ethan Bryan and a faculty member from the School of Teaching, Learning, and Developmental Science: Dr. Joanna Cemore Brigden!

Dr. Joanna Cemore Brigden, Professor in the School of Teaching, Learning, and Developmental Science, and Ethan Bryan, author of A Year of Playing Catch, will be presenting at the Showcase this fall during the second session of simultaneous faculty presentations. During this presentation, the presenters will be sharing a fascinating and inspirational look into the importance and effectiveness of play in learning and building community. This session will provide insight into the course CFD 301 Play as Development, in which students took part in a project called “Catching Community” that directed them to undergo a leadership training that modeled the specifics of playing catch and its connection to leadership, self-care, mental health, and community engagement. These students then created and implemented the Catching Community project. Attendees to this presentation will learn more about the Catching Community and get an in-depth look at the benefits of play supported by real student experiences. To see more details about the exciting project being shared during this presentation, locate the full session description in the Showcase event schedule on the FCTL website.

Attend the Showcase on August 12, 2026, to hear from Dr. Brigden, Ethan Bryan, and many other inspiring presenters. To find the sign-up within My Learning Connection, click the link below and navigate to the “Learning and Development” card in My Missouri State. Select “My Learning Connection” from the links, and type “Showcase” into the search box in the top right of the screen. From the results, select the section you’d like to register for and save your spot at the event.

There are more exciting presenters being announced in the coming days, so stay tuned to find out who else will be at Showcase this fall. Make sure to subscribe to this blog or connect with us on LinkedIn to hear about more presenters everyday from now until the end of the semester.

The Showcase is being held on August 12, 2026, from 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM on the third floor of the Plaster Student Union. 

Register to Attend Now

Note: General attendance to the Showcase is limited to 300 attendees. There are limited spots (120 seats) for both the keynote luncheon and keynote workshop with Rebecca Pope-Ruark (learn more about Dr. Pope-Ruark here). Attendees must be registered to participate in either keynote session.