Health and Human Services News

From reflection to action

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At the beginning of this academic year, I shared two letters with the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) community where I reflected on who we are, the challenges we face and the kind of college we should aspire to become together. Those letters were rooted in reflection on courage, compassion, accountability, psychological safety and the importance of building a culture grounded in trust, openness and shared purpose.

As I reflect on the year, I am extremely proud of how our college collaboratively transformed reflection into action. Across MCHHS, faculty, staff, students and community partners all demonstrated what is possible when we move forward together with purpose, commitment and care.

Dr. Mark Smith headshot.
Dr. Mark Smith

A few highlights

One of the most exciting milestones this year was the opening of the Collaborative Care Clinic. This initiative represents the very best of interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. The clinic clearly reflects a commitment to preparing students for team-based care while also providing meaningful services to the communities we serve. Watching this vision become reality reminds me of what we can achieve when we work together with innovation and a shared mission.

FY 2026 also marked exciting progress at the Alliance for Healthcare Education and the continued growth of nursing education partnerships that are helping address workforce needs across our region. Welcoming the first two cohorts of nursing students represented a significant milestone. These students symbolize not only the future of healthcare in Missouri but also the power of collaboration between education and community healthcare systems. Their success reinforces our commitment to expanding access to healthcare education while preparing compassionate, highly skilled professionals who will serve communities throughout the state.

Additionally, this year brought tremendous success in accreditation efforts. Our programs in anesthesia, audiology, public health and speech-language pathology each completed highly successful accreditation reviews. These accomplishments reflect the dedication, professionalism and tireless work of faculty, staff, students and leadership teams across the college. Accreditation successes like these affirm the quality of our programs and our continued commitment to academic excellence and student success.

Throughout the year, the McQueary Minute highlighted the heart of our college through stories of student achievement, faculty scholarship, innovative teaching, clinical partnerships, outreach efforts and service to communities across Missouri and beyond. These stories consistently reminded me that our work extends far beyond classrooms and clinics. Every interaction, mentorship opportunity, research project and act of service contributes to transforming lives and strengthening communities.

Fostering open communication

In my letters, I also discussed the importance of transparency, dialogue and creating spaces where people feel heard and valued. This year, I have been encouraged by the ways our college community embraced opportunities for collaboration, conversation and relationship building. Whether through formal initiatives or everyday interactions, I have seen people come together with a shared commitment to strengthening our culture and supporting one another.

We saw this spirit reflected in the most attended MCHHS Awards Banquet in college history, where faculty, staff students, and partners gathered to celebrate excellence and community. We saw this when more than 80 MCHHS faculty members attended spring commencement in support of our students and their accomplishments. We saw this at the first ever all college staff retreats, which created meaningful opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and shared problem solving. We saw this as MCHHS faculty and staff collectively welcomed over 1,000 high school students to our spaces, during our monthly Friday high school visits and showcases. To me, it is during moments like these where we clearly demonstrate that our culture continues to grow stronger through shared experiences, recognition and collective pride in one another’s success.

As we prepare for the next academic year, I remain extremely optimistic about the future of MCHHS. The accomplishments we celebrate today are not endpoints … they are foundations for what comes next.

The completion of Phase 2 of Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall represents another transformational investment in the future of healthcare education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Next year, we will continue expanding services across our clinics while building upon important milestones, including the 10-year anniversary of the MSU Care Clinic and the 25-year celebration of the Ozarks Public Health Institute. These accomplishments reflect not only our growth as a college, but also our enduring commitment to serving communities, improving health outcomes and creating opportunities for students to learn through meaningful engagement and practice.

Most importantly, this year reaffirmed for me why we do what we do. Education is not only about knowledge. No, education is about people, purpose, compassion and hope grounded in integrity. I passionately believe that MCHHS is a place where we will continue to strive to model collaboration, care and courage in ways that positively impact our students and communities for generations to come.

Thank you for everything you have contributed this year. Because of you, MCHHS continues to demonstrate that education itself can be a living love letter to our students, communities, colleagues and ourselves.

Dr. Mark A. Smith, Dean

Guiding the first steps into college

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Some experiences influence how students begin college. Others define how they remember it.

At Missouri State University, the Student Orientation, Advisement and Registration (SOAR) program does both.  It helps new students navigate campus, connect with advisors, build class schedules and get a clear sense of college life.

What makes the SOAR program stand out is the students leading it.

“SOAR leaders play a key role in helping our new students transition throughout their entire SOAR session,” said Maggie McGowen, coordinator of new student orientation. “They support advising, answer questions and create an environment where students feel comfortable from the start.”

From experience to leadership

Junior biomedical sciences major Kaylee Williams draws on her own experience navigating SOAR for the first time in her role as a SOAR leader.

“I’m a first-generation college student, so coming through SOAR was a very intimidating experience for me,” Williams said.

Kaylee Williams headshot.
Kaylee Williams

That moment shaped how she approaches leadership today. After serving as a McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) SOAR leader last year, she returns this summer as part of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) team, bringing both experience and perspective.

“I wanted to welcome students who might be feeling overwhelmed,” she said.

Her approach is simple and intentional, centered on connection.

“Students are more likely to open up when they feel like they’re talking to a friend,” she said.

That connection helps students ask questions, build confidence and begin their college journey with clarity.

Stronger support through collaboration

This summer, MCHHS and CNAS will be collaboratively delivering their academic SOAR programming, in an effort to enhance the student experience. Bringing these two colleges together will give the affiliated SOAR leaders an opportunity to learn more about two academic colleges, professionally connect with more staff and faculty and work with a more diverse group of majors.

The idea to collaborate grew from a SOAR practice piloted last summer that allowed undecided students exploring professional health-related pathways to be directed to academic colleges. The goal of the collaboration is to create an experience that helps students better understand the academic contributions each of the two participating colleges present while also encouraging exploration without pressure.

“All of the affiliated SOAR leaders between both colleges will focus upon creating positive experiences that emphasize openness to all the academic opportunities available to them,” said Hillary Mayes, director of MCHHS Student Success and Advisement Center.

SOAR students will participate in shared academic sessions across both colleges. They will hear from multiple advisors, learn about different academic options, and connect with a broader group of peers.  This approach will create consistency in information while giving students more flexibility to explore their interests. It also strengthens the sense of community early in the students’ college experience.

2026 MCHHS SOAR leaders

This year’s MCHHS SOAR leaders are committed to supporting new Bears through the transition to Missouri State. They serve as guides, mentors and trusted voices.

Group 10
Adam Medlar and Faith Barkefelt

Group 11
Oliver Kempker and Sonora Haake

Group 12
Fabian Solano and Kenzie Jasnoch

Group 13
Hannah Helton and I’ron Bell

Group 14
Addison Pollard and Lauren Riddle

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Springfield’s data becomes a compass

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For more than 20 years, the Community Focus Report has given Springfield a reliable glance at tracking housing, education, public safety, arts and more.

Last spring, Missouri State University’s Ozarks Public Health Institute (OPHI) began taking that effort a step further. The report is moving from a biannual publication into a continuous, community-driven program people can use year-round.

The next report is expected to be released in fall 2026. Upcoming editions will include several new features to help communities understand progress, compare data and identify issues that affect multiple areas.

“Community Focus is designed to be the bridge between what the data shows and what the community decides to do about it,” said Traci Nash, OPHI community focus facilitator.

More than a report

This cycle covers 13 topic areas and adds food and faith for the first time. The report remains community-authored, meaning practitioners, local experts and people with lived experience help inform what gets measured and what the findings mean.

According to Nash, the report underwent some structural changes this cycle. These include measurable objectives, which make it easier to track real progress, not just problems. The report also includes a peer community framework to compare Springfield to similarly sized cities in meaningful ways.

“The most important change is the shift from a publication cycle to a continuous program,” Nash said. “Instead of waiting two years for new findings, community partners can now track live indicators anytime through the Community Focus dashboard.”

Tracking what matters

A grant of more than $500,000 from the Missouri Foundation for Health made this transition possible. The funding helped OPHI build the infrastructure needed for this next phase.

The first phase focused on stabilizing data systems, creating dashboards and building a strong analytical foundation. That work is now largely complete.

Now, the work is moving deeper into community engagement.  The second phase focuses on analysis, interpretation and stronger collaboration with partners who use the data in real time.

Nash spends most of her time in community meetings, where she gets “a bird’s-eye view of data in action.”

Nash notes the funding allowed OPHI to bring in dedicated research expertise. In March, John Schupbach joined the team as community indicators research analyst.

“Having that analytical partnership is already changing what is possible,” Nash said.  “Students are also a meaningful part of this work too. Graduate assistants have supported data infrastructure, student engagement tracking and research on complete neighborhoods.”

Turning evidence into action

She added, “Community Focus data is already making a difference across the Springfield region. The report appears in grant applications, strategic plans and board conversations, helping organizations align priorities around a shared source of evidence.”

When organizations point to the same trusted source of regional data, it becomes easier to align priorities and make a stronger case for resources.

On April 27, Nash moderated a panel called “Sustainability and the Community Focus Report” at the Research that Shows Up” event hosted by the efactory. It highlighted how research at Missouri State can support organizations making community decisions.

“Our job is to organize the evidence and make sure the findings are accessible, so people can act on what they already know,” she said.

“We’re a public institution with a mission to invest our resources into the community for positive changes. OPHI will continue building analytical capacity, deepening relationships with community collaboratives and making the data as accessible as possible.”

Explore the Ozarks Public Health Institute

A legacy of giving that endures

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In 2018, a transformational gift from the McQueary family led Missouri State University to name the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) in their honor.

Long before the McQueary name appeared on the college, it showed up in a simple act of care.

From left to right: Dr. Fred, David and Mark in the late 1970s.
From left to right: Dr. Fred, David and Mark in the late 1970s.

In the early history of Missouri State football, their grandfather, William “Les” McQueary, heard that some players could not afford new winter coats. They had outgrown the ones their parents had given them in high school.

Instead of trying to find out who needed help, he bought winter coats for the whole team. It was a quiet act of generosity, rooted in the belief that students, especially those from rural areas, often needed extra support.

For Les McQueary’s grandsons, brothers Dr. Fred G. McQueary, Mark L. McQueary and David B. McQueary, that story is more than a family memory. It is a blueprint of how their family has always lived.

“They did things without expecting anything in return, but simply because it was the right thing to do,” said David, a 1982 business alumnus of what was then Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU).

Roots in care

That spirit of generosity is grounded in the family’s earliest days in healthcare.

According to the McQueary brothers, their great-grandfather, William M. McQueary, opened a pharmacy in Ash Grove in 1886. Years later, after moving to Springfield, he opened a drugstore near what is now the Foster Recreation Center on the Missouri State campus. The store became a neighborhood hub where people, especially students, could buy goods on credit or be fed even if they could not pay right away.

In 1924, his sons, Les McQueary and Frederick Gordon McQueary, founded McQueary Brothers Drug Company. A wholesale drug company, the duo expanded from serving retail pharmacies in Missouri and Arkansas early on to supplying pharmacies across seven Midwest states. The business operated for more than eight decades before McKesson acquired it in 2007.

That milestone capped more than a century of the McQueary family’s impact on healthcare in Southwest Missouri.

The family’s connection to healthcare continued well beyond the sale of the business, with Dr. Fred retiring from medical practice in 2013 and from his Mercy Springfield executive role in 2021. His daughter, Dr. Melissa McQueary Broaddus, is also a practicing optometrist in Springfield.

Unwavering support for Mo State

From left to right: Mark, David, Fred M. and Dr. Fred at the 2011 Missourian Award ceremony.
From left to right: Mark, David, Fred M. and Dr. Fred at the 2011 Missourian Award ceremony.

Fred G. and Les and his wife, Jennie, carried on the family’s legacy of giving. Avid sports fans, they supported Missouri State and high school athletics, as well as local Kiwanis and American Legion baseball and softball teams for decades. The family began regularly attending Missouri State football games in 1917.

Les and Jennie instilled that sense of philanthropy in their two sons, William T. “Bill” McQueary and Fred M. McQueary (Dr. Fred, Mark and David’s dad). In 1982, the two of them served as the first co-chairs of the Papa Bears, which later became part of The Bears Fund supporting Missouri State student-athletes.

Bill and Shirley McQueary, along with Fred M. and Ramona McQueary, extended their support for Missouri State far beyond athletics.

“There are very few buildings constructed on campus in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that don’t reflect some involvement from our parents, aunt and uncle,” Mark said. “We’ve all been raised in a tradition of support for Missouri State.”

From left to right: Mark, Dr. Fred, Ramona and David wearing the family tartan.
From left to right: Mark, Dr. Fred, Ramona and David wearing the family tartan.

Fred M. attended what was then Southwest Missouri State (SMS) College for two years in the late 1940s. After serving in the United States Army from 1952-54, he joined the family business and worked there until his retirement in 2005.

A 1952 graduate of SMS, Ramona McQueary joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1973 and became the second woman to be appointed to the university’s Board of Governors.

During her tenure as the first female board president in 1978, she helped lead a period of major growth, including record enrollment of almost 15,000 and the opening of key campus facilities, such as the Hammons Student Center and Duane Meyer Library. In 1981, she was named to the Missouri State Foundation board.

“I remember graduating from SMSU in 1975 and having my mother, then a board member, hand me my diploma,” Dr. Fred said. “That doesn’t happen often.”

An orthopedic surgeon for over three decades at Mercy Springfield, holds a master’s degree in biology from SMSU.

Honoring their parents

While Fred M. and Ramona have passed, all three McQueary brothers are following in their parents’ footsteps. They support Missouri State and MCHHS in various roles and capacities.

Dr. Fred has served on the MCHHS Advisory Board since the late 1980s, helping to align hospital needs with classroom learning. Mark chaired the Missouri State Foundation Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2015 and served on the university’s earliest advisory councils. He also served on the search committee that selected Dr. Mark Smith to lead MCHHS as dean in 2019.

David was president of the Alumni Association Board in 1992.  In addition, he contributed to key campus committees, including presidential and athletic director search committees.

While the three brothers give back in different ways, they share one commitment: continuing their family’s proud legacy of giving and service.

Why health education matters

The McQueary family with friends at the MCHHS naming announcement.

When offered the chance to name the college, the family did not have to think about it for long. Their cousin, Rick McQueary (the son of Bill and Shirley) also supported the effort.

“I thought it was an obvious fit. We’ve been involved in healthcare in this area since 1886,” David said.

Mark noted the family saw the opportunity as a way to help address the growing demand for healthcare workers. Springfield had grown into a regional healthcare hub, where the demand for trained professionals across every area was rising faster than it could be met.

Dr. Fred saw the critical need firsthand while working at Mercy Springfield.

“At the college’s naming ceremony, I thanked the students in the room,” he said. “They’re going to be the ones providing healthcare in the future. And we’re going to need it.”

David echoed the same sentiment with humor: “Because we’re getting old and we’re going to need them.”

More than a name

For the McQueary brothers, the college name is not about recognition. It is about continuity.

“When I look at the family name there, I think I’m a small piece of a much bigger group,” Dr. Fred said. “This is not about one single person’s contribution; it’s a family effort with multigenerational support and connections.”

David admits it still catches him off guard when he sees the McQueary name on campus, especially on the back of students’ T-shirts. Even now, it still surprises him.

“It’s as much about honoring our grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle,” David said. “Carrying on the legacy of what they established with the university and through healthcare, it was just a natural fit.”

For all three brothers, the college naming is not a finish line. It is another chapter in a story that began generations before them with a box of winter coats and continues today.

“It has simply always been part of our upbringing,” Mark said.

“Family has always mattered most,” David added. “It was never about any one of us individually. We always did everything together.”

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