I want to update you on several activities on campus over the next week.

Celebrate Veterans Day

On Nov. 11, we will celebrate Veterans Day.

Veterans on and off campus can join us for a complimentary breakfast with live music performed by the 135th Army Band, Windfall, and a presentation by retired Army Col. Thomas Marty at 9 a.m. in the Plaster Student Union ballroom.

A live performance of Taps by the Missouri State trumpeters will follow the breakfast at 11:11 a.m. outside of McDonald Arena.

Find out more

I hope you will join us as we honor our veterans for their military service.

Finalists for West Plains chancellor

On Nov. 9 and 10, we will host the first finalist for West Plains chancellor for on campus interviews in West Plains and Springfield.

Members of the campus community will have several opportunities to interact with the candidate in West Plains on Nov 9.

You can find more details, including a schedule, on the Chancellor Search webpage.

Recognizing leaders in community

At 3 p.m. Nov. 10, the College of Business will host “A Conversation with Steve Edwards” in the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center.

This event will provide a remarkable opportunity for the university to hear from a preeminent healthcare leader and a critical voice that guided (and continues to guide) the Springfield community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is an invitation-only event. However, if you’d like to receive an invitation, please contact me at president@missouristate.edu.

Later that evening, Biz 417 magazine will host a Biz 100 Party at 6 p.m. at Reliable BMW to honor the individuals selected for this year’s Biz 100 list.

You can find additional details about the event, including a link to buy tickets, on Biz 417’s webpage.

MSU names on this year’s list include:

• Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
• Coach Dana Ford.
• Lyle Foster.
• Coach Bobby Petrino.
• Wes Pratt.
• Clif Smart.

Cheer for the Bears

We also have several exciting sports and entertainment opportunities on campus.

• Tonight at 7 p.m., the Bears basketball team will play their home opener against Southeast Missouri State University. The Lady Bears played exhibition games at home last week and will play again Sunday at 1 p.m. at JQH Arena .
• At 2 p.m. Nov. 13, the Bears football team will play their last home game of the regular season against the University of Northern Iowa. I hope you will join me for the game and for pregame activities at Bearfest Village.
• Also on Nov. 13, Chicago—one of the longest-running and best-selling groups of all time—will perform at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. The band will perform their greatest hits spanning multiple generations. The show starts at 7 p.m. You can buy tickets online, but you need to act soon as the show is poised to sell out and ticket availability is very limited.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!