To all our new faculty and staff members, welcome! It’s great to have you in our Bears family. I hope your time at Missouri State University so far has been positive.

To help our new employees get better settled in, I’d like to highlight some valuable information.

Enjoy perks and discounts

Take advantage of perks and discounts available to MSU employees. They include:

• Offers from area businesses – check out the Faculty and Staff Discounts blog for more details.
• Discounted tickets for some sporting and theatre events, and Bears athletics events. If you have kids 12 and under, sign them up for the free Future Bears fan club.
• Bonus dollars when you purchase Dining Dollars, accepted at any dining location on campus.
• 10% discount for Bookstore purchases (full-time employees).

Get a new photo

If you’d like a new or updated professional photo of yourself, go to one of the faculty and staff free portrait days. Held once a month, they’re hosted by our photo staff in creative services.

The next one takes place Sept. 14 in the Plaster Student Union, Room 317.

Take time for professional development

Through your My Missouri State, you can access:

• LinkedIn Learning, where you’ll find a host of free courses in multiple languages.
• My Learning Connection, the university’s centralized library of classes and trainings.

Engage in public affairs

Each year, the university hosts several signature events to celebrate our public affairs mission.

One of them is coming up soon – the 20th annual Public Affairs Conference scheduled from Sept. 26-28. It features free, in-person speakers and live virtual panel sessions that will explore our 2023-24 public affairs theme, Navigating the Now: Tradition, Innovation and Wisdom in a World of Change.

I hope you’ll join me in attending some of the sessions. As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time to attend the conference – just coordinate with your supervisors.

Join the Innovation Accelerator

If you have ideas to share about how MSU can improve student success, save money and make progress in other ways, join the university’s first-ever Innovation Accelerator on Oct. 27.

You’ll get to engage in problem solving and creative thinking with co-workers from across the university.

Cheer on our football team

Come and support our Bears football team at their first home game of the season against Utah Tech. It’s at 2 p.m. Sept 23 during Family Weekend.

Faculty and staff members get half-price tickets.

Once again, welcome new employees to the MSU team. I’m glad you’re here and I’m confident you’ll find the university a great place to work!

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif