Fill Plaster Stadium

This week, Missouri State University makes its long-awaited return to Plaster Stadium on Wednesday when the Bears host defending Conference USA champion Kennesaw State at 6:30 p.m. The nationally televised showdown on CBS Sports Network is our first home game since Sept. 19.

Let’s come together and support our Bears!  

Parking lot closures

To prepare for the mid-week game, the following parking lots must be cleared according to this schedule:

– Lot 24: Closed at 10 p.m. Tuesday. All vehicles must be removed by this time to ensure the area is safe for student tailgating activities. 
– Lots 18 and 22: Closed at noon Wednesday. All vehicles must be removed before closing.
– Lots 4 and 19: Closed Wednesday, with all vehicles required to be removed by 1 p.m. 

Beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Lots 18, 22, 4 and 19, along with Bear Park South, will be accessible only to vehicles displaying a valid game-day parking pass or purchasing a single-game parking pass. 

Alternative options

Faculty and staff who regularly park in the affected lots can use these lots instead: Bear Park South, Bear Park North and lots 25, 35 and 54.

Highlights from University Council

2027 health benefits update

At last Tuesday’s University Council meeting, Matt Morris, vice president for administrative services, walked us through the coming changes to the 2027 health benefits for the university. While benefit costs are increasing nationwide and here at Missouri State, the Wellness Incentive program remains a valuable opportunity to offset some of those costs.

We regularly hear how much employees appreciate the university’s benefits package and its relative affordability. We continually focus on being able to provide comprehensive benefits at the lowest possible cost.  

As a reminder, open enrollment for next year’s coverage begins Nov. 1 and closes Dec. 1. For more information, see the summary of benefits changes.

Becoming a great university to work for

During the meeting, Egon Heidendal, associate provost for institutional effectiveness, and Mary Bohlen, director of assessment and accreditation, shared the results of the ModernThink “Best Colleges to Work For” survey fielded this spring.   

There were several areas where we had clear strengths, but we identified key areas we’ll focus on to improve our practices and procedures, including improved communications and leadership approaches.   

The data we have will help us continue the process of creating the best workplace possible at Missouri State. I encourage folks to review the survey results and reflect on ways we can improve. Thank you to those who participated in the survey. While we only had a response rate of 38%, we’re certainly able to glean important takeaways about how we can continue to improve as an institution.  

Thirty by ’30

Dawn Medley, vice president for enrollment management, gave a summary of this year’s incoming student enrollment with specific student population breakdowns. Jeremy Dickerson, assistant vice president for admissions and outreach, and Chelsey Giles, director of institutional research, shared strategies they’re deploying as part of the Strategic Enrollment Management playbooks for the strategic plan to achieve our goal of enrolling 30,000 students by 2030. Meetings are scheduled throughout the fall for various audiences and groups to learn more about the playbooks and strategies.  

For more information, including the full presentations, visit the University Council website.

National Transfer Student Week

From Oct. 19-23, we‘ll celebrate and officially welcome transfer students on our campus. Nationally, transfer students comprise nearly 40% of all undergraduates and add to the vibrancy of our university life. We’re so glad they chose to continue their educational journeys at Missouri State.   

Several events for students are scheduled in the coming days. Check out the full list of activities. Please join me in applauding the excellent work by our colleagues in the Adult Students Services Center, Veteran’s Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions and the Academic Advising and Transfer Center, as well as many other faculty and staff who assist our transfer students every day. 

It’s a great day to be a Bear!  

Biff