Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for April 5, 2022

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I am excited to introduce you to Beth Cunningham, our new Lady Bears basketball coach.

Coach Cunningham has an impressive 20-year collegiate coaching resume. Most recently she was an assistant coach at Duke University.

Before that, she was the associate head coach at Notre Dame during one of the best winning stretches in NCAA history that included:

  • A 244-19 record.
  • Seven 30-win seasons in a row.
  • Six conference titles.
  • Five NCAA Final Four appearances.
  • And the 2018 National Championship.

She also had a successful run as head coach at VCU (where she is the all-time leader in women’s coaching wins) and as a player at Notre Dame. There, she led the program to its first NCAA Women’s Final Four appearance her senior year and departed as the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Irish women’s basketball history.

Coach Cunningham knows how to win. She was our number one choice for this job, and I am very pleased that she agreed to lead our program.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Coach Cunningham, her husband Dan, and their four children to the Missouri State community.

Exciting events on campus

We have several great events on campus this week.

Shaun Tomson will speak at this year’s public affair convocation at 3:30 p.m. this Wednesday in the PSU Theater.

Tomson, author of “The Code” — this year’s Common Reader, will share his life experiences in and out of the surfing world. He will offer how the simple message — I Will — can be a model to face life’s challenges and help you achieve your goals.

I hope you will plan to attend. No ticket is required, and the event is free and open to the public.

Read more about Tomson

That evening, at 6:30 p.m., we will host a book reading, signing and reception with award-winning, internationally bestselling author Laura McHugh at the C Minor Recital Hall in Ellis Hall.

McHugh’s novels have won numerous national and international awards. They have also been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film. McHugh lives in Columbia, Missouri, with her family.

Early on Wednesday, at 9 a.m., we will dedicate the Darr Agriculture Academy, the agricultural sciences SPS magnet school that will be located on our campus at the Darr Ag Center.

The building will serve approximately 150 elementary students at SPS and provide a meaningful partnership between MSU and SPS.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 9, 2021

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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!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 21, 2020

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Last week we announced Bobby Petrino as our new head football coach.

Bobby previously served as head coach at the University of Arkansas, Western Kentucky University and University of Louisville. He has a career record of 119-56 in 14 seasons. He directed college teams to 11 bowl games and six AP top-25 finishes. He also coached Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. He is considered one of the best offensive coaches in the history of the sport.

A successful football program is important to the profile of a major public university. It also connects the university to its community. The Board of Governors and I believed we needed to make a bold hire that had a real opportunity to change the trajectory of a program which has struggled for almost three decades.

Compliance with NCAA rules and graduation rates of student athletes are equally important to success on the field. Coach Petrino has a strong record in this area as well.

Eight years ago, Coach Petrino made a series of poor decisions that resulted in his dismissal from the University of Arkansas. He has learned from that experience and people who have known him a long time say he is a changed man. He acknowledges these decisions were his responsibility, has apologized to the state of Arkansas for his failures and worked to heal the hurt within his family.

The Bears season begins with a road game at the University of Oklahoma on Sept. 5 followed by our home opener on Sept. 12 against the University of Montana.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the future of the Bears football program and will welcome Bobby and Becky Petrino to the Missouri State University family!

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 3, 2019

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Family Weekend is Sept. 20 – 22.

Events will start on Friday evening. Highlights include a University Safety Expo at 6 p.m. and the Student Showcase and Dinner at 7 p.m.

Saturday will start with a breakfast buffet, followed by tailgating and the Bears home football game. The Carnaval: Latinx Heritage Month Banquet starts at 5 p.m.

The annual Family Weekend Golf Scramble will start at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, and Sparkling Sunday Brunch will be served in Blair-Shannon and Garst.

More information about Family Weekend can be found on the New Student and Family Programs webpage.

Football and tailgating schedule

Family Weekend also brings this year’s Bears home opener football game. All of our home football games are scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff, with tailgating scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

The Bears football home schedule includes the following games:

  • Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. against Kennesaw State University
  • Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. against the University of South Dakota
  • Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. against the University of Northern Iowa
  • Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. against South Dakota State University
  • Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. against Indiana State University

Support our fall sports teams

Other fall sports are already underway.

Last weekend, the Bears volleyball team hosted the Mary Jo Wynn invitational tournament on campus. This weekend the team will travel to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic tournament.

The men’s soccer team played their home opener last Thursday against the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Their next home game is Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. followed by a weekend home game on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

The women’s soccer team played three exhibition matches at home in mid-August. Their next home game is Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. against the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

You can find more information about Bears football, volleyball, soccer, and all of our intercollegiate sports on the university’s athletics webpage.

As we kickoff our fall sports schedules, I hope you’ll join me in coming out to support our Bears.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for April 2, 2019

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The Lady Bears finished a successful season Saturday. The team finished with 25 wins and a Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Head Coach Kellie Harper was named the conference coach of the year and four players were selected to all-conference teams.

We have a proud tradition of women’s basketball at Missouri State — this was the 15th time the Lady Bears have played in the NCAA Tournament and the second time under Coach Harper.

The men’s basketball team also showed significant progress in Head Coach Dana Ford’s first season. The team had a winning conference record. Tulio Da Silva was named conference newcomer of the year, and two players were selected for the all-conference team. Ticket sales and attendance also improved significantly over prior years.

We have had success in recent months and years in other sports as well — basketball merely represents the most recent example. We should be proud of our successful athletic programs. Winning athletic programs generate local and national media coverage and enhance Missouri State’s profile with prospective students and the greater community.

Please join me in congratulating Coaches Harper and Ford and their teams on a job well done.

West Plains substation approved

The Board of Governors Executive Committee met earlier this month.

The committee approved an agreement with the City of West Plains to establish a police substation on the West Plains campus. This agreement is modeled on the arrangement we have with the City of Springfield for a police substation on the Springfield campus. We believe this is the most safe and efficient model for a campus police force. It allows officers to be trained, supervised and managed as police officers. It also facilitates closer collaboration between the university and local law enforcement.

The committee also approved two contracts for residence hall projects. These projects will reconfigure bathrooms in Woods House and install new finishes in Wells House and Woods House. The projects are funded with residence life reserve funds and auxiliary bonds approved by the board last year.

Get involved with the campus garden

The campus garden is a student-managed sustainability project that allows students to supplement their traditional education with hands on applications that benefit the community. The campus garden has a membership program through which members support the campus garden and receive produce each week during the summer months. Last year, the campus garden supplied members with more than 350 pounds of fresh produce and donated more than 900 pounds of produce to the Well of Life Food Pantry.

If you are interested in the membership program, you can email the campus garden at campusgarden@missouristate.edu. You can also volunteer to help at the campus garden online.

Exercise your right

Today is Election Day. Don’t forget to vote! You can find more information about the election in last week’s Clif’s Notes.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!