Next week marks one of my favorite events of the fall — Homecoming!

Throughout the week, students will be joined by alumni and others to cheer at pep rallies, compete in competitions, build parade floats and participate in numerous campus activities.

I encourage each of you to participate in the Homecoming festivities.

Highlights for next week include:

• John Goodman Amphitheatre open house from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 23.
• MoState Live, a student skit competition, is Monday at 7 p.m. in Hammons Student Center. I get to be one of the judges.
• Rockstar, a student singing competition, is Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Hammons Student Center. I get to be one of the judges again.
• Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony for 2022 honorees at 4 p.m. Oct. 28 in the PSU Ballroom.
• The annual Homecoming Parade at 9 a.m. Oct. 29.
• Breakfast with Boomer at 10 a.m. Saturday in Foster Recreation Center.
• Lady Bears basketball scrimmage also at 10 a.m. Saturday in Hammons Student Center.
• Tailgating in Bearfest Village.

The Bears will play the Homecoming football game against Western Illinois University at 2 p.m. Saturday. I encourage you to come out to the game to cheer on our Bears! I also encourage you to buy your tickets in advance — we anticipate a big crowd for the game.

Come to The Celebration

After the game, I encourage you to head over to Great Southern Bank Arena for an unforgettable celebration of the Onward Upward campaign at 7 p.m.

The amount raised during the campaign will be revealed at this event. Recall that the campaign’s goal is to raise $250 million to support the important work we all do here at Missouri State University.

Actor, alumnus and campaign chair John Goodman will host the event.  The Celebration will feature a music performance by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and voice actress Tori Kelly.

Other performances will include KC FLO, the MSU Grand Chorus, and the MSU Pride Band.

No ticket is required. The first 2,500 guests will receive free swag.

Health and benefit fairs

Next week we will also host two live health and benefit fairs.

The first fair will be in Plaster Student Union on the Springfield campus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct 26.

The second fair will be in the Student Rec Center on the West Plains campus from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct 27.

These fairs will feature various vendors. Come out to learn more about employment benefits and healthy-living options available to you.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!