I can’t believe it’s October already. There’s so much going on, it’s a fun time to be at Missouri State!

A reason to celebrate

We had exciting news last week as we set new enrollment records this year. The system enrolled 26,874 students as of census day. The Springfield campus reached a new high of 25,038 students. This included a 3.3% increase in first-time students and a 4% increase in continuing students.

So many teams worked hard to make this happen – enrollment management, student success, academic affairs, student affairs, marketing and communications, and the entire campus in some way. Thanks to all for your hard work during a year that was severely challenged by a new FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) rollout that was less than ideal.

Strategic plan progress

We’re in phase one of the strategic plan development process. This week, there are a lot of interactive workshops scheduled for a variety of groups from around campus and the community. For those of you who signed up for the sessions, thank you! Your input and feedback are very important. Please use this opportunity to fully engage during the workshops – don’t be shy. Provide us with your opinions and insights.

If you didn’t sign up for these workshops, there will be other opportunities in future phases to get involved. If you haven’t visited the webpage yet, I encourage you to check it out and become familiar with the process, opportunities to participate, co-chairs and the committee members. I can’t thank them enough for taking on these roles.

A new student governor

In case you missed it, Gov. Parson appointed a new student governor to serve on the university’s Board of Governors. Susan Hardy is an outstanding student from Nixa, Missouri, who’s majoring in history with a double minor in classics and anthropology.

She currently serves as director of academic affairs as part of our Student Government Association. She’s also president of Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society, a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and a University Ambassador. To top it all off, she’s a Missouri State Citizen Scholar, the university’s highest student honor.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet and visit with Susan on several occasions. As you might guess, she’s going to be an incredible asset to our board. We’re so fortunate to have her serve as a student governor and we look forward to her input during the upcoming meetings.

Help raise support for future Bears

Just a reminder that this year’s MarooNation Ball Springfield is on Friday. I understand it’s going to be a great time at The Old Glass Place. It includes delicious food, fun activities and live music. A limited number of tickets are still available!

Proceeds from the ball support future Missouri State Bears from the Springfield area through the MarooNation Springfield Student Scholarship. This scholarship benefits full-time Missouri State students from the Springfield area who embody the university’s public affairs mission academically and demonstrate a willingness and desire to make the most of their Missouri State education to create their own positive impact.

An exciting and lively weekend

We ended the week on a high note hosting Family Weekend. We had over 1,450 families come to campus this year. They participated in many fun activities like bingo night, the comedy show, Saturday brunch and, of course, the football game.

I saw a lot of parents at BearFest Village on Saturday. We beat Youngstown State in the last few minutes, so we provided that excitement as well. A huge shout out to everyone in student affairs who helped to make this a successful event.

Thanks for checking in. It’s a great day to be a Bear!

Biff