Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 18, 2022

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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!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 12, 2021

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We are running our United Way and Missouri State Way giving campaigns a bit differently this year.

In the past we have run these two campaigns concurrently. This year they will be separate.

The United Way campaign will kickoff in early November. I will cover that, along with exciting changes in how United Way will invest our contributions, separately in a later Clif’s Note.

This year we have replaced the Missouri State Way campaign with a faculty and staff giving campaign as part of #BearsGive.

#BearsGive is a 36-hour giving day event on Oct. 13 and 14.  One-time gifts and monthly giving options are available.

I encourage you to join us for the #BearsGive kick-off event at 10 a.m. tomorrow starting on the North Mall in front of the PSU and ending at the stage in the food court for guest speakers. Donuts, refreshments and #BearsGive swag bags are available for all at the food court.

You can find more information, along with links to make a one-time gift or fill out a payroll deduction and pledge form, on the #BearsGive webpage.

As in years past, you will also receive a pamphlet in the mail instructing you how to participate in the #BearsGive faculty and staff giving campaign.

Make a gift

Join in the Homecoming festivities

This 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 this week.

Highlights for the week include:

We will cap off the week with the Bears home football game against Indiana State University at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

If you haven’t already seen the Bears play, you don’t want to miss your chance to see this incredible team. The Bears are 2-1 in conference play and 3-2 overall.

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.

Participate in the wellness fair

Tomorrow we will host a Wise and Well Health and Benefit Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the PSU.

The fair will feature various vendors, informational breakout sessions, resources, prizes and giveaways. Come out to learn more about employment benefits and healthy-living options available to you.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 13, 2020

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This week we will celebrate Homecoming. Due to the pandemic, this year’s festivities will be different than prior years. However, we have modified our array of Homecoming activities to allow our university community to interact with health and safety precautions in place.

Homecoming activities in which you may be interested in participating include:

  • Rockstar, a student musical talent competition, is tonight at 7 p.m. The event will be livestreamed.
  • MoState Live, a student skit competition, is Thursday at 7 p.m. The event will be livestreamed.
  • The coronation of this year’s Homecoming king and queen is 1 p.m. Saturday at Plaster Stadium rather than during the football game to reduce the size of the crowd.
  • Bears and Lady Bears basketball scrimmages will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center. The number of attendees will be limited.
  • The Bears football game against the University of Central Arkansas is Saturday at 7 p.m. at Plaster Stadium. You can purchase tickets online. If you would like to attend the game, you should plan to purchase tickets as soon as possible because the number of attendees will be limited to facilitate social distancing.
  • On Sunday we will host two commencement ceremonies for spring and summer 2020 graduates. The number of graduates and guests will be limited.

We canceled several of our traditional Homecoming events to protect our community against COVID-19. We will not have a parade this year. We will also not have Bearfest Village on campus. Any pre-game gatherings in campus parking lots will be limited to 20 people or fewer.

Unfortunately, we will also not have a Wall of Fame induction ceremony. We have tentatively postponed that ceremony to Homecoming 2021.

We were able to continue other traditions with modifications. For example, the Class of 1970 reunion celebration will be virtual, and The Golden Bears annual gathering will be a webinar.

Masks and social distancing will be required at all Homecoming events.

You can find information about Homecoming activities organized by Student Activities Council and activities organized by the Alumni Association online.

Big news for MCHHS

Earlier this month the Missouri State University Foundation announced that it received a seven-figure gift from Ann Kampeter. In honor of that gift, this week I will recommend that the Board of Governors rename the Professional Building the Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall.

Ann is an alumnus who spent many hours in the Professional Building when she was a student. Thanks to her gift, the building will undergo extensive renovations, including:

  • A state-of-the-art student access and advisement center.
  • Updates to the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic.
  • Additional meeting and study spaces.

I am excited about this gift and the future of the McQueary College of Health and Human Services. The work we do changes student lives. It is inspiring when those students become alumni who give back to their alma mater.

End the semester strong

I hope each of you took advantage of the break last Thursday and Friday to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Please join me in giving a special thanks to our custodians and other workers that cleaned the campus and performed essential services on those days. We couldn’t provide a safe learning environment for our students without your hard work.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 22, 2019

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Homecoming is one of my favorite times on campus. Alumni return and students cheer at pep rallies and competitions, build parade floats and participate in a variety of activities to create their own memories of Missouri State.

I encourage all members of the campus community to participate in Homecoming activities this week. Highlights include:

Join us for It’s On!

After the football game, join us at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts for an epic surprise event—It’s On! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There will be a HUGE announcement from actor and Missouri State alumnus, John Goodman. After the big reveal, the party moves to the heart of campus for a food truck fair, fireworks, entertainment and more.

All attendees will receive $8 in Bear Bucks to cash in at an array of food truck vendors parked on campus. The first 500 people will receive free t-shirts and all attendees will receive swag bags.

You can find more information on the website.

Board of Governors meets Friday

Before we cheer on the Bears and celebrate It’s On!, the Board of Governors will meet on Friday. Highlights for their meeting include:

  • Receiving presentations about the online speech therapy program operated by an alum, Greenwood Laboratory School and this year’s What’s New at MSU video
  • Authorizing bond refinancing terms that will result in a net savings to the university of more than $1 million
  • Voting on changes to the university Housing Policy
  • Electing 2020 board officers

The main discussion topic at the board meeting will be results from the climate survey we administered in spring 2019. I will update you on those results and the board’s discussion next week.

Wall of Fame inductees

Following the board meeting, we will welcome new inductees to the university’s Wall of Fame at 4 p.m. in the PSU Ballroom. The Wall of Fame honors former faculty and staff members who significantly contributed to the success and positive experience of students.

This year’s inductees are:

  • Earle Doman
  • Neosha Mackey
  • Virginia Mee
  • Linda Pettijohn
  • Denny Pilant
  • Burnie Snodgrass

You can find more information about these individuals in the university’s press release.

I hope you will join me in congratulating these six inductees.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 16, 2018

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Homecoming is one of my favorite times on campus. Alumni return and students cheer at pep rallies and competitions, build parade floats and participate in a variety of activities to create their own memories of Missouri State.

I encourage all members of the campus community to support our alumni and students by participating in Homecoming activities this week. Highlights include:

Saturday begins with the Homecoming Parade at 9 a.m. on John Q. Hammons Parkway, followed by Breakfast with Boomer at 10 a.m. in Meyer Library. Men’s and women’s basketball scrimmages will also begin at 10 a.m. in JQH Arena.

Pregame festivities in Bearfest Village will start shortly after the parade. Kickoff for the Bears football game against Western Illinois State University is at 2 p.m. I hope you will attend the game and cheer on the Bears to victory.

The full list of alumni and student Homecoming activities can be found online.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!