Last week we announced this year’s inductees into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame: Maxine Clark, Ann Covington, Hal Donaldson, Langston Hughes and Judith Rowland. I am excited about this class.

Introducing the honorees

Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop®, is one of the true innovators in the retail industry. In June 2013, Clark stepped down from her chief executive role to apply her entrepreneurial skills to her passion for improving K-12 public education and to invest in and mentor women and minority entrepreneurs.

Ann Covington served as the first female judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals in 1987, the first female judge on the Missouri Supreme Court in 1989 and the first female chief justice in 1993. As a former member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, Covington has also been active in higher education.

Hal Donaldson, president of Convoy of Hope, has committed his life to providing people in need with much-needed supplies and resources like warm meals, groceries, medical and dental screenings, job opportunities and business training. Under Donaldson’s leadership, Convoy of Hope has distributed nearly $700 million worth of food and supplies to more than 80 million people across the globe.

Langston Hughes was a prolific writer of poetry, fiction, drama, libretto, journalism, screenplays and more. His success made him the first African American to make his living solely as a writer. Born in Joplin when rigid racial restrictions dominated Missouri, Hughes was proud of his connection to the state.

Judith Rowland is the U.S. policy and advocacy manager at Global Citizen, a social platform that works to solve world problems through education, outreach and engagement. Among her many accomplishments, Rowland helped secure over 100 co-sponsors on the 2014 Water for the World Act and, in conjunction with partners from across the sector, played an instrumental role in seeing the bill pass through both legislative chambers and be signed into law.

You can find additional information about this year’s nominees in last week’s press release.

This year’s induction ceremony and banquet will occur at 6 p.m. on April 7 at the White River Conference Center. Tickets are $40 and tables are $750. I encourage all members of the university community to purchase tickets online and attend this event.

Additionally, if you have suggestions for future inductees into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame, please submit a nomination online.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Our public affairs theme for this year is Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Perspectives on Self-Government. Throughout the year, we will explore our rights and responsibilities as citizens in a modern democracy.

Establishing the foundation

We began this exploration several weeks ago with our Public Affairs Week activities. Highlights included:

• The Hunger Banquet – Based on the latest world statistics of the number of people living in poverty, all guests were randomly assigned various identities, circumstances and income levels. Guests experienced a proportional meal based on their assigned identity.

• Civic Engagement Conference – Christopher Phillips gave the keynote presentation titled “ASK NOT: The Pursuit of Happiness and Democratic Citizenship.” Phillips’ presentation reminded us that society needs dialog and human interaction. He encouraged all of us to ask questions about important issues and become thinkers, askers and doers.

• Public Affairs Week feature presentation – Usra Ghazi gave the feature presentation titled “How Interfaith Dialog and Awareness Informs Us as Citizens and People of Faith.” Ghazi discussed her personal and professional interfaith journey and the many ways that one’s commitment to interfaith engagement can change the world.

Connect with the theme

Please join me as we continue to explore the theme at the Public Affairs Convocation lecture at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.

Sonia Nazario, author of Missouri State’s common reader “Enrique’s Journey,” will present this year’s lecture.

As a speaker with a reporter’s eye for the truth, Nazario humanizes the issue of immigration, posing new perspectives that fall on both sides, while offering solutions destined to change the national dialogue. The lecture is free and open to the public, and no ticket is required.

We will continue our signature public affairs events in the spring semester with the Public Affairs Conference, the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the Collaborative Diversity Conference.

Please plan to attend all of the signature events as we advance Missouri State’s public affairs mission.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

The Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame is one of our signature events at Missouri State. It is just one example of how the University puts its statewide mission in public affairs into practice.

Through the Hall of Fame, we recognize individuals who, through their academic, personal and professional achievements, demonstrate active engagement to improve the lives of others.

The Hall of Fame class of 2016

Last week, we inducted five individuals into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame: Mark Arnoldy, Henry W. Bloch, Pat Danner, Jimmie M. Edwards and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The induction ceremony and banquet was a nice event with about 300 people in attendance from the University, the community and the state of Missouri. You can read more about this year’s inductees in my Jan. 26, 2016 Clif’s Note.

These five individuals, along with the inductees from prior years, will be recognized in the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame display located on the west wall of the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center.

The display was installed this spring. It honors Hall of Fame inductees in a meaningful and appropriate way on our campus. Please take a moment to visit the Welcome Center and view the display at your convenience.

Send nominations for 2017

We will induct another class into the Hall of Fame on April 7, 2017 at the White River Conference Center.

If you have a name to submit for consideration, please complete the online nomination form or contact Ryan DeBoef, chief of staff.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!