Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 1, 2022

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Last week the Board of Governors recognized Sen. Roy Blunt with the Bronze Bear Award and Sen. Karla Eslinger with the Government Excellence Award.

Blunt selected for Bronze Bear

Sen. Blunt’s support for MSU is unparalleled.

He constantly advocates to get our university and our students, faculty and staff national and international recognition. The greatest example of this is his decision to select our Chorale to perform at the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. This gave our university and our students the limelight on an international stage.

Sen. Blunt has demonstrated significant commitment for our economic development work throughout his career.

The Roy D. Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center would not exist but for an appropriation he secured while in the House of Representatives. Sen. Blunt and his staff have worked and continue to work to identify grant, contract and plus-up opportunities for the important work that occurs in IDEA Commons.

Perhaps the greatest example of Sen. Blunt’s support for MSU came earlier this year when he secured more than $56 million in federal funds to support health, life, and physical science research, teaching and facilities at Missouri State. Fifty million dollars of that is designated to construct a laboratory addition to Temple Hall.

Read the news release

Eslinger awarded Government Excellence Award

Sen. Eslinger is a tireless advocate for higher education, Missouri State University and the West Plains campus (which is located in her Missouri Senate district).

In 2021, Sen. Eslinger led a successful strategy to secure a $1 million appropriation to construct the Pace Industrial Science Center in West Plains. This appropriation — combined with a grant coordinated by Sen. Blunt and a private contribution from the Pace family — made the welding program in West Plains possible.

This year Sen. Eslinger led a successful strategy to secure a $7.5 million appropriation to construct a facility to house the ASCEND program on our campus in West Plains. This program is very important to the communities throughout south central Missouri.

Sen. Elsinger has only served two years in the Senate. I am hopeful that we will get to work with her for many more years.

Sen. Blunt and Sen. Eslinger have made a tremendous difference in the lives of our university community. They are well deserving of these awards.

Read the news release

Celebrating Onward Upward

Last week we also celebrated the success of the Onward Upward campaign. We revealed the total amount of funds raised during the campaign in front of a crowd of around 3,000 people in Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday night.

I am pleased to report that the campaign raised a total of $274,018,157.

Contributions through the campaign include support for scholarships, faculty, programs and capital.

Specific capital projects include:

  • John Goodman Amphitheatre.
  • O’Reilly Health Sciences Center.
  • Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall.
  • Robert Gourley Student Success Center at Glass Hall.
  • Magers Family Health and Wellness Center.
  • Davis-Harrington Welcome Center.
  • Bobby Allison Projects — recreation fields and Event Center at Greenwood.
  • Naming of The McQueary College of Health and Human Services and Reynolds College of Arts and Letters.
  • Many more.

I want to thank and congratulate Brent Dunn and his team at the MSU Foundation for a job well done on this campaign.

I also want to thank all of the members of our university community who contributed to the campaign. Your investment will pay off in the lives changed at Missouri State.

Read the news release

Give to United Way

I also want to take a moment to encourage you to participate in another campaign — United Way.

I am this year’s chair of the United Way of the Ozarks (UWO) Board of Directors. I fervently believe in the role United Way plays in our community.

UWO has adopted a more focused approach to community investment. All funded programs must fall into one of two categories:

  • Championing Children.
  • Pathways out of poverty.

I challenge you to consider giving to UWO. If we all give, together we can significantly impact southwest Missouri.

All faculty and staff who participate in this year’s United Way campaign are invited to a celebration lunch at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 7 in the PSU Ballroom.  It will be a fun event, and you could win a prize!

Details about the United Way campaign and how to participate can be found online.

Donate to United Way

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

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 May 3, 2022

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Our arena has a name — the Great Southern Bank Arena.

The naming follows a $5.5 million gift from Great Southern Bank to the Missouri State University Foundation.

Great Southern Bank has given to many areas of the university over the years. They are a phenomenal partner in supporting academics, scholarships and athletics.

I think we can all be proud to attach their name to the arena.

Honoring Hammons’ contributions

While the arena will have a new name, we haven’t forgotten about the legacy of John Q. Hammons. A memorial will be constructed inside the arena to commemorate Mr. Hammons, his dream for a world class athletic and entertainment facility on our campus, and his significant financial contribution to the arena.

Respecting Mr. Hammons’ support for Missouri State University in this way is critically important to me, our board and our friends at Great Southern Bank.

Reaching our goal

Securing a naming gift for the arena has been a goal of mine, the Foundation and our board for a number of years.

However, this is about more than just getting a name for the arena.

Great Southern Bank’s gift, along with payments we received before and during the settlement of litigation involving the Hammons trust, have allowed us to pay down $10 million in auxiliary bonds.

Going forward our bond obligation and payments will be the same as if the Hammons trust paid its full gift commitment on the arena.

Announcing new leadership

I am pleased to announce that Brad Bodenhausen has accepted the vice president for community and global partnerships position. This is the position currently held by Jim Baker.

Jim will retire on June 30, and Brad will start in the new role on July 1.

We had two excellent finalists for this job, both of whom were internal candidates. This is a testament to Jim’s enormous leadership abilities. One of Jim’s greatest strengths has always been identifying and developing talented people.

Thanks to the search committee and everyone who participated in the search process for this important position.

Narrowing the search

I also wanted to provide a brief update on the search for the executive vice president and provost position.

Last week we hosted Meera Komarraju on campus. This Thursday and Friday we will host Zora Mulligan.

You can find information about these candidates in last week’s Clif’s Notes.

Our third candidate — Magesh Rajan — will not be visiting campus next week, as he has withdrawn from the search.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 3, 2021

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Aug. 10 marks the Missouri Bicentennial — the 200th anniversary of Missouri’s entry as the 24th state of the United States.

We are proud to provide members of the university community multiple opportunities to celebrate the bicentennial.

Watch the documentary

Missouri State University will sponsor “Missouri! A Bicentennial Celebration,” a PBS documentary to be broadcast on Ozarks Public Television and other PBS stations across Missouri. The two-hour film includes a sweeping snapshot of Missouri. The documentary features a video clip promoting MSU as the lead sponsor.

The film will screen Aug. 7 at the Missouri Theatre on the campus of the University of Missouri — Columbia. The documentary will premiere on OPT and Missouri’s other PBS stations at 8 p.m. Aug. 12.

You can find additional information about the film, including a promotional clip, on OPT’s website.

Explore Missouri through music

Tomorrow, the American Wild Ensemble will perform a free, outdoor concert reflecting on the Missouri Bicentennial. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at the Peace Through People Pavilion at Nathanael Greene / Close Memorial Park. The ensemble is directed by Missouri State University faculty members Daniel Ketter and Emlyn Johnson.

Enjoy Bear Week at Dickerson Park Zoo

To celebrate the bicentennial, the MSU Foundation has partnered with Dickerson Park Zoo to make the week of Aug. 9-15 MSU Bear Week. Throughout the week:

  • Receive ½ price daily admission if wearing BearWear.
  • Enjoy a zookeeper “Bear Chat” each day at 11 a.m. at the Missouri State Bear Country exhibit.
  • Pick up a free Bear-themed craft kit and Boomer coloring pages.

On Aug. 10, visit the MSU tent across from the Dickerson Park Zoo train to receive additional Bear-themed giveaways and register for prize drawings. Founders Club members are also invited to attend a Missouri Bicentennial celebration reception that evening at 6 p.m. at the zoo.

Foundation celebrates bicentennial

Throughout 2021, the MSU Foundation has hosted and continues to host webinars celebrating the bicentennial. You can view videos of previous webinars as well as dates for future webinars on the Foundation’s website.

Statewide events

Finally, we were happy to host Gov. Mike Parson on our campus last week between stops on his bicentennial tour. He toured Temple Hall and spoke at the chamber’s State of the State event at JQH Arena.

Gov. Parson’s bicentennial tour will culminate with a Statehood Day celebration in Jefferson City Aug. 10.

The Governor’s office will also host a Bicentennial Inaugural Parade at 10 a.m. Sept. 18 in Jefferson City, followed that evening by the Bicentennial Inaugural Ball outside the Missouri Capitol. The university’s Pride Band will be the featured marching band in the parade.

Details about all of these events can be found on the governor’s website.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for April 17, 2018

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In 2015, our students voted to construct a new health and wellness center on campus with a student fee. Two weeks ago the new 39,000-square-foot, three-story facility opened for business.

In addition to our students who are funding the facility with student fees, I want to thank our donors and supporters who made the new center possible. The Magers family made a naming contribution for the center. The facility has been named the Magers Health and Wellness Center. Other significant contributions include:

  • Richard Biagioni who made a naming gift for the women’s clinic in memory of Dr. Lisa Drabinowicz, an MSU physician who was killed in a car crash in 1994
  • The Sunderland Foundation who made a gift to the support the main lobby in the center
  • The Bee Payne Stewart Foundation who made a gift to support the wellness center suites
  • The Dr. Dave Muegge family

Center sets MSU apart

The Magers Health and Wellness Center demonstrates the value Missouri State places on health and wellness for students, employees and families.

In addition to the services provided at the old center, the new Magers Health and Wellness Center houses the counseling center (formerly located in Carrington Hall), a sports medicine clinic and the Dr. Lisa Drabinowicz Women’s Center.

The Magers Health and Wellness Center features:

  • A full-service pharmacy with drive-through
  • A dedicated travel clinic
  • 33 examination rooms
  • Expanded hours to include evenings and Saturday mornings

I encourage all of our students, faculty and staff to take advantage of the many services offered at the new Magers Health and Wellness Center.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!