I’m on the verge of wrapping up my transition plan as outlined by the Board of Governors (one of my goals for this year). Last week was an awesome week and one I cherish most so far — engaging with our students over Welcome Weekend.

Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting faculty and staff … the colleagues I’ll work with and depend on to be a successful president. But it really is all about the students — for all of us.

Students

Friday was a big day. Kristin and I started with Bear Crew that afternoon. We worked with our talented video team to create my introduction video for Sunday’s New Student Convocation (one of Missouri State’s signature events). We handed out Era-themed bracelets (thank you, Taylor Swift!) while we helped students move in. They loved the bracelets, and we loved meeting and talking with first-year students.

We moved on to Friday evening’s Play Fair, which is an incredibly fun huge icebreaker event for new students. They had a great time creating a giant “M” on the football field for their incoming class picture.

Saturday included meeting transfer and commuter students at the ice cream social held for them. This is a special group of students whom we really want to make feel welcome and included. We capped off Saturday at Bear Bash, the biggest back-to-school party on campus. It even included a service activity among the many fun, creative engagement areas around the PSU.

Sunday began with the New Student Convocation held at Great Southern Bank Arena. SO MUCH ENERGY! Our new basketball coach Cuonzo Martin was our featured speaker. His message was an important one for everyone, not just our students — they’re special, never give up hope and believe in yourself. It seems he and I share a hobby. You might learn more about that in a future video.

The Student Organization Festival was set up in the mezzanine of the arena, so new students could head there in the cool of the building to check out all the great clubs and organizations available to them. There are over 350 from which to choose!

At that point, Kristin and I had worked up an appetite, so we headed to the ever popular Belong-B-Q on the North Mall. What a wonderful and inclusive event. It was well attended, and the food was delicious.

We ended the day at the Concert on the Green, which has been a Welcome Week tradition for many years and one we really enjoyed. It allowed us to see what a great band we have and relax and reflect on a spectacular weekend.

Academics, athletics and alumni

I attended several all-college meetings, where I engaged with our talented and dedicated faculty. I also attended the Faculty Showcase on Teaching and Learning, where I also learned how faculty are addressing the complexities of artificial intelligence.

I met with two of our candidates for the athletics director position last week. I’ll meet with our third candidate later today. If you have attended the forums or interacted with the candidates, don’t forget to provide us with input by completing the surveys.

And I continue to meet with alumni, the community and donors from around the state. Missouri State Bears are a special breed.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their concern last week. Sometimes, we all need a reminder to take a moment to breathe — I hope you’ll do that during this very busy time of year.

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

Biff