Reynolds College Blog

Missouri State University professors deliver second conference on poverty

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Missouri State University and the Center for Ozarks Poverty Research (COPR) hosted the second annual Community Conference on Poverty April 11, 2025, on the Springfield campus.

Anthropology professor Dr. Marnie Watson and sociology instructor Christina Ryder founded COPR. They currently serve as co-directors for the organization. They also teach in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG), part of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) at Missouri State.

Journalist and anthropologist Dr. Brian Goldstone was the conference’s keynote speaker. In addition to discussing his latest book, “There is No Place For Us: Homeless and Working in America,” Goldstone participated in a panel discussion and signed copies of his new book afterward.

Watson and Ryder saw an opportunity to build the second conference around the theme of housing and employment with the release of Goldstone’s book. Conference topics and themes differ each year, they said.

“Each year we choose a different angle to look at poverty from,” Watson said. “The first year we focused on housing and homelessness. This second year the focus was on housing and employment, specifically individuals who are unhoused and working.”

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MSU Anthropology students dominate Santa Fe conference

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Five anthropology students from Missouri State University gave impressive performances at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) conference March 26-30.

Two of those students, senior anthropology major Jacob Rosecrans and senior anthropology major McKennzee Newton, won first and second place honors, respectively, for their research poster presentations.

Senior anthropology major Brianna Rodgers and junior anthropology and agriculture double major Kyra Uphoff presented their research on the benefits of student-led college clubs, fielding questions from both faculty and students throughout the entire conference.

Junior sociology major Isabella Rossi gave an oral presentation of her research on public housing in St. Louis.

“All presented as undergraduates,” said Dr. Mary Willis, head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG). “That’s a huge accomplishment given that undergraduates are less likely to do their own research compared to graduates and less likely to have the chance to present.”

“Every single one of them was poised, confident, and able to talk about their research in clear, straightforward and engaging ways,” said associate professor Dr. Marnie Watson. “Their work was at the level of the graduate students and faculty who presented at the conference.”

“In fact, several people expressed amazement that our undergraduate students were able to engage so professionally with others at the conference,” she added.

The students were accompanied to the conference by Willis, Watson and instructor Jason Shepard.

During their stay, the students visited Pecos National Historical Park and several museums in Sante Fe’s Museum Hill. After the conference, the group enjoyed a celebratory dinner at Jambo Café, a Sante Fe restaurant that was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

“We didn’t realize that we would have so much to celebrate,” Willis said. “When I was looking at the posters before the award ceremony, another conference attendee said to me, ‘Wow, Missouri State really dominated the awards this year’.”

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Dr. Marnie Watson featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Marnie Watson, assistant professor of anthropology, on her feature story in the 2023 issue of Mind’s Eye magazine.

Her research focuses on learning how people in extreme circumstances deal with life in difficult situations. [Read more…] about Dr. Marnie Watson featured in Mind’s Eye

Linguistics program hosts 2023 Linguistics Colloquium Series

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The linguistics program at Missouri State University has announced its Linguistics Colloquium Series for fall 2023, which will focus on examining words in educational contexts.

The virtual event will take place at noon Oct. 24 via Zoom. The colloquium is open to all students, faculty, staff and anyone interested in these areas of study.

Guest speaker Dr. Vicente Iranzo, assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Arlington, will present “What’s in a Name? The Erasure of the Valencian Language in Spanish Education.” [Read more…] about Linguistics program hosts 2023 Linguistics Colloquium Series