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Alum Lauren Shantz is making her Missouri statement

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Missouri State University alumna Lauren Shantz has built a successful career in public affairs.

In six years, she has gone from working as an intern to now serving as vice president of public affairs at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Shantz became associated with the chamber through a family connection. Her mother, who worked in the Missouri Senate, suggested she reach out to the chamber.

In 2019, Shantz earned an internship there, and what began as a temporary opportunity quickly evolved into a career-defining moment.

“It wasn’t necessarily what I expected to go into, but it turned into a passion,” she said.

Since then, Shantz has navigated multiple leadership transitions and taken on greater responsibilities at the chamber. She now leads public affairs efforts to advocate for policies that benefit local businesses and the broader community.

“One thing I enjoy most about working at the chamber is we get to do something different every day, and all of it makes a significant positive impact on our community,” Shantz said.

“Also, not only do I get to do really meaningful things, but I get to do them with an incredible team who wants to see the success of Springfield and the region just as much as I do.”

MSU’s “close-knit” feel a big draw

A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Shantz started her undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou). She transferred to Missouri State in 2016, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in journalism.

“Coming from Mizzou, I knew I wanted a college experience that felt more close-knit and community-minded,” Shantz said. “That type of involvement and feeling was present from my first day at MSU, and that meant something to me as a transfer student.”

After completing her undergraduate degree in December 2018, Shantz continued her education at Missouri State, earning a Master of Public Administration in 2023.

Shantz credits her time at MSU for shaping her career.

“Even though my degree isn’t 100% tied to what I do now, everything I learned, such as writing, event planning, communication strategy and AP style, is applicable in my job today,” she said.

Making an impact

Shantz said her time at MSU helped develop her passion for communication, advocacy and community impact. Among her proudest achievements is leading the chamber’s annual Community Leadership Visit, where 85 local leaders travel to other cities to exchange ideas and bring best practices back to Springfield.

Beyond her professional role, Shantz remains connected to MSU. She was recently named an associate trustee for the Missouri State Foundation, advocating for university funding and growth.

“Being able to push for initiatives like expanding MSU’s degree offerings, including PhDs, feels personal because MSU shaped so much of my journey,” she said.

Shantz’s talent and contributions as a young professional have not gone unnoticed. She was named to Springfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in 2023.

Advice for student Bears

For current students at Missouri State, Shantz emphasizes the value of taking advantage of opportunities that come around. Gaining on-the-job or hands-on experience is essential, as is networking. She also encourages students to seek mentorship and learn from professionals in their field.

“Take opportunities even if they don’t seem like a perfect fit,” she advised. “The skills you gain will serve you in ways you might not expect,” she said.

Explore degree options in MSU’s Reynolds College

News edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team.

RCASH faculty named inaugural Education Abroad Faculty Fellows

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Missouri State University has announced its inaugural cohort of the Education Abroad Faculty Fellows program.

This year’s cohort consists of eight faculty members from a diverse range of disciplines. Among the eight are three members of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) faculty.

Those individuals are Jeff Loughary from the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions, Nikki Ferry from the Department of Theatre and Dance and Dr. William Harwood from the Department of Political Science and Philosophy.

Other selected Fellows are Dr. Benjamin Beranek from the College of Business, Clara Dickinson from the Darr College of Agriculture, Dr. Asif Ishtiaque from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and Kelly Dudley and Stephanie Urich from the McQueary College of Health and Human Services.

In addition, four RCASH faculty members served as content experts during the Fellows session in January. They were Joshua Albers from the Department of Art and Design, Dr. William Sandel from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Dr. Leslie Seawright and Dr. Alan Tinkler from the Department of English.

“I was excited to work with the inaugural Education Abroad faculty cohort, sharing ways to weave general education goals and course learning objectives into their education abroad itineraries,” Seawright said. “It was a great conversation.”

“Study abroad is an incredible opportunity for both our faculty and students,” Sandel said. “I was happy to share some of my experiences regarding flexibility when planning and conducting a study abroad program.”

[Read more…] about RCASH faculty named inaugural Education Abroad Faculty Fellows

Two RCASH faculty members recognized for community service

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Two faculty members of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) have been selected for Missouri State University’s 2025 community service award.

Associate Professor Dr. Judith Martinez and Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Dudash-Buskirk received the Excellence in Community Service Award during a ceremony Jan. 28.

The award recognizes MSU personnel who give back to their communities outside their normal work capacity.

“The 2025 recipients have all exceled at demonstrating how the public affairs mission can be put into action,” said Stacey Trewatha-Bach, assistant director of the Office of Public Affairs Support.

The award is presented annually to two faculty and two staff members. Each honoree receives a plaque and a one-time cash award of $1,500, funded by the MSU Foundation.

MSU staff members Carrie High, Custodial Services, and Crockett Oaks III, Business Support Services at the West Plains campus, were also recognized. [Read more…] about Two RCASH faculty members recognized for community service

Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition announced

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Missouri State University’s Department of English and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) announce the first annual Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition.

The competition recognizes exemplary research and writing by students enrolled in any of MSU’s Writing II courses. Eligible Writing II courses include AGR 320; ENG 210, 221, 310, and 321; GLG 358; and HST 210.

Writing II courses introduce students to the writing of their chosen disciplines and professions. As such, exemplary writing will demonstrate research-informed discussion from a variety of disciplines and writing approaches, said Lori Rogers, senior instructor and Writing II coordinator at MSU.

Inspired by student efforts

Rogers, who has taught writing at MSU for over 20 years, created and developed the competition. Students – and their work – inspired her to create the award.

“Many of them put so much time and effort into developing their writing, but there isn’t much opportunity to celebrate undergraduate research writing,” she said. “This award will let us recognize exemplary writing.”

Nancy Allen an ideal example

Woman standing outside building
Nancy Allen.

When searching for an ideal example around which to build the competition, Rogers immediately thought of Nancy Allen.

“We have a strong belief in our department that you can do almost anything with an English major,” Rogers noted. “That ability to create success from a liberal arts background is what Nancy Allen truly represents.”

Allen’s educational and career background provided the perfect example, Rogers said. She first trained as a teacher before attending law school and becoming a prosecuting attorney. Additionally, Allen taught law at MSU for 15 years and is now a bestselling mystery author.

“She has done almost everything you can do with an English major,” Rogers said. “And she has done all that because she was first trained in research and writing, which develops a core knowledge and practice in critical thinking and writing that can allow you to become whatever you want to be.”

[Read more…] about Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition announced

Remembering Dr. Donald Holliday, 1939-2024

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Emeritus Professor Dr. Donald R. Holliday, who taught in the Department of English for over 30 years, passed away Aug. 24, 2024, in Nixa, Missouri.

Holliday was born Sept. 17, 1939, in Pinetop, Missouri, to Admiral Schley and Eva Mabel (Drane) Holliday. In his self-written obituary, Holliday described a hard-scrabble childhood on the family’s small tobacco farm.

After graduating from Hollister High School, Holliday enlisted in the U.S. Navy. One of his first assignments in the Navy was as an aviation boatswain’s mate to a guided missile cruiser during the Cuban missile crisis.

Holliday received full military honors at his burial in Gobblers Knob Cemetery, Hollister, Missouri, Sept. 7.

“First educational loves – learning and teaching”

Holliday began teaching at Missouri State in 1966 after having earned his master’s in English from University of Arkansas. He was granted educational leave to complete his PhD at the University of Minnesota. Holliday retired from MSU in 2001.

During his tenure at MSU, Holliday not only taught but also served as head of the English department in the 1980s, then as Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Letters for two years.

But in his obituary, Holliday wrote that his “first educational loves [were] learning and teaching.”

In particular, he was most proud of having developed the English department’s course on Mark Twain. The course “filled every semester it was taught, to overloads,” he wrote.

Holliday believed Twain was the most important writer in American literature “because, a century before any other notable writer took up the subject, Mark Twain tried to show Americans the stupidity and blindness not only of slavery, but of white superiority itself.”

Career focused on the Ozarks

Throughout his academic career, Holliday placed special emphasis on the Ozarks. In 1975, he helped create MSU’s Ozarks Studies program. Along with Drs. Robert Gilmore and Robert Flanders, Holliday also coedited the OzarksWatch Magazine, then became its editor from 1993-2001.

“I am especially grateful for his knowledge of and love for the Ozarks and his leadership in establishing our formal program in Ozarks Studies,” said emeritus professor of English Dr. Kris Sutliff, who worked alongside Holliday in the 1980s and 1990s.

Even his dissertation topic was about the Ozarks. In fact, professor of history and Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies Dr. Brooks Blevins could not help but marvel at how Holliday arrived at that topic, which researched an early Ozarks pioneer family – the Hollidays.

“Who else besides Don Holliday would have ventured up north to graduate school…and proceeded to convince his professors to let him write a dissertation about his own family?” Blevins said. “Now, this may have been right up there with the best sales jobs ever pulled off by someone from Taney County.”

“This was at the height of 1970s fascination with the Ozarks,” Blevins continued, “and the Hollidays of Pinetop must have seemed every bit as exotic and colorful as ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ to a set of Minnesota professors.”

Describing the dissertation as one of the best he had ever read, Blevins said it inspired him to include the Holliday family in his own work, the three-volume “A History of the Ozarks.”

“Don was a master storyteller, speaker and teacher, possessed of a combination of elite scholarly training, downhome horse sense and dry, store-porch wit,” Blevins said. [Read more…] about Remembering Dr. Donald Holliday, 1939-2024