Reynolds College Blog

Bear Brawl Classic shines light on Mock Trial program

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Mock Trial teams from across the country descended on the Missouri State University campus Nov. 1-3, 2024, to compete in the annual Bear Brawl Classic Mock Trial tournament.

The Bear Brawl Classic is one of many invitational tournaments across the nation that utilize American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) rules and case materials.

MSU’s Mock Trial team not only hosted the event but also competed along with eight other schools. Those schools were Bellarmine University, Hendrix College, Rhodes College, Saint Louis University, University of Central Missouri, University of Mississippi, University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Representatives from MSU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice organized the tournament. These included Mock Trial coordinators Dr. Jennifer LaPrade and Dr. Jordan Riddell, MSU alum and founding team member Chris Johnson and graduate assistant Samantha Trowbridge.

“The preparation for a tournament like this is a big lift and very time consuming,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the criminology and criminal justice school. “Drs. LaPrade and Riddell and our Mock Trial team members deserve a lot of praise for organizing and facilitating this event. I’m personally very proud of them all.”

MSU’s Mock Trial team will next compete at University of Missouri-Kansas City Nov. 22-24.

Tournament winners

Rhodes College took first place in this year’s Bear Brawl Classic. St. Louis University placed second, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln placed third.

Bellarmine University won the Spirit of AMTA award, given to the team that best exemplifies the ideals of honesty, civility and fair play. University of Nebraska-Lincoln received an Honorable Mention.

Top honors for Collison

MSU also garnered some impressive wins during the event.

Junior criminology and criminal justice major Zackary Collison won top honors for outstanding witness, receiving a perfect 20/20 for his role as a defense witness.

“This is my first-ever perfect rank, so I was extremely excited,” Collison said.

Collison started the season playing both a witness and an attorney, but said he will play character witnesses for the remainder of the competitive season.

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CSI Camp brings future crime solvers to MSU campus

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The first of two CSI Camps, hosted by Missouri State University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, was held June 10-13.

High school students from around the Midwest, including Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Illinois, attended this year.

The camp offers introductory training in basic criminal evidence-gathering techniques, such as fingerprinting, blood spatter analysis and plaster casting.

Now in its second year, the June camp enjoyed full enrollment of 40 students. The second camp will be held July 8-11.

Expanded training, smaller groups for 2024 camp

According to assistant professor Dr. Samantha Tjaden, camp organizers used what they learned from the 2023 camp to base the 2024 experience on what students want to learn.

“We have added more hands-on experiences to our camp from last year,” Tjaden said. “For example, we were very lucky to have Springfield Police Department investigators come share their experiences with our campers this year. We have also evolved the blood spatter component of our camp to include Luminol.”

“Both years that we have had the CSI camp have been an amazing experience but—like anything—we are learning and adapting to the needs of our campers,” she added.

Teacher explains a procedure to a student
Kamina Andrisevic listens as Dr. Tjaden explains fingerprinting techniques.

Ideas for 2025 camp in the works

Tjaden is not only one of the camp faculty instructors, she also serves on the planning committee with fellow camp instructor Dr. Michael Kyle. Tjaden lends her professional expertise and assists with content delivery and development.

“Professors Kyle and Tjaden are superb at connecting and building rapport with high schoolers, and they both have a wonderful ability to explain complex aspects of forensics in very down-to-earth ways,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the criminology and criminal justice school.

Camp organizers are already planning more techniques and topics for 2025, according to Garland.

“I’m looking forward to us integrating more on the search and seizure and interrogation side—since both are critically important to successful investigations—and maybe running interactive scenarios in those areas,” he said.

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2024 Judy Awards honor excellence in the Reynolds College community

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Missouri State University’s Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) continued its tradition of honoring the legacy of Judith Enyeart Reynolds with the Third Annual Judy Awards May 3, 2024.

The event, held at The Old Glass Place, celebrated the achievements of faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends within the RCASH community.

Dean Wahl stands at podium
Dean Shawn Wahl announces his selections for the Dean’s Judy Awards.

A special moment of the celebration included recognizing MSU President Clif Smart and Gail Smart and then Dr. George Connor, professor of political science. All three received the Dean’s Legacy Award from Dean Shawn Wahl. Smart is set to retire on June 30. The legacy leadership and work of each recipient will continue to make a difference in the lives of RCASH members for generations to come.

Christopher DePriest, Mark Templeton, and Rob and Sally Baird were each honored with the Dean’s Champion Award. All have diligently worked, often behind the scenes, to positively impact RCASH.

MSU Alum Austin Elliott accepted the Dean’s Alumnus Award on behalf of Locke and Stache, a production company located in Springfield, Missouri. Locke and Stache was recognized for their exceptional achievements in video production.

The award ceremony concluded with The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice receiving the Dean’s Award of Distinction for excellent performance as an academic unit over the past year.

Named in honor of Reynolds, a dedicated staff member and role model for many years in the Department of English, the Judy Awards cover a variety of contributions to the college, ranging from traditional awards in teaching, research, and service to those that recognize collaboration, inclusive engagement and efforts to highlight the pillars of the University’s public affairs mission.

Except for the dean’s awards category, winners were nominated either by their peers or self-nominated, then selected by representatives from each academic department serving on the Judy Awards Selection Committee.

Hosts Dr. Alan Tinkler, Dr. Aida Hass-Wisecup and Mary Lynne Golden announced the following winners of the 2024 Judy Awards.

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LaPrade and Sandel receive FCTL honors

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Two faculty members from the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities have been awarded the 2024 Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) Teaching Excellence Award.

The honorees, associate professor Dr. Jennifer LaPrade and associate professor Dr. William Sandel, teach in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Only four faculty were selected overall for the award.

Each year the FCTL recognizes faculty members who have been nominated due to their demonstrated teaching excellence and dedication to student success.

“Bill and Jennifer take teaching to another level,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “Both are constantly experimenting with new techniques and have a wonderful ability to motivate students to aim higher and push their limits.”

“They are like all great teachers who recognize that both learning and teaching are a process—and they are committed to continuously refining the art of teaching,” Garland continued. “I think their students pick up on that and become energized from it.”

Nominated faculty members go through a rigorous application process, with the FCTL recognizing top applicants with the distinguished excellence in teaching award.

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Criminal justice students win big at annual conference

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Members of the Missouri State University chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the international criminal justice honor society, made an impressive showing at the annual conference in Chicago, Illinois, March 20-22, 2024.

Three of those students—Joshua Woolfington, Jordan Allen and Sierra Sankey—garnered top prizes in various competitions.

But as executive student officers of the organization, they also coordinated the entire conference under the guidance of their chapter advisor, Ivy Yarckow-Brown.

They were also assisted by provisionary members Taigen Mitchell and Madison Korp, who attended the conference to learn more about future leadership opportunities within the organization.

Currently, Woolfington is president, Allen is secretary and Sankey is treasurer of Alpha Phi Sigma.

MSU nabs top prizes

Woolfington, who graduates this May with a master’s in criminology and criminal justice, earned first place in the Graduate Knowledge test. He was awarded a $750 cash prize for his efforts.

Woolfington has a conditional offer with the Lincoln, Nebraska, police department after graduation. He is especially interested in working in investigations and hopes someday to be a chief of police or possibly work within a federal agency.

Meanwhile Allen, a junior double major in criminology and criminal justice and psychology, won first place in the Undergraduate Knowledge test. She also won a cash prize of $750.

Woolfington won the same prize in 2023.

Both Woolfington and Allen said they relied on the knowledge they have acquired through their program at Missouri State to prepare for the exam competitions.

“For the Knowledge Test, everything I learned during my undergraduate career at Missouri State, combined with what I have learned while doing my master’s, prepared me for it,” Woolfington said.

For her preparation, Allen said she was already studying for four different exams that she would have to take once she returned to Springfield.

“I also looked through a couple of my old notebooks to refresh my memory on past course material,” she said.

“I had heard that this test was difficult, and I admit that it was difficult,” Allen continued. “In the end, I was really happy to see all my hard work in academics pay off.”

Allen, who will graduate in 2025, plans to attend graduate school, then work in correctional counseling to help individuals transition out of incarceration. [Read more…] about Criminal justice students win big at annual conference