Take a moment to see what’s happening this week in the Division of Student Affairs.

1. President’s Holiday Open House – All faculty and staff are invited to join President Biff Williams and Kristin for a festive come-and-go holiday gathering on Monday, December 8th, 3pm-5pm, PSU Grand Ballroom.  Enjoy delicious food, conversation and mingling.

2. Fall Commencement – Fall Commencement  will take place Friday, December 12th at the Great Southern Bank Arena. There will be  two ceremonies, one at 10am, and one at 1:30pm. If students have questions, they can visit https://www.missouristate.edu/Commencement/fall-2025-commencement.htm or email: Commencement@MissouriState.edu

3. President’s Finals Breakfast – The President’s annual Finals Breakfast will take place on Monday, December 8th, 9pm-11pm in Blair-Shannon Dining Center.  Free breakfast food – served by MSU’s administration – to fuel our student’s busy Finals week.  Share this with the students in your area.

4. Bears Can Do Food Drive – The Enrollment Management Division is issuing a campus wide challenge to fill the shelves in our Bear Pantry.  We are asking Every Bear from Every Where to donate to support members of our community who may need a little extra help right now.  In partnership with the pantry, we’ve established the Bears Can Do Drive.

The challenge began Friday, November 7th and ends on Friday, December 12th. Check out this blogpost for more information: https://blogs.missouristate.edu/adultstudents/

Item donations can be brought to the Bear Pantry in PSU 140 – let a team member know what organization you’re from to receive credit. Direct financial donations can be made through MSU’s crowd funding site: https://crowdfunding.missouristate.edu/bearPantry 

5. Board of Governors Meeting – The Missouri State University Board of Governors will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, December 11th, 1pm-5pm in PSU 313.

Meeting agendas can be found here:  https://www.missouristate.edu/BOG/Agendas/

6. Cookies, Crafts, Cocoa and Santa – Santa and Mrs. Claus are making their way to the Meyer Alumni Center for a festive holiday celebration on Saturday, December 13th, 11:30am-1:3pm! Step in from the cold and enjoy a merry afternoon filled with family fun.  Bring the kids to meet Santa, snap a holiday photo, enjoy a kid-friendly snack and settle in for story time before heading to the Springfield Christmas Parade.

The parade begins at 2:00 p.m. on Elm Street, travels north on South Avenue, circles Park Central Square and continues east on St. Louis Street to the Springfield Expo Center.

7. Missouri State University Football vs Arkansas State – Xbox Bowl Game – Missouri State Football will be playing in its first Bowl Game since entering Conference USA in July on December 18th in Frisco, TX. The game starts at 8pm at the Ford Center at The Star.  To get more information, visit https://missouristatebears.com/.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2 and the Missouri State Radio Network.

Order tickets: Tickets: https://seatgeek.com/xbox-bowl-tickets/ncaa-football/2025-12-18-8-pm/17940640?sgo_ac=xboxmsu

Fan Hotel: https://www.choicehotels.com/texas/plano/cambria-hotels/txf24/rates?hotel=TXF24&pu=no&ratePlanCode=LXBOX&checkInDate=2025-12-18&checkOutDate=2025-12-19

8. Staff Awards Luncheon – Save-the-Date for the Staff Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 11am-1pm. This event will kick off the year by recognizing the outstanding dedication and service of our team members! This special event will honor staff milestones. The event will take place at the Hammons Student Center.