Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Art    
Mariam Hesham Elkadi

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Art: Design    
Rebekah Grace Nelson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Classics    
Adam Franklin Bishop

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Creative Writing    
Savannah Carmichael

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in English    

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Linguistics
Adam Franklin Bishop

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: General    
Melody Kay Zakarian

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: Liberal Arts    
Trenton Cauy Kiesling

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: Pre-Certification    
Connor Lee Landwehr

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: with Emphasis Groups    
Brett Thomas Barger

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Spanish    
Katrina Marie Parks

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Theatre    
Savannah Carmichael

Outstanding Graduate Student in English
Sarah White

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Accounting    
Kyle Dwight Seabaugh

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Finance    
Justin Patrick Watson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: International Business    
Sydney Olivia Mattas

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Management    
Claire A. Rake

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Marketing    
John William Dames Jr.

Outstanding Graduate Student in Accounting 
Victoria Ann Griffith

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication Disorders    
Elizabeth Hemmer Wortmann

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Exercise Science    
Alexis Louise Henrikson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Health Science    
Elizabeth Anne Kleitz

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Nursing    
Elizabeth Anne Shirrell

Outstanding Graduate Student in Athletic Training 
Connor Joseph Greaves

Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Disorders  
Tucker Martin Murry

Outstanding Graduate Student in Mental Health Counseling    
Katherine Tudeen

Outstanding Graduate Student in School Counseling    
Samantha Ann Mitchell

Outstanding Graduate Student in Elementary Education
Catherine Grace Dean

Outstanding Graduate Student in K-12 Education
Miranda Ruth Lee

Outstanding Graduate Student in Secondary Education
Charlie Anthony Perry

Outstanding Graduate Student in Special Education
Emily Catherine Bowen

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Agricultural Science    
Sydney J. Donath

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology    
Elizabeth Julia Thompson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biology    
Grace Gottschamer

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Chemistry    
Mary Claire Rogge

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Computer Science    
Harrison Kyle Hughes

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Mathematics    
John Andrew Vorwark Hobbs

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Physics    
Daphne Jane Zakarian

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Statistics    
Klein Renhao Wang

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Anthropology    
Emily Leann Anderson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Communication Studies    
Lydia Faye Lamb

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Journalism    
Genevieve Tlustos

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Public Communication    
Rachel Grigsby

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Economics    
Warren Dean Barge

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in History    
Nathan Tucker Dowell

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Interdisciplinary Studies    
Micaela Sarah Merrill

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Justice Systems    
Laura Teresa Klump

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Military Science - General George C. Marshall ROTC Award    
Elizabeth Anne Shirrell

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Philosophy & Religion    
Wesley Henshaw

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Political Science & International Relations    
Warren Dean Barge

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Star Giselle Alexander

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Melody Kay Zakarian

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Sociology    
Ella Rose Schnake

Outstanding Graduate Student in Leadership    
Alexandria Fanning

 
Jack Danter never intended to be a theatre major. Even after transferring in to Truman as a sophomore, the plan was to pursue a different degree, but their love of theatre kept calling.
 
After Danter officially made the switch to theatre, they gained experience in nearly every aspect involved in putting on a show. From costuming, to hair and makeup, to construction, directing and acting, Danter has done a lot. The versatility involved with a theatre degree leads to more opportunity for graduates. For Danter, those experiences helped secure a job performing in a repertory theatre after they graduate.
 
Check out this installment of “The Spotlight Series” to hear more about Danter’s Truman experience.

 
Alumnus Taylor Burks of Hartsburg, Missouri, a Navy veteran, logistician, accountant and executive with experience in health care, higher education and government operations, has been appointed to the Truman Board of Governors.
 
As a lieutenant commander in the Navy and Navy Reserves, Burks gained experience in global, multi-agency logistics, including as chief of operations, director of logistics and director of strategic planning for multiple commands. He has leveraged that experience in the private sector as well, most recently as the president and general manager of Rost, Incorporated, where he oversaw a parent company with more than 250 employees across seven subsidiaries specializing in outdoor design/build, home services, retail, wholesale and outdoor entertainment. In government service, Burks previously served as the director of the Missouri Division of Labor Standards, the director of distribution, logistics and asset management in the University of Missouri System, and as the county clerk of Boone County, Missouri.
 
An alumnus of the University, Burks graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in justice systems in 2008. He also earned a Master of Arts in administrative leadership and a Master of Accounting from the University of Oklahoma and Washington University in St. Louis, respectively.
 
In the community, Burks has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri and the Southern Boone YMCA. He is also active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #280.
 
Burks was appointed to the Board in April 2024.

The Truman Theatre Department closed out a successful year by receiving two honors from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF).
 
After selling out the last two performances of “The Rocky Horror Show,” Truman Theatre was notified that their production received the honor of being considered to participate in the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival that will take place in January. Less than 10% of entered productions in the region earn the possibility of being invited to perform at the festival. Student and faculty artists will have to wait until December to find out if the musical will be selected to travel to Des Moines for the festival.
 
In April, Brad Carlson, technical director/designer, was invited to serve as a guest artist and mentor at the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, he moderated the plenary session. All of the festival attendees, including nationally recognized artists, took part in the discussion entitled, “The Best Practices in Creative Team Collaboration.”

The University will celebrate and honor spring graduates at 2 p.m. May 11 at Stokes Stadium.

Jacqueline Wilson, who will be graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in business administration, will be the student speaker.

Alumna Kia Noelle Johnson will give the commencement address. She is director of the Atlanta satellite of The University of Texas at Austin’s Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, a clinical research institute with the mission to change the world for people who stutter.

Doors will open at 1 p.m. for seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. For those who cannot attend in person, a livestream will be available on YouTube. More information can be found here.

In the case of inclement weather, two commencement ceremonies will take place due to the large number of graduates and the smaller seating capacity available in Pershing Arena. A decision to move the ceremony indoors will be made no later than 5 p.m. May 8. Each graduate will receive an email with notification if the inclement weather plan has been implemented for commencement. More information regarding the inclement weather plan can be found here.

Pickler Memorial Library is launching the new FOLIO platform May 22. FOLIO will be a fresh foundation on which the library can build new and innovative services.

Work is already underway to move MOBIUS and Pickler Memorial Library to the FOLIO library platform. As part of the migration, MOBIUS will temporarily suspend requesting through the MOBIUS catalog and on-site borrowing at other MOBIUS libraries. Requesting will be re-enabled May 22 when the new catalog launches.

Starting May 7, online access to library accounts will be unavailable until the new system is in place. Reading history will not migrate to FOLIO and must be printed before May 7 in order to keep it.

For more information about the migration, visit the library’s website. Any additional questions can be directed to the Library Service Desk at 660.785.4533 or one of the research and instruction librarians.

Volunteers are asked to arrive at the stadium by 12:40 p.m. for directions prior to the doors opening at 1 p.m. Shortly after commencement begins, volunteers are free to leave or stay for the ceremony.
 
Anyone willing to volunteer, or anyone with questions about volunteering, can contact Nancy Asher at nasher@truman.edu or Kaytee Wood at kwood@truman.edu, or call 660.785.4145. For those who volunteer, more detailed information will be sent closer to the actual date.

Students needing to stay on campus during the summer can now fill out the summer housing registration.
 
Summer students will be housed in West Campus Suites. For preferred eligibility for summer housing, students must either:

•    Be enrolled in a summer course, and in good financial standing with the University AND/OR
•    Be enrolled in a fall course as a continuing student, and in good financial standing with the University.

Summer housing registration is available here. To secure housing, students should sign up online no later than May 6. Visit truman.edu/residence-life for more information.

Students can file or make changes to their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 school year at studentaid.gov.

All students in need of financial assistance are encouraged to complete the FAFSA. Federal Student Aid is the largest provider of financial aid for college students in the United States. Even though a student may not qualify for grants or work-study, all students are considered for the Federal Direct Loan (no co-signer required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit students to taking a loan, but it does allow for more options.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For the 2024-2025 FAFSA students will use their 2022 tax information. Details about the FAFSA can be found online at studentaid.gov.

For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130 or finaid@truman.edu. The Financial Aid Office website also has a variety of helpful resources for students and their families.

Truman’s literary magazine, Windfall, is accepting submissions of poetry, prose and art from currently enrolled students. Submissions should be sent to windfallmagazine@gmail.com.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available May 28.

This program supports candidates who demonstrate leadership, character and academic performance. It is open to students who started higher education right after high school, as well as adult learners who are now pursuing or returning to complete a degree. Additionally, these students have a vision, are eager to make their contribution to the world and have the work ethic to bring their dreams to fruition.

The scholarship application period runs through May 15. More information, including details on how to apply, can be found here. The scholarship amount can vary based on an applicant’s circumstances. The general range will be $2,000-$5,000 based on expected family contribution (EFC), unmet need and other factors.

Applicants must: be a Missouri resident; be an undergraduate second-, third- or fourth-year student for the 2024-25 academic year; enrolled full-time and making satisfactory academic progress; and have a cumulative college GPA of 2.5 or higher. Recommendation from an instructor, counselor, advisor, current or recent supervisor, community leader or other similarly qualified individual is required.