Vol. 29 No. 17 - January 13, 2025

Students from the TRU 120 “Show Me Public Art” class partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation on a project that ties art to nature and students to the community.

For the last several years, Yvette Amerman, resource forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation, has been assisting Truman with the revamping of the small rain garden on the corner of Franklin and Patterson streets. While looking for ways to highlight the importance of water retention and filtration, she came up with the idea of having students create large sculptures of native Missouri animals that may utilize a rain garden.

Amerman reached out to Danielle Yakle, assistant professor of art, to see if students in the “Show Me Public Art” class would be interested in creating mosaic sculptures that would be placed in the existing rain garden. Amerman visited the classroom to discuss dozens of Missouri native animals and the opportunities/abilities to create such sculptures.

“I was interested in the class creating something that would be admired by students and citizens of the community for several years,” said Amerman. “I also thought it was a great opportunity for the community to be able to learn a little more about each animal.”

The class split up into groups and created five different sculptures including a tiger salamander, a snapping turtle and three types of frogs – a leopard frog, a bull frog and a crawfish frog. Each sculpture will have a plaque with the animal’s name and a QR code next to it. By scanning the code, visitors may find out more about the species and its natural environment.

 
Truman has released its academic honor rolls for the fall 2024 semester.
 
Students who received a grade point average of 3.5 or better during the fall semester can now find their honor roll information posted online.
 
The President’s List, for students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, can be accessed at truman.edu/honors/fall-2024-presidents-list. The Vice President for Academic Affairs’ List, featuring students with a grade point average between 3.50-3.99, can be found at truman.edu/honors/fall-2024-vice-presidents-list.
 
To qualify for either list, a student must be an undergraduate and complete at least 12 hours of credit during the semester.
 
Lists are organized by state and hometown. Hometowns are based upon the permanent address given to the University by the student. Students who have requested a directory hold on their information are not included on the lists. Any questions regarding student eligibility for inclusion on the lists can be directed to the Academic Affairs Office at 660.785.4105.

Truman has selected Signe Coombs as the school’s next director of athletics.

Coombs was selected following a nationwide search. A former Division I student-athlete, she also brings experience as a collegiate coach and athletic administrator. She currently serves as the senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator at Georgia Southwestern State University.

“Not only does Signe have a wealth of experience in athletics, she has the integrity, energy and focus that aligns perfectly with our program,” said University President Susan L. Thomas. “Truman Athletics has much of which to be proud, and with Signe, we will become an even greater force in Division II athletics.”

In her most recent role at GSW, Coombs was tasked with directing and coordinating internal and external operations that included compliance, student-athlete academic services, sport and personnel oversight, fundraising, and campus and community partnerships. During Coombs’s leadership, the GSW HERricane women’s sports initiative launched to empower female student-athletes through personal and professional development opportunities. The programming has since grown to serve all GSW student-athletes, local youth and Sumter County organizations to provide comprehensive education focused on overall well-being. Under her guidance, student-athletes also have record-setting academic performance streaks, and several athletic programs have experienced unprecedented competition success. With more than 4,000 community service hours logged per year through the NCAA TeamWorks competition implemented by HelperHelper, the department has ranked No. 1 in the country twice in the last four years and ranked in the top five since 2019.

During Coombs’s tenure, GSW’s athletics has also seen corporate partnerships increase more than 100%, revitalization of the booster club, implementation of premier courtside seating, growth in signature fundraising events, and secured funding for significant capital improvements.

“My family and I are thrilled to be joining the Truman family and back in the remarkable GLVC. I am extremely grateful to President Thomas and the search committee for affording me the opportunity to serve as the next director of athletics,” Coombs said. “Truman’s reputation as a premier public institution devoted to student opportunities, experiences and achievements is not only reinforced through the Department of Athletics, but also aligned with my values. I am eager to engage with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, campus and community partners, alumni, and fans to build upon the tradition of excellence and prioritize providing a transformational student-athlete experience.”

Coombs involvement with college athletics started at the University of Iowa where she earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in communication studies and was a Big Ten All-Academic selection while competing for the Hawkeyes volleyball team. She also has a Master of Applied Science in sports and fitness management from Missouri Western State University.

On the coaching side, Coombs led the Iowa Rockets volleyball club for four seasons, guiding the 16-and-under team to the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) national championship in 2011. She began her collegiate career as an assistant at Missouri S&T in 2012 where the Miners won the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division title, five players were named all-conference and had the GLVC Freshman of the Year selection. While earning her master’s degree, Coombs served as an assistant coach for the Griffons, helping the team reach back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in nearly two decades, and producing 16 All-MIAA selections, an AVCA First Team All-American, and two Academic All-American selections.

Missouri Western is where Coombs also began her administrative career, as the assistant athletic director for academic services and senior woman administrator, and later as the interim athletic compliance director. Coombs also served as a sport administrator, led the department to the highest cumulative GPA on record, and collaborated with and advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to secure their highest annual fundraising to grant a wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. During her time at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Coombs was an academic resource coordinator before serving as the head volleyball coach and athletics compliance coordinator. She culminated the season accruing the highest number of wins and reaching the postseason for the first time in OPSU recorded history, while leading the team to the community engagement award.

Coombs will begin her duties at Truman Feb. 1.

Truman’s Student Health Center now offers on-campus services to University employees.

Since 2021, the health center has been operated through a partnership with Complete Family Medicine. As a subsidiary of Hannibal Regional, a not-for-profit health system, the center has been able to expand its on-campus offerings to include Truman and Sodexo employees.

“We’re really proud of our partnership with Truman, and being able to open up our services to Truman and Sodexo employees like this is something we don’t take lightly,” said Dr. Jordan Palmer. “Complete Family Medicine has a really sharp team of providers and staff at the Student Health Center that have been preparing for this for a while now, so we hope employees will come see us.”

The Student Health Center offers preventative and primary care, such as immunizations, well-women exams, allergy immunotherapy, physicals and medication management. Acute care is also available for injuries or cold and flu treatment. Additionally, the health center has access to nearby off-campus outpatient services including radiology and specialists.

Appointments can be made by calling 660.785.4182 or by visiting the health center in person. Located in the McKinney Center, hours of operation are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday.

Employees are only eligible for services provided at the health center. While Complete Family Medicine also oversees University Counseling Services, those resources will continue to be provided exclusively to students.

Services provided at the Student Health Center are billed through insurance, Medicaid or private payments. Complete Family Medicine is an in-network provider for Truman’s Anthem plan.

For more information, visit the Student Health Center website, or call 660.785.4182.

Matt Sharp, research and instruction librarian at Truman, will present the first Global Issues Colloquium of the spring semester at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 in Violette Hall 1010 and via Zoom.

The presentation, “Diplomacy and Faith: The Entanglements of the Late Ottoman State and Muslim Intellectuals with Western Converts to Islam,” focuses on William Henry Abdullah Quilliam and Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb who were notable British and American converts to Islam in the late 19th century. Quilliam led the Liverpool Muslim Institute (LMI) from 1887 to 1908, and Webb founded the American Islamic Propaganda (AIP) from 1892 to 1896. Both promoted Islam through institutions, publications and outreach in their respective countries. Sharp will discuss their connections with the Ottoman state and Middle Eastern Muslim intellectuals using the Ottoman archives and Arabic and Ottoman Turkish printed materials.

In addition to serving as one of the research and instruction librarians at Truman, Sharp is an independent scholar of the Middle East whose work explores the exchanges and relationships between British and American converts to Islam and Ottoman state officials and Arab and Turkish Muslim intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He has a Ph.D. in Middle East languages and cultures from the University of Pennsylvania. For a decade, he lived in the Middle East where he also obtained a Master of Arts in Middle Eastern history from the American University of Beirut.

 
ITS completed improvements to information technology systems and services during the winter break.
 
Upgrades to the Banner system to address financial aid and other regulatory updates were addressed, with some efforts still ongoing. These changes will ensure Truman is in compliance with new financial aid and tax regulations.
 
Several changes to the security infrastructure were completed, while some are not directly visible to campus users, others will introduce visible change. The transition to a new antivirus and endpoint manager was completed, and most users should see no impact. Behind the scenes this system provides improved threat detection and response capabilities, as well as greater integration with University IT systems. Changes that users will see include the requirement to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access the virtual private network (VPN), as well as new MFA requirements with the TouchNet application for online bill payment, which will be completely near the end of January.
 
Work was completed to accommodate more power to the Kirk Building. This winter break period was also used to work toward completing the restructure of the W: drives for the three schools in Academic Affairs – doing this work addresses one of the largest remaining efforts related to the academic reorganization. Other upgrades included completion of the first step in increasing Truman’s internet bandwidth. All of these efforts will result in the most efficient use of power, data storage and bandwidth.
 
Winter break was also a time for targeted classroom improvements. Upgrades and repairs were completed in Magruder Hall 1094 and Violette Hall 1148. Wireless improvements were enabled in Violette Hall 1000 and 1010 to address some of the “dead spots” in these rooms, and the virtual desktop/lab system received software maintenance.  Firmware upgrades were applied to over 500 zero client systems.

According to a 1973 Sesame Street calendar, Rubber Duckie’s Birthday is Jan. 13, so, around the country it’s National Rubber Ducky Day. This year, Spike is celebrating by placing 50 rubber ducks across campus. Students who find a duck and bring it to the Office of Student Engagement, Student Union Building 3100, can win a prize. The first 10 returned ducks get a drink coupon redeemable at Starbucks or Einstein Bros. Bagels. All students returning ducks will receive a full-sized candy bar.

Del and Norma Robison Planetarium and Multimedia Theater
Jan. 21

MLK Community Dinner

Residence Life is looking for students who will create welcoming environments, develop connections with on-campus residents and foster a learning-centered community to apply as resident advisors for the 2025-26 school year. Resident advisors will have their room and meal fees fully covered.

Anyone enrolled in classes, who has lived on campus for at least one semester and maintained a 2.75 GPA, is qualified to apply. The application is open now until Jan. 14. Visit reslife.truman.edu or email reslife@truman.edu for more information.

Spring hours for the Student Recreation Center:

6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Monday-Thursday

6:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday

11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday

Spring hours for the Student Union Building:

7 a.m.-10 p.m.
Monday-Friday

8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Saturday

12 p.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be filed now for the 2025-2026 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.

As part of the FAFSA Completion Week of Action, online help via Zoom is available to students and families from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 21-23. Time slots can be reserved here.  

Students can also contact the Truman Financial Aid Office directly with any questions at any time in McClain Hall 103, by email at finaid@truman.edu or phone at 660.785.4130. The Financial Aid Office website also has a variety of helpful resources for students and their families.

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 2025-2026 FAFSA will use 2023 tax year information with a priority deadline of Feb. 1, 2025 for Missouri residents. It is strongly recommended to apply or renew before Feb. 1. Details about the FAFSA can be found online at studentaid.gov.

The Activities Fair will take place from 12-5 p.m. Jan. 29 in the Student Union Building. This event is an excellent opportunity for students to find organizations to join on campus. A full list of organizations can be found here.

Student organizations must be in good standing with the U&I to participate. Registrations for organizations can be found here. For more information contact Union and Involvement Services in the Student Union Building 2000, at 660.785.4222 or by email at orgs@truman.edu.

More information about the TruScholars program is available on the Office of Student Research website. Applications are due by Feb. 21. Any additional questions about TruScholars can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

Applications are open for student ambassadors for the 2025-26 academic year. Student ambassadors guide visiting students and their families on campus tours, assist in the recruitment of prospective students and positively represent the University.
 

As a matter of policy, the campus never completely closes. The residential and research aspects of the University require minimum levels of operation at all times. When extreme conditions result in cancellations, delays or early release, Truman will make notification through email, TruAlert text messages, and postings on social media platforms and TruView. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for TruAlert text notifications through TruView.

Classes and activities should be presumed to be continuing as usual unless otherwise specified. Students should be aware of their surroundings and use their best judgement. If they are unable to safely get to campus, they should communicate that to their instructors.

If it is determined students, staff and faculty cannot travel to campus, course content will be delivered via alternative means such as Zoom, Brightspace, pre-recorded content, etc. Students are also advised to check Brightspace and their email for any course-specific updates, announcements and assignments.

The University will make every effort to keep sidewalks, stairways and parking lots clear during inclement weather. Nevertheless, anyone coming to campus should exercise caution after a storm and be aware that some areas may still be slick.

Campus Mailroom is now located in Barnett Hall 1214 and can be accessed through the back parking lot, double doors on the southwest corner. Contact Cathy Sherrow, manager of printing services and mail services, at csherrow@truman.edu with any questions.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available Jan. 21.

Brad Carlson, associate professor of theatre, has been awarded the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion. The Kennedy Center Gold Medallion is the most prestigious award given by KCACTF and is considered one of the greatest honors in educational theatre. This award honors individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and who have significantly dedicated their time, artistry and enthusiasm to the development of KCACTF.