Vol. 25 No. 35 - July 26, 2021

Rachel Humphrey (’95) and Bryan Heartsfield (’92) are two of the leaders in the fight against the coronavirus. Humphrey, an Army Colonel, is the chief of plans for the COVID-19 Countermeasures Acceleration Group. Through his role with the Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Heartsfield is the Strategic National Stockpile lead public health advisor. In short, the two are working together out of Washington, D.C., to make sure everyone on the planet has access to a vaccine.

Truman ROTC was the first outfit to bring the duo together. Heartsfield was a senior cadet when Humphrey came in as a freshman. Their time at the University only overlapped one year, but their paths crossed again when their military careers had them both in Kuwait in 1999. They have remained friends ever since, but neither was prepared to see them brought together for the biggest global health initiative in a generation.

“I was briefing during a morning ‘stand-up’ national coordination call from the Vaccine Operations Center where all of the leaders on site gather and update federal partners across the nation using a conference line,” Heartsfield said. “She was standing in the room. What a small world. To both be assigned to a national-level response out of a certain room in a certain building in Washington, D.C., was just shocking.”

Fate had reunited the Truman alumni. Heartsfield, who started working for the CDC after a decorated career as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the Army, was selected for his role because of his experience leading national-level responses such as Ebola outbreaks in Africa, Zika in Puerto Rico, and numerous hurricanes in the United States. Humphrey, was rotated in to relieve the previous Department of Defense team. As the chief of plans, she works with generals and White House staff to oversee the operation, which makes the former freshman cadet the boss of her friend and senior cadet.

“Who would have thought that two Truman alumni would be leading the way during one of the most important public health response efforts in history?” said Humphrey. “It’s a credit to the types of people that Truman graduates.”

The Strategic National Stockpile purchases the materials to create and assemble kits with all the components needed to provide the COVID-19 vaccination. The kits are then distributed throughout the country in order to stem the tide of the virus. In roughly eight months, nearly 400 million doses of the vaccine were made available, with almost 70 percent of the U.S. population above the age of 12 receiving at least one vaccine.

“Vaccines can take anywhere from three to five years from inception to approval,” Heartsfield said. “We did it in just over a year, and even though it felt slow, today you can get a vaccine just by walking into most pharmacy stores.”

As the vaccine has become readily available in the U.S., Humphrey’s and Heartsfield’s team has started to spread its efforts across the globe. No fewer than 74 countries receive assistance from the U.S. to help get their populations vaccinated.

“It is truly rewarding to support those in need regardless of where they live,” Humphrey said. “Not since the Spanish Flu of 1918 has the world suffered from such a deadly pandemic. That death toll was estimated to between 20 million to 50 million people, and to be able to be a part of the national, now global, effort to keep that from repeating is intense, unrelenting and more than anything, humbling.”

Truman’s vision statement calls for its graduates to be “citizen-leaders committed to service” who can “offer creative solutions to local, state, national and global problems.” Humphrey and Heartsfield are the living embodiment of that sentiment. Their work evokes pride in the University’s alumni base, and the collaboration of the civilian and military fields to serve humankind across the world emboldens a sense of patriotism on a level unseen in decades.

“Not since WWII, has the industrial base of the United States mobilized under a common goal at this scale, and we, the United States of America, really are sharing with the world,” Heartsfield said. “Other nations are also benefiting from industry, medical and other professions that supported this effort. What we are living in right now is, in fact, history. Our grandchildren and their children will study this moment in time and ask us what it was like.”  

Returning to “normal” will depend largely on making the vaccine accessible to everyone, and there is still much work to be done. Citizens of the world can rest assured that these two Bulldogs will remain in the fight until the very end.

While the pandemic continues to affect nearly all aspects of life, one sign of returning normality is the success of Truman’s summer academies.

Truman hosted students for the Joseph Baldwin Academy (JBA), JBA Jr. and the ATSU-Truman Healthcare Academy. Last year, JBA transitioned to an online format, and the other summer academies were suspended altogether. This year, all three programs saw participation levels at or exceeding pre-pandemic numbers.

Truman’s approach to the 2020-21 school year successfully mitigated the effects of COVID-19 on campus, and the University was able to complete both semesters without any pause in learning or shift to online-only options. That success enabled the Institute for Academic Outreach to offer the summer programs in their normal in-person formats.

“The JBA numbers are on par with pre-COVID numbers,” said Jeanne Harding, director of the Institute for Academic Outreach. “In other words, we’re fully back. The health care academy was larger than ever.”

At 82 students, the health care academy was double that of its previous largest class. This was due to an increase in the number of available spots, as well as A.T. Still University’s Dreamline Pathways Program, a grant-funded initiative which allowed for 25 additional historically underrepresented students from St. Louis to attend.

Although summer academies returned, they were not entirely “back to normal.” All University protocols were still in place, including social distance guidelines, facial coverings and more meal options, such as eating outside or in the student’s residence hall room. For JBA, the closing reception and scheduled family visit day were also suspended to reduce travel to campus. Despite those challenges, participants and their families were glad to be back.

“Last year, the virtual JBA program got very positive feedback from those who participated, but students and their families were disappointed it was not in person,” said Jared Young, coordinator of summer academies. “This year, parents were excited to have these opportunities for their students and appreciated the in-person programming.”
 
In addition to the Institute for Academic Outreach academies, several Truman athletic teams hosted on-campus camps. The return of in-person summer camps and academies is a positive sign for long-term recruitment efforts as well. Many students who participate ultimately make Truman their college of choice.

“If JBA was a high school, it would be Truman’s largest feeder school,” said Young. “We always have 100 or more students on campus who attended JBA as a middle school student for one or more years. We will be tracking the health care academy numbers closely this year for future reference.”

The ATSU-Truman Healthcare Academy is a week-long residential program for students in grades 9-11, introducing them to the methods and skills of a variety of health professions. The Joseph Baldwin Academy for Eminent Young Scholars is a three-week residential program that offers challenging curriculum for students in grades 7-9. Both programs require students to be nominated for participation.

For more information about summer academies offered through Truman, visit the Institute for Academic Outreach website at institute.truman.edu.

Nely, a 2013 Truman alumnus, received Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and philosophy and religion. He attended law school at the University of Missouri where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. After graduation, he worked as an assistant prosecutor and currently serves as an associate attorney at Turney LG, L.L.C., in Kansas City.

The institutional compliance officer is responsible for managing Truman’s compliance with Title IX, Title IV and Title VII. They also act as a neutral party in all aspects of the University’s compliance with federal and state non-discrimination laws. Nely replaces Laurie Millot, who relocated to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa.

Nely will begin his duties Aug. 12. Tyana Lange, vice president for enrollment management and marketing, and J. D. Smiser, director of the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards, will continue to serve as interim institutional compliance officers until he arrives. For compliance matters, contact 660.785.4354 or titleix@truman.edu.

Virtual Sessions
July 27
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Aug. 10
5:30-6:30 p.m.
 
On-Campus Sessions
Sept. 7
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Sept. 21
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Oct. 5
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Oct. 19
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Nov. 2
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Nov. 16
5:30-6:30 p.m.

• Log in to TruView
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• Click Register My Vehicle/Bicycle
• Verify the local Kirksville address and phone information.
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Parking Services will process the parking decal request. Student accounts will be charged $130 for a resident pass or $50 for a park-and-save pass. Decals may be picked up two business days after online registration. A Truman ID is required to pick up a decal. Registration is not complete until the decal is adhered to the vehicle.

Freshman parking decals will be included in the residence hall check-in packet if the registration form is complete prior to July 30. Late registrations, commuter decals and upperclassman decals will be processed and distributed from Parking Services Office, General Services Building 100, building 22 on the campus map.

Parking Services will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 18. They will have extended hours of 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 21 and 22. For more information, contact Parking Services at 660.785.7400.

To order name tags, fill out a publications work order with the following:

• Name
• Credentials (if wanted)
• Official University Position

There is a number limit of letters, so publications may have to shorten items. For example, “Professor, Department of Communications Disorders” may be shortened to “Professor, Communication Disorders.”

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• Name, Credentials
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• Department
• Building, room number
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For those who have their own website and want it on their business cards, publications can use the back of the card to display. Additional costs will incur unless arrangements have been made. Minimum order for business cards is 250 cards.

Name tags will be delivered directly. For business cards, people will receive an emailed PDF of their card to proof and approve for printing. Questions can be directed to Winston Vanderhoof.

Sign-up is available at greeklife.truman.edu/go-greek. For more information, visit ifc.truman.edu. Follow the Interfraternity Council on Facebook or Instagram. Questions regarding fraternity recruitment can be directed to ifc@truman.edu.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available Aug. 23.

Both Truman track and field teams earned academic honors for the 2020-21 academic year. The women’s track and field team posted the highest team cumulative grade-point average among all NCAA Division II teams at 3.75. Men’s track and field had a 3.25 cumulative GPA.

The Truman women’s basketball team was recently ranked at No. 21 on the WBCA’s Academic Division II Top 25 Honor Roll for the 2020-21 academic year. The Bulldogs team compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.650.

 
Listed below are several of the major national fellowships and their websites. More information about these fellowships is available at www.truman.edu/majors-programs/more-learning-opportunities/fellowships.

For Graduate Studies
Fulbright Grants
Research grants and teaching assistantships for a year abroad

Rhodes Scholarships
Grants for two years of study at Oxford University

Marshall Scholarships
Awards for two years of study in any British university

Mitchell Scholarships
One year of graduate study or research in Ireland or Northern Ireland

Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Awards for an advanced degree or second bachelor’s degree at the University of Cambridge
 
For Undergraduate Studies
Goldwater Scholarships
Up to $7,500 annually for tuition, fees, books, room and board for science and mathematics majors

Harry S. Truman Scholarships
For senior year and post-graduate study leading to a career in public service

Udall Scholarships
For students interested in careers related to environmental issues or for Native Americans and Alaskans interested in careers related to health care and tribal public policy

Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowships
For students interested in international affairs to work as research assistants to the Endowment’s senior associates in Washington, D.C. for a full year

Boren Scholarships
To study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests