Vol. 27 No. 33 - June 12, 2023

The names of the graduates can be found online at truman.edu/honors/spring-2023-graduation-list. Students who graduated with honors will have that distinction noted by their names. Cum laude recognizes those who earned a grade point average of 3.50-3.74. Magna cum laude is for graduates with a grade point average of 3.75-3.89. Summa cum laude honors graduates with a grade point average of 3.9 or better.

Master’s degree recipients will have that distinction noted by their names.

The list is 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 will not be included on the list. Any questions regarding student eligibility for inclusion on the list can be directed to the Registrar’s Office at 660.785.4143.

Truman conducted commencement ceremonies May 13. A recording of the ceremony is available at truman.edu/registrar/commencement/commencement-video. A photo gallery can also be found at photos.truman.edu/home/commencement.

Eric Freedman has started his position as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Following a nationwide search, Freedman was selected for the position in January. Since 2016 he served as dean of the School of Media Arts at Columbia College Chicago. In that role, he was a member of the Academic Affairs senior leadership team, assisting the school in college-wide strategic plans while managing academic programs in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Throughout his career Freedman has gained extensive experience in faculty and staff recruitment and retention, academic program development, resource management, fundraising, community engagement and student success, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. During his tenure at Columbia College Chicago, he worked with development staff to raise more than $2.5 million in undergraduate scholarships, secured partnerships with NBCUniversal Academy, Epic Games, Unity Technologies, LG Electronics and the Chicago Public Schools, and moved forward a number of new undergraduate and graduate programs. He currently serves as a reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship Program, as chair of the Communication and Media Studies Research Network and on several editorial boards.

Freedman began his duties as provost on May 22, taking over from Charles McAdams who filled the position in an interim role while an intensive search was conducted. He has already met with Truman’s deans, the President’s Executive Leadership Team and other unit leaders, faculty and staff, and with President Sue Thomas has taken the lead in advancing the work of the Committee to Consider the Reorganization of Academic Affairs into the next phase of the University’s academic reorganization plan.

After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, Freedman received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.

The Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center, a Truman project several years in the making, will begin to see clients this September.

Since 2015, Truman has been working to convert the former elementary school into an interprofessional center designed to provide in-depth, interdisciplinary assessment and intervention for children with autism or suspected autism, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. Services may address adaptive, social, communication, educational, community, pre-vocational and vocational skills, and customized support plans

“Each person’s autism experience is unique to them and their family,” said Brandon Herscovitch, director of the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center. “We aim to support the diverse needs of people of various ages within the autism community and build support for the local community.”

With renovation of the building nearly complete, Herscovitch is currently in the process of hiring licensed professionals equipped to provide a variety of services. Additionally, the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center will serve as a teaching facility, offering opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in academic programs at Truman and A.T. Still University to gain real-world experience in their fields.

“This has been a collaborative project from the start, and those partnerships will only strengthen as we move into the next phase of serving clients,” Herscovitch said. “We have been able to keep moving forward thanks to the support we have received from Adair County SB 40, area health care partners, A.T. Still University, elected officials, our faculty and staff and the local community.”

Financial support for the transformation of the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center has come largely from the Missouri legislature, which has appropriated more than $7.4 million. A congressional earmark by Sen. Roy Blunt provided an additional $3.42 million in federal funds. Truman also received a $1.1 million grant from the Sunderland Foundation of Kansas City, and Adair County SB 40 sponsored the first year of the director’s salary.

With clinic visits set to begin in September, the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center will soon start pre-screening potential clients. In the coming weeks, an online form for individuals, family members or guardians of those who may benefit from the center’s service will be available at greenwood.truman.edu.

Ernie T. Hughes, vice president for university advancement, has been selected to receive a Fulbright Specialist Program award through the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions abroad for a period of two to six weeks. Hughes will complete a project at the Makerere University Business School in Uganda, July 8-21. The goal of the project is to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities in both the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within the field of business administration.

Hughes is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad though the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. Recipients of the awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

A member of the Truman community since 2018, Hughes has a Ph.D. in human resource development from Louisiana State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and logistics, as well as his Master of Business Administration, from Mississippi State University. He participated in the Vanderbilt University Higher Education Management Institute, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 60 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 88 who have received Pulitzer Prizes and 39 who have served as a head of state or government. For more information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at 202.632.6452 or ECA-Press@state.gov.

The JBA Jr. Program at Truman  is currently accepting reservations for this summer’s session taking place July 17-21.

Modeled after Truman’s highly successful Joseph Baldwin Academy, JBA Jr. is a one-week day program filled with engaging academic opportunities for students from the northeast Missouri region. From 9 a.m.-4:15 p.m., students who have completed fourth, fifth or sixth grade can participate in a variety of activities. This includes tours of Truman’s planetarium and herpetology labs, a scavenger hunt to get to know the campus, educational experiences in University classrooms, and participation in lessons and activities at the University Farm. Lunch is provided each day in a dining hall.

Registration is open through June 15. The normal rate is $100 for the week. Free and reduced lunch rates are available for qualifying students. Complete details on JBA Jr., as well as other pre-college summer programs at Truman, can be found online at jbajr.truman.edu.

For more information, contact the Institute for Academic Outreach at 660.785.5384 or institute@truman.edu.

Monday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tuesday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Wednesday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Thursday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Friday
9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Saturday
Closed

Sunday
Closed

Move-in Day will take place between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Aug. 16.

Those who volunteer will help new students move their belongings from their car to their respective rooms, direct traffic at essential locations and guide families to long-term parking.

If there are more than two people of in an organization that plan to volunteer, it is recommended to register as a “group” rather than submit “individual” registrations for each member. If you are no longer the point of contact for your respective organization, please contact orgs@truman.edu with the new contact.

Volunteering is open to all students. Sign up is available here.

 
Under the flexible payment plan, tuition is billed in full and paid for in installments. The first 25% payment is due by the end of the first week of class. In the fall and spring, tuition is paid in four monthly installments of 25% each. Summer term billing can be addressed in two installments. The new plan has established due dates for each of the installment payments.
 
The flexible payment plan is available to all Truman students. Because changes have been made, students currently taking advantage of this payment option will need to re-enroll in the flexible payment plan, as well as those who would like to opt-in to the plan for the first time. Students who were previously removed from the flexible payment plan for unpaid balances now have the opportunity to start again with a clean slate.  
 
Signing up for the flexible payment plan is easy, and it can be completed on TruView in just a few minutes. Details on how to sign up can be found here. Students who choose not to sign up for the flexible payment plan by Aug. 25, 2023 will automatically remain on the standard plan, which requires payment in full by the end of the first week of classes.
 
Questions about the flexible payment plan can be addressed to Student Accounts at 660.785.4074, staccts@truman.edu or in person at McClain Hall 105.

The University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. June 17 in the Student Union Building Conference room 3000. The website is updated to include the open session agenda.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available June 26.