Vol. 30 No. 14 - November 17, 2025

For the first time since 1994, the Truman football team has qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

With a 45-13 win at McKendree University, Nov. 15, the Bulldogs closed out the regular season at 8-3 overall, 7-1 in conference play, and punched their ticket into the 16-team playoffs. 

The Bulldogs will face a familiar foe in GLVC rival UIndy. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. Nov. 22 in Indianapolis. The Greyhounds took the conference title this year and defeated Truman in Kirksville in September. The loss was the last one for the Bulldogs, who are currently riding a six-game win streak. 

Truman football made three playoff appearances in the 1990s. Despite the 31-year drought, Truman is no stranger to postseason play, having gone 4-0 in the America’s Crossroads Bowl since 2019. 

For more information on the Bulldogs’ playoff push, visit trumanbulldogs.com and follow Truman Athletics on Instagram and Facebook. 

Amine Saoud (middle) accepts the prize for first place in the Bulldog B.I.T.E. competition from University President Sue Thomas and Charles Hunsaker, associate vice president for University advancement.

More than 80 high school and college students participated in the Bulldog B.I.T.E. and Bulldog Pitch Day competitions. 

The top six pitches in each competition advanced to the finals that took place on campus, Nov. 13. Finalists pitched their concept or idea for a product or service to a panel of judges for the chance to win a portion of the $7,000 in financial awards that were available. Pitches were limited to two minutes with a question-and-answer session of four minutes.

Bulldog B.I.T.E. received 29 qualifying round submissions from a total of 42 students. The video pitches were scored by alumni judges to narrow the field to the six finalists.

Senior Amine Saoud won first place in the Bulldog B.I.T.E. competition for his “Aero Flow” concept, which offers a gamified breathing treatment device to help asthmatic individuals, earning an the top award of $3,000.

Senior Aiden Roberts placed second and received an award of $2,000 for his business concept “Bear Scrub,” a product designed to help individuals wash hard-to-reach areas of their body. 

Freshmen Chase Haustein placed third for his concept “UNI Trades,” an app designed to allow college students to trade skills and services using a token-based system instead of cash.

Bulldog Pitch Day had 79 pitches submitted by students participating from six local high schools: Brunswick, Grundy, Higbee, Kirksville Area Technical Center, Monroe City and Paris.

Sean James from Kirksville Area Technical Center won first place and received a $500 award for his pitch for a product called “Flare Pocket” a small, battery powered hand-warming device.

Paisley Weldon from Monroe City placed second and received a $300 award for her business concept “Mare Care,” a horse harness outfitted with sensors designed to send a horse’s vitals to owners through an app providing to allow for faster medical attention.

Serenity Fishbeck and Audrey Rodeghero from Monroe City placed third and received a $200 award for their concept “Silent Heels,” a cushioned product designed to remove the loud clicking sound that comes with wearing high heels.

These competitions were made possible through the Villhard Innovation Fund and the Lt. Gen. Shien Min Ku and Shih Chin Ku Entrepreneurship Fund at Truman. These funds were created through the  generosity of Truman alumni Doug (’94) and Diane (’95) Villhard and Stella Chakiris (’73) and continue to be supported by many Truman alumni and friends.

For more information about this year’s competition, when available, visit bulldogbite.truman.edu/winners.

Bre Mathes presents her findings during her summer research experience. 
 
Opportunity can come in many forms. Sometimes, it can be as commonplace as a posting on a bulletin board or digital platform. That’s how Bre Mathes first learned of a summer research experience that would set her up for success in the remainder of her collegiate career and beyond.  
 
Mathes spent 10 weeks of the summer participating in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Arkansas. Specifically, she worked out of the Terrorism Research Center and utilized data from its Health Equity and Access Lab. Focusing on crime, justice and health data analytics, it was an intersection of many interests for her, and it all started with a simple post.  
 
“This REU was posted on the Truman State Pre-Law Brightspace page back in January of this year,” Mathes said. “Given that this REU encompassed everything I was looking for in an internship experience – including data analytics and the opportunity to travel to a different state – I eagerly applied.”
 
Mathes was one of only 10 interns from around the country selected to participate in this REU. She joined students from the University of Georgia, Kansas State and the University of Texas at Austin, among others. Days were filled in computer labs learning coding, research methodology and analysis, criminology and how to design research questions with survey data. All the program participants lived in the same off-campus apartment complex and attended networking events together, leading to an unexpected benefit. 
 
“I still talk to several of my coworkers and find it so awesome we met through this internship experience,” Mathes said. 
 
Part of the program called for participants to complete their own research in their topic of study. Mathes’ project used statewide data to assess the role getting stopped by police could play in women’s health outcomes. She and the other participants presented their research to members of the faculty at the conclusion of the program. For Mathes, the summer REU was an opportunity to gain experience in fields she hopes to pursue in the future. She plans to earn a J.D. and Master of Public Health degree and would like to practice in health law, bridging the gaps between medical and legal practice. 
 
“Oftentimes, technical jargon from both sides can result in confusion and miscommunication, which can result in inequitable outcomes for patients,” she said. “If the medical and legal worlds could work together more closely and better understand one another, I would consider that a success.” 
 
Mathes has used her time at Truman to prepare for her future career. She will graduate in May with degrees in criminal justice studies and philosophy and religion, along with minors in health and legal studies. Her summer research experience combined perfectly with her fields of study and should have her positioned for success in law school and beyond – all because she followed up on a Brightspace posting.
 
“If it were not for this REU, I would not have the knowledge and passion for data-driven storytelling as I do now,” she said. “It is imperative to understand both law and data in order to make informed policy decisions. This REU was a great springboard to jumpstart my understanding of data collection and its real implications.”

The Office of Admission is looking for reliable and responsible students to welcome and introduce all first-year students and their families to Truman during summer orientation activities.

The position of an orientation leader requires a great deal of dedication and hard work. As representatives of Truman, they are expected to learn the most important aspects of the University to best facilitate positive interactions between families and first-year students and be able to fulfill varying and diverse roles throughout training and the orientation sessions. While serving as a friend and mentor to new students, orientation leaders are also responsible for communicating and upholding Truman policies, as well as any special policies which may apply specifically to summer orientation.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 16.

 
The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series will sponsor a performance of the opera classic, “La Bohème” at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. 
 
Originally composed by Giacomo Puccini in the late 1800s, this innovative reimagining performed by Ozarks Lyric Opera is set in the modern day and focuses on young artists hustling to make ends meet. At the forefront, Rodolfo, a poet and writer, falls for Mimì, a seamstress and aspiring designer facing grave illness. Puccini’s lush score captures the fleeting joy, heartbreak and defiant spirit of youth in a production that pulses with contemporary energy and emotional depth.
 
Established in Springfield, Missouri, in 1979, Ozarks Lyric Opera is committed to the transformative power of opera and providing live performances in the Ozarks. In keeping with the spirit of accessibility and bringing opera to a wider audience, this production of “La Bohème” is performed in Italian with English supertitles projected on stage. 
 
 
Tickets for the 2025-26 Kohlenberg Lyceum Series are provided free of charge thanks to the generous support of local sponsors, the Friends of the Lyceum program and the Truman State University Foundation.
 
For more information about the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series, visit lyceum.truman.edu or contact the Advancement Office at 660.785.4133.

Truman Theatre will perform, “Cabaret,” Nov. 19-20 in the James G. Severns Theatre in Ophelia Parrish. 

“Cabaret” explores the decadent world of cabaret inside the Kit Kat Club. Pleasure and danger entwine as love, freedom and identity clash against the rise of darkness in 1920s Berlin. Kander and Ebb’s masterpiece “Cabaret” is daring, dazzling and timelier than ever. While the world outside is changing – inside, anything goes. 

Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. 19-20. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at boxoffice.truman.edu or at the theatre prior to each performance. For more information, contact boxoffice@truman.edu.

The Office of Student Research is accepting Conference Travel Scholarship applications for spring 2026. 

Students who plan to present the results of their research or creative scholarship at a conference taking place between December 2025 and March 2026 may be eligible to receive up to $500 to cover conference expenses. To be eligible for the Conference Presentation Scholarship, students must have completed or be currently involved in a faculty-mentored research experience and plan on presenting at the conference. The application deadline is Dec. 1.

Complete guidelines for the Conference Travel Scholarship can be found at the Office of Student Research website. Questions regarding the applications can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

Students in BSAD 325 are inviting fellow students to participate in a survey as potential customers of Gathering Grounds.