Vol. 30 No. 20 - February 2, 2026

Foster worked as a NASA contractor at Johnson Space Center for 34 years. He manned spaceflight training, operations and safety, and trained astronauts in space shuttle flight control and propulsion systems and flight operations. He also spent time in Space Shuttle Flight Operations Safety working in the Mission Engineering Room during missions as both an engineer and lead contractor engineer. Additionally, Foster supported the Flight Safety Office performing safety assessments related to shuttle, commercial crew and Artemis programs.

In his presentation, titled "Artemis II Launch and Mission Briefing," Foster will speak on the upcoming Artemis II launch that will take astronauts around the moon for the first time since 1972. The projected launch date for Artemis II is Feb. 6 but may change due to weather or other variable changes. 

If the launch does take place Feb. 6, the planetarium will show a livestream open to the public. 

During same room selection day, all beds in a room must be filled. If students are currently living in a double or triple with a vacancy, they will have to find a roommate in the Housing Portal to select the same room for next year. 

All returning students living on campus next year will have access to the 12 meals/week plan; a meal plan that is not available to first-year students. The 15-meal/week plan is the most common meal plan.

Current residents who will not be able to self-select their room on “Same Room Selection” day are considered displaced and will be given a timeslot on the next day, Feb. 13, to select a different room. All displaced residents will be notified by email of their status as displaced. 

Students that have completed a housing application but have not found a roommate or self-selected a space will be manually assigned to a room with a roommate by the Residence Life team. 
March 19

Housing renewal applications are available on the Housing Portal. Additional information about housing and renewal applications can be found on the Residence Life website. 

Housing renewal timeline:

Same Room Selection Day
Feb. 12

Displaced Student Selection Day
Feb. 13

Room Self-Selection
Feb. 17-March 18

Assigned timeslots per credit hours earned as of Dec. 31, 2025:

75 credit hours or more
8 a.m. 
Feb. 17

45-74 credit hours
8 a.m. 
Feb. 18

30-44 credit hours
8 a.m. 
Feb. 19

Any returning student may self-select a room or apartment.
8 a.m.-5 p.m. 
Feb. 20-March 18

This conference is a University-wide celebration of student research, scholarship and creative achievement and will take place April 16.

Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit abstracts. Submissions are welcome for oral, poster, performance art and studio art presentations. Abstracts must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. March 20 and be sponsored by a Truman faculty or staff member. Students should work with their mentor before submitting.

Complete abstract guidelines are posted on the Office of Student Research website. The website will be updated with additional details for this year’s event once they are finalized.

Inquiries about the Student Research Conference should be directed to the Office of Student Research at osr@truman.edu. Email any questions to ewiles@truman.edu or osr@truman.edu.

 
Participating students will present original history projects, with judging and awards taking place in Baldwin Hall. The top projects from the Kirksville regional contest will advance to the state competition in Columbia, and from there students may qualify for the National History Day contest in Washington, D.C., this summer. 
 
Since its beginnings in 1974, National History Day has been an annual competition in which students in grades six through 12 develop history projects they present before judges. 
 
“For many students, this is their first experience presenting scholarly work in a university setting and participating in a nationally recognized academic competition,” said Jason McDonald, associate professor of history and co-coordinator of the event. “This is the first time Truman has hosted the regional contest in more than a decade. We see it as part of a broader effort to reestablish the event here and build a sustained connection between Truman and local schools.” 
 
The theme for this year’s contest is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” Details about the topic and the scoring guidelines for the contest can be found online at nhd.org. 
 
Students can participate either as an individual or in a group through their schools. Submissions can be made now until Feb. 13. The top two entries in each category and division advance to the next round. 
 
Sign up can be completed online at mo-tsukrc.nhd.org. Regional coordinators McDonald (jasonmcd@truman.edu) and Josh Nudell (jnudell@truman.edu), assistant professor of history, are able to answer any questions about this event. 

In celebration of Financial Aid Awareness Month, the Financial Aid Office in McClain Hall 103 will have free candy available. Students are encouraged to visit the office and discuss any questions they may have about financial aid. 

Along with processing the FAFSA to determine federal, state and some University funds, the office provides information about scholarship service and renewal for returning students. They can also help with private scholarship check processing, funding for study abroad or summer school, budgeting, financial literacy or loan counseling.

For more information, visit the Financial Aid Office website, call 660.785.4130 or email finaid@truman.edu.

Project proposals should be focused on enhancing sustainability on campus. They are judged based on environmental benefit, cost-effectiveness, visibility, student impact and opinion, contribution to Truman’s image, feasibility and time sensitivity. 

Most projects approved by ESFAC will receive funding for the 2026-27 calendar year and are intended to be completed within that year. However, the committee also allocates funding to one ongoing project that will take multiple years to complete. Their last major project, installing solar panels at the University farm, has concluded and they are welcoming submissions for a new major project.

Applications should be well thought out and as detailed as possible, however the committee will help to refine submissions. Proposals can be completed using this form. The deadline for proposal submission is March 21. For more details about the application process and guidelines, visit senate.truman.edu/archives/officialdocuments, or reach out to Kara Sargent, committee chair, at kms5248@truman.edu.

Applications for research and creative scholarship grants may request up to $5,750 and may include a $3,500 maximum student stipend, a $1,750 maximum mentor stipend and up to $500 for supplies.

To be eligible for funding, students must; have full-time enrollment in undergraduate studies, be mentored by a Truman faculty member, have good academic standing, plan to graduate no earlier than the fall 2026 semester and have completed their freshman year by May 2026.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 25. Additional information about the TruScholars program is available on the Office of Student Research website. Individuals with any other questions regarding the TruScholars program should email ewiles@truman.edu or osr@truman.edu. 

Please note that the scoring rubric has been recently revised and there are a few new formatting rules. The revised rubric can be found here, along with revised formatting rules and guidelines here.

Recipients must be enrolled full-time during the term of the scholarship to receive scholarship funds. Applications can be submitted and revised at any time prior to the March 6 deadline. To apply, log in to TruView, go to the Student Tab, Scholarships, Financial Aid & Loans then Foundation Scholarship Application.

These scholarships are available thanks to the private gifts of alumni and friends of the University.

Mock multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) will take place from 4-5 p.m. Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 on the first floor of Kirk Building.

MMIs are becoming more common in interviews for pre-health schools. Candidates rotate through five to 10 stations with different interviewers and questions. Individuals typically have two minutes to read and prepare their answer, with approximately eight minutes to answer and discuss. 

Truman Forensics, TAG Improv and UpChuckles will host “Big Dawgs Gotta Laugh” at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Ophelia Parrish Black Box Theatre.

The free showcase will feature a variety of performances, standup comedy and improv, with light refreshments provided. Emery McEvoy and Alex Peterson, forensics team members, will moderate the event.

The Office of Student Research (OSR) will host a TruScholars “Lunch and Learn” from 12-1 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.

This free lunch and information session is open to Truman students and employees who are interested in the program. Those attending must RSVP through this form. 

The Career Center will host upcoming events that give students the opportunity to explore graduate programs, internships and full-time career options while building professional connections and networking skills.
 
Graduate School Fair
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feb. 25
Student Union Building Georgian Room
Event link: Graduate School Fair
 
Career and Internship Fair
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feb. 26
Student Union Building Georgian Room
Event link: Career and Internship Fair
 
Professional Portraits for Students
Students attending either fair can have professional portraits taken free of charge by the campus photographer during the event. These high-quality portraits are perfect for LinkedIn profiles, Handshake profiles and other professional materials.
 
Employers & Opportunities
New employers are being added daily to Handshake, so the best way to see which organizations will be attending is to log in and check regularly. Employers are posting a variety of internships and full-time positions, with many hiring for multiple roles across different fields. 

The Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) will host “Trivia with the Tutors” from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 3 on the second floor of Kirk Building.

The 25th annual Big Event is set to take place at 10 a.m. March 28.

The Big Event gives Truman students, faculty, staff and alumni the opportunity to show appreciation for all of the support the Kirksville community has offered to them. Hundreds of Truman volunteers will provide services to the residents of the community by raking leaves, washing windows, painting and more.  

Faculty members from art, music, anthropology and political science studies will come together to discuss how their scholarship and creative activity relates to the themes of identity, memory and self.

Hosted by the School of Arts and Humanities, "Bridging Disciplinary Perspectives: A Conversation on Identity, Self-Perception and Memory” is from 3:30-5 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Art Gallery. Everyone is invited to join in celebration of the diverse scholarship in the School of Arts and Humanities, an opportunity to foster shared community and complimentary snacks and refreshments. The event will be moderated by Amber Johnson, professor of anthropology. Presenters include:

Juan Correa Cardozo 
Lecturer in Art, Printmaking 

Priya Kambli
Professor of Art, Photography and Foundations

Victor Marquez 
Chair, Department of Music
Associate Professor of Music, Theory and Composition

Anton Daughters 
Professor of Anthropology

Meg Edwards 
Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

This event is organized and funded through School of Arts and Humanities Mission Enhancement Award to Amber Johnson, professor of anthropology, with the support of the faculty from the School of Arts and Humanities.

The Truman State University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Student Union Building Conference Room. 

Nikki Hagen, an archiving and cataloging assistant at Truman, received a scholarship from Dreamzilla for their book “Lithop's Guide to Missouri Cryptids.” Dreamzilla is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering and supporting neurodivergent individuals. Hagen’s book is an illustrated fictional field guide to Missouri cryptids and was published Jan. 9. It can be purchased on Amazon. More information about Hagen is available at their author page.

Hagen encourages other neurodivergent students to share their story and apply to the same scholarship when it becomes available. Additional information can be found on Dreamzilla’s website.

The Truman State University Forensics Team started its 2026 Spring Semester with a showing at both the Gorlok Gala and the Online Asynchronous Tournament Series No. 5. Forensics brought home the tournament championship in both individual events and combined sweepstakes, winning over major schools. 

The team was second in debate sweepstakes, beating teams from Lafayette College, Lewis and Clark College, Missouri State and Sacramento State. 

“This team’s award list continues to grow every time we compete. This weekend is an excellent prelude to our nationals season,” said Ben Davis, director of forensics

Two students placed in the overall individual sweepstakes, called pentathlon. Briggs Maynor, a fourth-year chemistry major, was the tournament champion, followed by Emery McEvoy, a second-year accounting major, in second. These two competitors had the highest individual event points of the tournament.

The weekend was full of tournament championships across both individual events and debate. Annie Nguyen, a first-year political science and international relations and environmental science double-major, took home both the championship in communication analysis and the top novice award in the event. She was joined by Jack Unsell, McEvoy and Cooper Spacil, who placed second, third and sixth, respectively. Both Spacil and Nguyen earned qualifications for nationals. Nguyen also placed second in persuasive speaking, with Lauren Weiss placing fourth and qualifying for nationals. McEvoy took home the championship in impromptu speaking and placed third in Dramatic Interpretation, qualifying for nationals. In after-dinner speaking, the team held the top four spots, with Maynor taking the championship. He was joined by McEvoy in second place, Spacil in third and Weiss in fourth. 

In duo interpretation, Maynor was joined by his partner, Jessie Phillips, fourth-year political science and international relations major, for the championship. Interpretation events continued to thrive with Alex Peterson, senior criminal justice and social issue advocacy double-major, taking home the championship in prose interpretation, followed by Maynor in second and Nguyen in fifth. In poetry interpretation, Zoe Walker, third-year criminal justice and English double major, finished first, with Maynor and Phillips placing third and fourth, respectively. In program oral interpretation (POI), Phillips was second, Walker was fourth, and Willow Adamson was sixth. 

Truman Debaters were also successful, with Eric Rotert, second-year social issue advocacy major, placing first in Open IPDA Debate. In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Adli Jacobs was an octafinalist in the open division, and Emmett Beeson and Sawyer Partney were quarterfinalists in the junior division. 

The asynchronous tournament that ran the week prior to the Gorlok Gala, OATS No. 5, saw the team earn another individual events sweepstakes championship. Adamson was fourth and top novice in POI, followed by Alyssa Frisbie in fourth. Jack Unsell also took home a top novice award, placing second in impromptu speaking. Nguyen earned top novice in communication analysis. Jasmin Elwood placed sixth in prose interpretation, earning her qualification to nationals. 

The team is gearing up for its upcoming nationals season, and will return to Webster University in February for the Missouri Association of Forensic Activities state tournament.   

Visit @trumanforensicunion on Instagram for additional details.