Vol. 31 No. 5 - September 14, 2026

Family Day is a University tradition that welcomes parents, siblings and other family members to Kirksville for a weekend of special on-campus activities, as well as the annual Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival.

The weekend will kick off Sept. 18 with a Statesman performance featuring the marching band, color guard, Showgirls and Spike at 4:30 p.m. on the quad. At 7 p.m. visiting family members can choose to participate in stargazing at Thousand Hills State Park or attend the Jazz Ensemble concert at 7:30 p.m. in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.

The annual Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 19 in downtown Kirksville. Exhibitors and food vendors will be located throughout the festival area, which begins at Franklin Steet in front of the Sue Ross Arts Center and extends north to the courthouse and around the square. Artists and crafters come from throughout the Midwest and showcase a wide variety of work including ceramics, jewelry, photography, woodworking, candle making and more.

From 10 a.m.-1 p.m. there will be a welcome tent set up on the quad where families can receive a free mug and purchase $5 Truman spirit shirts. Younger siblings can get free Future Bulldog t-shirts and tie-dye them at a booth from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on the quad while supplies last. Free temporary tattoos will also be available as well from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Pickler Memorial Library will host an open house from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. for a chance to tour the library and view a variety of historical items in the Special Collections Department. 

The Mathematics Department will host various activities, with a floor maze, games, puzzles, map coloring and more available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Violette Hall commons area and a math magic show from 11-11:30 a.m. in Violette Hall 1000. 

Various planetarium shows will take place at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Del and Norma Robison Planetarium. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the door or online at planetarium.truman.edu/tickets. The Bulldogs will also take the field for a football game against Missouri S&T at 1:30 p.m. in Stokes Stadium. 

Events continue Sept. 20 with women’s soccer at 12 p.m. and men’s soccer at 2:30 p.m. in Stokes Stadium. Truman’s first Wind Symphony I and II concert will take place at 2 p.m. in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. The program, entitled “Atlantic Dances,” will feature several pieces and welcome Thomas Palmatier (’77), former leader and commander of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” as a guest conductor. Admission is free and open to the public.

The schedule will continue to be updated. Visit truman.edu/parents-families/family-day for more information.

Student Engagement will host food trucks on campus from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 15.

Students, employees and community members are invited to enjoy various local food trucks on Truman’s campus. Participating trucks include Frosted Flamingo Ice Cream, LaPa, Nolia Jeans and Zydeco's Cajun Kitchen. Trucks will be stationed in the parking lot between the Student Union Building and McClain Hall. The parking lot will be blocked off to accommodate the trucks and to set up tables and chairs for diners.

Students and employees who may have received vouchers during move-in and Truman Week activities can redeem them at any of the food trucks. The $5 vouchers can be stacked up to $10 to apply toward the cost of a meal. Cash and card will also be accepted methods of payment. Meal swipes and Bonus Bucks cannot be used at the food trucks.

Echo Awards honor alumni for professional achievement and commitment to living out the University’s characteristics of graduates. 
 
Comprised of the Rising Star awards and Alumni Fellows, the Echo Awards bring distinguished alumni back to campus each fall. 
 
Recipients of The Rising Star were selected based on the ways they live out Truman’s characteristics of graduates. Truman graduates are creative, socially responsible leaders and engaged world citizens. They are responsible, informed and compassionate. They have the characteristics that enable them to be active, successful participants in their worlds.
 
Alumni Fellows are distinguished in their profession in addition to making impressive contributions to their community and demonstrating integrity in their personal lives. 
 
As part of the awards weekend, honorees will speak at classes, meet with faculty and students, and share stories about their personal and professional accomplishments. The honorees will also be acknowledged at halftime of the Bulldog football game, Sept. 19.

Nathan Artz (’01) 
Medical Physicist, Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Chris Wallen (’95) 
Managing Director of Customer Experience Strategy, VML

Thomas Palmatier (’77) 
Leader and Commander, United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”

Wyatt Beckman (’17)
Senior Analyst and Portfolio Strategist, Kansas Health Institute

Dylan Gelbach (’12)
Judge Advocate and Captain, Missouri Army National Guard

Theo Greer (’20, ’21, ’23)
Composer and Music Theorist

Jenna Homeyer (’12)
Attorney, Dr. Brad Bradshaw

Matt Kennedy (’11, ’13)
High School Teacher - Social Studies, Kirksville High School

Matthew P. Matheney V (’17, ’19)
Instructional Mentor, Hickman High School

Casey Millburg (’10)
Chief of Staff, St. Louis Mayor’s Office

David Pagel (’13)
General Counsel, Sourcewell

Courtney Sappington (’09)
Kansas House Representative, District 5

Avery Whitsell (’17)
Head of Business Development and Operations, UBS at Canada

Applications are now open for Spring 2027 Foundation Scholarships available through the Truman State University Foundation.

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 Oct. 16 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.

For those who cannot attend in-person, virtual meetings will be available during the time of the event. Those interested should sign up in advance via Handshake.

Missouri students can learn more about registering to vote at the Secretary of State website. Out-of-state students should check with election officials in their home state for more information about registering to vote.

Reception attendees can enjoy light refreshments and participate in voting for the Best in Show People's Choice Award. The exhibit is on display now through Dec. 14 and is free to view for all Truman students, faculty and staff, as well as the community.

Open hours for Pickler Memorial Library can be found at library.truman.edu/library-hours.

Meal swipes will now be accepted at Mein Bowl on Thursdays, allowing students to extend the use of their meal plans throughout the week. Dining services will also continue to offer a weekly rotation of assorted dining options — such as barbecue, wings and burgers — every Wednesday at Tres Habaneros, with the addition of free drink refills within Mainstreet Food Court. Drinks can be refilled at any soft drink fountain, excluding specialty drinks such as lemonades and teas from Chick-fil-A.

Additional information and organization signups are available here. Questions should be directed to Zac Burden, director of citizenship and conduct, at zburden@truman.edu.

Applications for positions on AFAC are available at senate.truman.edu/application. Questions should be directed to studentgovernment@truman.edu.

Students who may be interested in sharing their Truman experiences should fill out this form.

Carlo Annelli, assistant professor of Italian, has completed a revised and expanded Second Edition of his textbook, “Figurati! An Economical Approach to Elementary Italian.” 

Elaine AuBuchon, lecturer in music, recently completed the second level of her Orff-Schulwerk Certification. The extensive two-week program is designed to train music educators in the Orff framework, teaching music through singing, movement, games and poetry to help young students develop their ears, minds and bodies. This training will aid in developing Truman’s own elementary music educators in their summer class.

Amy Norgard, associate professor of classics and interim chair of communication arts, recently published a chapter in the volume "Animation and the Ancient World" from Oxford University Press.

Norgard's chapter, entitled "Utopias and Cloud Cuckoo Land in Coming-of-Age Animated Fantasy," explores how YA animated film and TV reimagine ancient utopic fantasy worlds, particularly Aristophanes' Cloud Cuckoo Land, to interrogate the interplay between fantasy, escapism and coming-of-age narratives. Discussion in the chapter centers on the animated short "Porky in Wackyland” and various animation from the 2010s, including: “The LEGO Movie,” “Adventure Time” and “Gravity Falls.”

Norgard developed portions of this paper through teaching her film and mythology classes at Truman — she thanks her students who were receptive to the ideas and helped her hone them over several years.