Vol. 24 No. 1 - August 19, 2019

Truman jumped 16 spots on Kiplinger’s list of 500 Best College Values for 2019, coming in as the No. 55 school in the nation. The Kiplinger rankings combine public schools, private universities and private liberal arts colleges into a single, comprehensive list. Truman is the only Missouri public institution in the top 300.

“We are always gratified to be recognized in Kiplinger’s national college ranking as it focuses on the essential components of a Truman education – high quality and value. A liberal arts and sciences education is the education for the 21st century, and to have the impactful work of our students, faculty and staff recognized with such a striking move forward in the rankings is outstanding,” said University President Susan L. Thomas. “We are committed to the continuous advancement of the Truman experience.”  

Kiplinger also ranks the best values in each category. The analysis is based on objective measurements of academic quality and affordability. Again, Truman is highly ranked, coming in as the No. 5 public school in the nation for out-of-state students and No. 22 for those in-state.

When broken down by region, Truman is the No. 1 public school in the Midwest, ranked above much larger flagship institutions such as the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and Purdue, which rounded out the top five. Among both public and private schools in the Midwest region, Truman ranked No. 11.  

All the schools on the list meet the Kiplinger definition of value: a high-quality education at an affordable price. The publication analyzed academic measures, including the student-to-faculty ratio, the test scores of incoming freshmen and the percentage of students who return for sophomore year. The most points were awarded for graduation rates, and this year Kiplinger’s revised the rankings to include five- and six-year graduation rates, as well as colleges that do an outstanding job of graduating students with financial need.

The full Kiplinger rankings are available online at kiplinger.com/links/colleges and appear in print in the September 2019 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

Derrick Rohr reads in Pickler Memorial Library. This fall marks his 21st year as student at Truman. Although he earned two undergraduate degrees more than a decade ago, Rohr has taken at least one class every fall and spring semester since 1999.

Derrick Rohr is a familiar face to a lot of people around campus and throughout Kirksville. Even those who may not know him personally have probably seen him at one of his usual haunts, whether it is playing basketball at the rec center, getting a bite to eat downtown or at church on Sunday. He has the energy of an incoming freshman, but the increasing number of grey hairs sprouting through his black mane make it difficult to place his age. It is even more difficult to categorize Rohr the person. He wears many proverbial hats – husband, father, pastor and, for the last 20 years, college student.

Since he first enrolled at Truman in 1999, Rohr has taken at least one class every fall and spring semester. The current school year marks his 21st as a student, but his quest for a degree ended long ago. Rohr earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, along with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religion, graduating with both in 2006.

“People are often shocked with the pairing of those degrees. I’m not sure I understand their shock,” Rohr said. “Both physics and philosophy and religion are ways of apprehending what’s going on here – trying to figure out the truth about the world and ourselves, so they seem of a piece to me.”

Coming to Truman out of Independence, Mo., Rohr had an affinity for math and physics, but he didn’t have any definitive plans for a major.

“On the little card with the boxes [that says] check stuff you’re interested in, I just checked those, but I didn’t know what I was going to major in,” he said. “When I got to Truman my first schedule came printed and said major: physics. I was like, OK, I’ll do it until something else happens, and I just did it.”

At first, Rohr may have seemed an unlikely candidate to stay in school for two decades. He struggled with some classes in the beginning, and having his high school sweetheart, Tabitha, living a thousand miles away didn’t help.

“I didn’t do too great the first couple of years of school,” he said. “It was OK, I just didn’t study a lot.”

When Tabitha transferred to Truman it inadvertently changed Rohr’s academic trajectory. They got married the summer after their sophomore year, and although he was close to finishing his degree, it was going to take some extra time for Tabitha to complete her studies in nursing. Already active in Campus Christian Fellowship, he decided to add the philosophy and religion degree.

While double majors are usually thought of as exceptionally driven students, by his own admission, Rohr was not. A look through his transcripts shows several years front-loaded with what seems like a disproportionate amount of math and science classes, in which he achieved varied levels of success. He nearly missed out on one of his degrees due to a misinterpretation of the course catalog.

“I was freaked out for a second, and then I was like, I honestly don’t really care. I already did it all. Thanks for the paper, but I don’t care that much,” he said. “I just like learning.”

In fact, Rohr has no interest in earning additional degrees from Truman. He is slowly working toward a seminary degree from a school in Tennessee, but when it comes to classes locally, his main goal is expanding his understanding of subjects he finds enjoyable. Even though it may not be his top priority, Rohr has managed to achieve a grade point average of 3.07 over the 203 hours of college credit he has accrued. It helps that in the 13 years since he received his degrees, he has taken classes based solely on whether or not they appeal to his interests. As a result, his grades have been predominately A’s and B’s.

While Rohr occasionally takes recreational classes such as tennis, racquetball or weight training, most of his selections touch on English, history or religion. He has even taken a few classes multiple times. For Rohr, those semesters are an opportunity to take a deeper dive into the subject. He also uses them as a chance to meet new students, make deeper connections with the students he mentors through CCF and to help him in crafting his sermons. The juxtaposition of degrees from both a scientific field and religious concentration allows him a plethora of options for examining the larger questions in life.

“There’s a lot of noise, I guess, about some big conflict or disagreement between faith and science, but I don’t see it,” he said. “I think intelligent, thoughtful and humble people can acknowledge that they don’t know everything to start with. If you’re going to try to understand things about God, that’s going to require and fit with understanding things about the world and what’s going on here.”

Among Rohr’s favorite classes at Truman is “Faith and Reason in Christian Thought.”

“The class material itself was the stuff that kept me up at night and I was always wrestling through and thinking about anyway,” he said. “[And the instructor,] she’s an awesome professor. I think she’s very amazing.”

His work with CCF is what ultimately kept the Rohrs in Kirksville. A full-time pastoral staff position for Derrick became available just before Tabitha was to complete her degree. They put their original plan of moving to a larger city on hold, and now Kirksville is the only town their three children, Elle Grace, Jude and Max IV, have ever known.

“We didn’t see it coming,” he said. “We love Kirksville now, it’s great.”

Despite the commitments of a demanding job and growing family, Rohr has always made the time to continue his education. To accommodate his schedule, he tries to take classes that allow for independent study or guided readings. Homework is often done after midnight so as not to detract from quality time with the family, and whenever possible he will take one-hour courses to keep his costs and workload more reasonable. Although it becomes increasingly difficult to fit everything in, Rohr has no plan to end his educational pursuits. He understands the value of having Truman as a resource in his adopted hometown, and he appreciates the opportunity to utilize it and continue learning.

A crew pours concrete on the mall plaza. The area will soon feature a new fountain, thanks in large part to the donation of an alumna.
Once a proud symbol of campus, the mall fountain had needed a repair for years. It was rarely on, and when it was, the geyser-like stream of water it produced often made it uncomfortable to sit near and difficult to have a conversation in its vicinity.

Thanks to gifts from many generous donors through a plaza campaign, including a brick campaign, the entire Student Union Building plaza is getting a makeover. The new fountain and the surrounding area will now be known as the Sandra K. Giachino Reavey Sesquicentennial Plaza, following a donation from Reavey’s estate and the success of Truman’s 150th anniversary brick campaign.

“Everyone knows that state support has been flat or diminishing for some time, so for us to get to do some of the things that make campus a unique place people can take pride in we increasingly will need to look to private support,” said Charles Hunsaker, director of development. “Our first priority as a University is providing a quality education, so gifts from donors allow us to fill needs that would otherwise go unmet because of our primary responsibility to supporting students.”

Support from donors can be seen in many spots on campus, including the recently completed parent-supported pavilion in Red Barn Park as well as the bulldog sculpture on the mall, which was provided through the generous support of donors.

Gifts to the University can come in many ways, and they can support any area of interest for the donor. The Truman State University Foundation has more than 825 different funds donors can support, and if there is not already a fund designated for a specific interest, one can be created. In recent years the Office of Advancement has conducted campaigns to support a variety of areas on campus, including University Counseling Service, the Women’s Resource Center, the Bike Co-op, Forensics, the Bulldog Student Investment Fund and many more.  

“These were areas that students wanted to see supported,” Hunsaker said. “We took their feedback and communicated that with our donors, many of whom contributed to those funds.”

By far, most of the money donated to the University goes directly to students in the form of scholarships. In the “Pursue the Future” campaign, which came to an end in 2018, Truman secured more than $24.6 million in donations specifically for scholarships. In total, more than 57 percent of donations from the campaign were designated to support students, and 94 new scholarships were created as a result.

Truman’s efforts to combat light pollution have been making the night sky near campus better for years, and now they are starting to play a similar role throughout the state.

Under the direction of Vayujeet Gokhale, associate professor of physics, a group at Truman has been receiving grant money from the NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium for the past four years to conduct light pollution research. Part of their work has involved installing sky quality meters at various locations in and around Kirksville.

“Human beings have evolved and grown up with an unadulterated view of the beautiful night sky for millennia,” Gokhale said. “We owe it to ourselves, and to future generations, to be not deprived of this beauty.”

In the summer, it was announced the University would be working with the Missouri Chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA Missouri) to deploy the sky quality meters at selected locations throughout the state to measure brightness.

Along with being better able to see the night sky, reducing light pollution has some major benefits. Light pollution disrupts ecological systems as well as sleep cycles in humans. Natural patterns of light determine wildlife behavior in a variety of ways, including predation, reproduction and fatigue, which are drastically altered when subjected to light pollution. Furthermore, light pollution comes at the price of unnecessary energy costs and carbon emissions, impacting both the consumer and the environment.

For the past two years, the Stargazers astronomy club, with assistance from the Environmental Sustainability Fee Committee and the Funds Allotment Council, has been doing its part to help. The club is working with Physical Plant and school administrators to change some of the outdoor fixtures where possible, and in retrofitting some of them with dark sky reflectors. They have also been replacing blue-white outdoor lights, which are more harmful to animal and plant life, with off-white and yellow lights.

Gokhale and the Stargazers students are combating light pollution with a three-point program. They will continue to research the problem through efforts such as the one with IDA Missouri. They are also trying to raise awareness of light pollution and convince authorities to make and implement changes whenever possible.

More information about the IDA Missouri program is available at darkskymissouri.org/programs/sqmprogram.

The Center for Student Involvement and Student Union Administrative Office merged in 2010, and while staff have been a cohesive unit since that time, they have maintained separate divisions in name until this summer.  

Collectively the office is now known as Union and Involvement Services (U&I). No changes have been made to the work or services offered. The U&I is primarily responsible for: Student Union Building operations; equipment rentals and reservations; technology service for the building and special events; campus programming; student organization development and services; Greek Life-related services; Homecoming and Greek Week programming; leadership development; and recognition programs at Truman.

The U&I website, available at involvement.truman.edu, contains helpful links to find involvement opportunities and campus policies.
 
Located in the Student Union Building Suite 2000, the hours of operation for U&I are 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday. Emails can be sent to union@truman.edu and the phone number is 660.785.4222. Students can follow U&I on Instagram @TrumanInvolvement or on Facebook @TrumanInvolvement.

This summer, senior biology major Natalie Biddle spent two weeks in Thailand helping animals and learning hands-on what it’s like to be a veterinarian.

Traveling with the study abroad organization Loop Abroad, Biddle was selected as part of a small team that volunteered giving care at a dog shelter and spent a week working directly with rescued elephants at an elephant sanctuary.
 
The Veterinary Service program brings students to Thailand for two weeks to volunteer alongside veterinarians from the U.S. and Thailand. For one week, Biddle and her team volunteered at an elephant sanctuary outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand, to work with the giant animals and learn about animal rescue and conservation on a larger scale.
 
The elephants at the sanctuary have been rescued from trekking, logging or forced breeding programs. Many of them had been abused and suffer from chronic injuries or blindness. At the elephant sanctuary, they are cared for by volunteers from all over the world. Biddle helped to feed and care for elephants, as well as learn about their diagnoses alongside an elephant vet. The sanctuary is also home to more than 1,000 animals, including cats, dogs, water buffalo, horses and cows, and is sustained in huge part by the work of weekly volunteers like Biddle.
 
For the other week, Biddle volunteered at a dog rescue clinic in Chiang Mai. The shelter is home to dogs who have been rescued after being abandoned, beaten or abused.

While she studied under the veterinarians leading her group, Biddle and her team made a difference in the lives of these dogs. By providing check-ups and cleanings, diagnosing and treating ear and eye problems, taking and testing blood, administering vaccines, cleaning and treating wounds, and helping with sterilization surgeries, the students were able to help support the health and well-being of these dogs.
 
By following a study abroad model instead of a voluntourism model, Loop focuses on educating its students so that they can contribute and serve in meaningful ways. It also works with locally run animal welfare organizations so that students contribute to long-term improvement on the ground in the countries they visit. With programs in Thailand, South Africa, Australia, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands, Loop Abroad is able to support animal welfare and conservation around the world because of its students and their dedication to helping animals in need.

Loop Abroad has animal science, marine biology and veterinary programs for students and young adults age 14 to 30, and offers financial aid and fundraising help. Programs range from two weeks in summer to a full semester abroad, and college credit is available. Interested participants can inquire or apply at www.LoopAbroad.com.

During the June 15 meeting, the Board of Governors approved recommendations for promotion and tenure effective at the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year.

Promoted to Associate Professor
John Jones, education
Yung-hwal Park, business administration
Amy Teten, communication disorders

Promoted to Professor
Matthew Derezinski, art
Katherine Jackson, business administration
Don Krause, communication
Brian Kubin, music
Chad Montgomery, biology
Paul Yoder, education
Lin Zhang, business administration

Granted Academic Tenure
John Jones, education
Yung-hwal Park, business administration
Amy Teten, communication disorders

The McNair Program supports and prepares underrepresented students for graduate studies. Paid summer research internships, funds for graduate school visits and conferences, and seminars and academic counseling are just a few of the benefits the program has to offer. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors are welcome to come for pizza and information about what the McNair Program can do for them.

Open Houses in Adair House
Aug. 20
4-5 p.m.

Aug. 22
4:30-5:30 p.m.


McNair Information Session
Aug. 27
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Student Union Building Georgian Room A


McNair Information and Application Work Sessions in Adair House
Sept. 6
4:30-5:30 p.m.

Sept. 10
4-5 p.m.

Sept. 19
4:30-5:30 p.m.

Sept. 23
4:30-5:30 p.m.

For more information visit mcnair.truman.edu.

Sign up for the #BetterBulldog Wellness Program, which begins Aug. 19 and lasts the entire fall semester.
 
This fun, interactive, self-guided wellness program is aimed at all Bulldogs looking to improve the quality of their life through self-examination, self-discovery and self-improvement. The #BetterBulldog program is easy, inclusive and as interactive as participants would like it to be.
 
Consider joining the online Facebook group to view posts and/or share posts (neutral or positive content) related to fitness and wellness. Each week students can complete the weekly check up and see which dog tags (gold, silver, bronze) they earned for the last seven days based on their responses.
 
Listen to the weekly podcasts (15-minutes or less) for extra motivation and support for an adventure through the fall semester together as a pack.
 
Finally, the #BetterBulldog logo was a collaborative effort between Professor Emeritus Tom Trimborn, University photographer Tim Barcus and Teresa Wheeler, director of publications. Barcus captured the original photo of the bulldog. Trimborn then recreated it on scratchboard based upon the photo. Wheeler created the digital logo utilizing Trimborn’s scanned art file.
 
Direct any questions, comments or concerns about the #BetterBulldog Wellness Program to Wellness@Truman.edu.


New Fitness Homepage

The REC website has a new fitness homepage menu for convenience in finding fitness-wellness information online. Our menu is easy to use and phone friendly.
 
Don’t miss out on the FREE instructional classes which begin Aug. 19. All fitness levels are welcome. Watch our instructor bio videos to learn more.
 
Learn about the weight room equipment and policies before visiting. Consider getting a personal trainer for a small fee for assistance in reaching wellness goals.
 
Check out the videos and photos the REC makes to assist in learning about the fitness equipment and how to use it properly. The Wellness website also has a lot of new content and is phone friendly.

Student Affairs and the Career Center have been relocated. The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards are now located in Student Union Building 3100. The Career Center is now located in Student Union Building 1110. Telephone numbers for each area will remain the same.

Ekklesia will host Christian a cappella singing on Monday nights with John Kusmec of True Men directing songs. Enjoy fellowship, devotional and refreshments at 9 p.m. starting Aug. 19 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.

 
The Office of Student Research is accepting Grants-in-Aid of Scholarship and Research (GIASR) applications for research and creative scholarship conducted in fall 2019. Grant applications may request up to $750 and can cover student stipends, supplies and travel to conduct research.
 
A GIASR proposal writing workshop for students will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. Aug. 21 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room 2105.
 
Complete guidelines for the GIASR application can be found at the Office of Student Research website. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 28. Any questions can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

The Historical Society is hosting a concert from 7-8 p.m. Aug. 23 in the Student Union Building Down Under. The band is Strange Accents. All proceeds will go to fund a one-time scholarship for history majors. Applicants can apply here.

Aug. 28
Student Union Building

Campus and community organizations will be present to distribute information and answer questions. This is a great way to learn more about the numerous organizations available at Truman.

Truman will conduct a bicycle sale at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 29 at the Military Storage Building on Florence Street (across from the tennis courts).  The bikes will be sold to faculty, staff and students. A Truman ID must be presented to register for a buyer number. Registration will begin at 8:15 a.m. at the Military Storage Building. Buyers will be limited to purchase one bike per person.

There are approximately 28 bikes for sale. Bikes will be sold for $20 (includes tax). Payment must be made by cash or check at the sale site. Bikes will be sold “as is” with no guarantees, refunds or liability from Truman.

This is a required class to drive Truman fleet full-size vans. Student drivers must also complete Waiver of Vehicle Usage Policy available at police.truman.edu.

Aug. 27
3 p.m.

Aug. 28
3 p.m.

Application for student parking decals must be completed online via TruView. To register a vehicle:

Log in to TruView
Scroll down to View & Update My Personal Information
Click Register My Vehicle/Bicycle
Verify the local Kirksville address and phone information.
Complete the vehicle registration – license plate information is REQUIRED

Parking Services will process the parking decal request. Student accounts will be charged $130. Additional parking decals are $20. 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.

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. For more information, contact Parking Services at 660.785.7400.

Foundation loans can come in the form of short-term loans, long-term loans, access loans and cultural loans specifically for study abroad trips. Applications go through the Financial Aid Office and are repaid directly to the University. Banks and outside lenders are not involved in the process.

To be eligible for a Foundation loan students must be enrolled on a full-time basis and be in good academic standing. Students also need to demonstrate an ability to repay the loan in a timely manner. Deferments of up to five years are available for cultural and long-term loans, provided the student is enrolled on a full-time basis.

In addition to scholarship assistance, the loan program is an example of the immediate impact of donations to the Truman State University Foundation. Gifts from alumni and friends allow Truman to provide assistance directly to students as they pursue their education.

For more information on the Foundation loan program, contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@truman.edu, at 660.785.4130 or in person at McClain Hall 103.

The Office of Advancement is accepting applications for the spring 2020 annual fund internship.

The intern will gain experience working on the fundraising side of a non-profit organization within Truman, specifically the Truman Foundation. Responsibilities will be divided between three main focus areas: Tel-Alumni coordinator, Office of Advancement projects and office hours with a focus on development projects such as the Student Giving Campaign and the Student Alumni Association.

Qualified applicants will be a business or communication major with a minimum of 2.75 GPA. The intern will work 15 hours a week for approximately 11 weeks and receive class credit commensurate with their time in the office. A supplementary stipend is also included.

For a complete job description, visit TruPositions or click here. Deadline for applications is Dec. 6. Contact Michael Burbee with further questions.

Aug. 19-23
7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Aug. 24-25
Closed

Aug. 26-30
7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Aug. 31-Sept. 1
Closed

Sept. 2
4-10 p.m.

The following full-time employees started during the month of July

Taylor Athon, admission counselor
Tara Hart, director of Admission
Tyana Lange, vice president for enrollment management and marketing
Allison Reed, biology laboratory technician
Deanna Rush, admission counselor
Rhiannon Turner, office assistant for Public Safety
Jamie Van Boxel, director of Residence Life

Truman made Money magazine’s list of “The Best Colleges in America” released in August. Of the 744 schools ranked, the University came in at No. 240. Among the 14 Show-Me State institutions on the list, Truman was No. 4 overall and the second-highest rated Missouri public school. 

Truman was recognized by College Consensus as one of the Best Public Colleges and Universities for 2019. The University came in at No. 39 overall on the list compiled by the college review aggregator. The Consensus score is made up of two parts: the Publisher Rating is an average of all rankings from publishers like U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and WalletHub; the Student Review Rating averages all of the legitimate student reviews from sites like Cappex and My Plan. By bringing together a full selection of data from publishers and student reviews, College Consensus gets the broadest ranking of the best public schools in the country.

Truman was included in the college guide book, “The Best 385 Colleges,” published by the Princeton Review. Only about 13 percent of America’s four-year colleges are included in the book.  

Student Robin Cooksey was named a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholar for the 2019-20 academic year. The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation that oversees auditors of issuers and broker-dealers. It has awarded academic scholarships to undergraduate and graduate accounting students since 2011.

Daniel Mandell, professor of history, participated in the July 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. He organized a session on “Power and Rights in the Early Republic,” and as part of the session presented “Tribes and Crimes,” on some of his new research work.
The Truman women’s basketball team was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the 2018-19 academic year. The Bulldogs posted a 3.598 cumulative grade-point average to tie for 18th among Division II schools in the WBCA.

The Truman Clarinet Choir was selected to perform at the 2020 Missouri Music Educators Conference in January at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo. This is the third time in eight years they have been chosen to perform at the prestigious event where they will have the opportunity to represent Truman and perform for hundreds of music educators from across the state. Under the direction of Jesse Krebs, professor of music, the 32-member ensemble is comprised of both music majors and non-majors playing the full range of instruments in the clarinet family, from the large contra-bass clarinet to the small E-flat clarinet. They will showcase their program of original music before the conference during a concert on campus at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall.