Vol. 25 No. 31 - May 3, 2021

While the 2020-21 school year was affected by the pandemic, Truman was never in a position that necessitated pausing instruction or sending the entire student body home. According to statistics tracked by The New York Times, there were more than 660,000 coronavirus cases on college campuses during the academic year. As of April 27, Truman had a total of 521 cases among students and employees since July 2020.

Starting last summer, Truman took a number of proactive steps to limit exposure to and spread of the virus on campus. Course offerings included in-person, online and hybrid options. Classrooms were all socially distanced, plexiglass barriers were installed in areas where face-to-face interactions take place, signs promoting safe practices were posted throughout buildings, and floors were marked with stickers establishing six-foot distances as well as the proper flow of foot traffic in normally congested areas. The University also established its own contact tracing program, staffed by trained students, which helped slow the spread of the virus on campus.

While Adair County observed a mask ordinance from late November through May 1, Truman continues to follow its own campus-wide mask policy in place since July.   

“I was so proud of our students and employees who all committed to the public health measures necessary to keep our community safe,” said Brenda Higgins, associate vice president for student health and wellness.

A majority of Truman cases were documented in the fall, although the largest spike of the year occurred in February with a high of 52 active cases. Since that time, the number of active cases dropped sharply, and the University twice reported zero active cases in the spring semester.

Access to vaccines helped slow the spread among the Truman community. Survey data from Truman students in April showed almost two-thirds of the sample were already vaccinated. Since vaccinations became widely available in Kirksville, case counts have trended downward.

The Adair County Health Department conducted several drive-through clinics in conjunction with the Missouri National Guard. Vaccines were also available through Northeast Regional Medical Center, Hy-Vee Pharmacy, Walmart and Walgreens. On two occasions in April, the University conducted on-campus vaccination clinics open to all students and employees where a total of 427 doses were administered.

To accommodate in-person guests for graduation, Truman will host seven separate ceremonies over two days, May 7-8. Graduates are allowed two guests each, and Pershing Arena will be socially distanced for each event and sanitized in between ceremonies. Livestreams will also be available for those not in attendance.

Although the end of the pandemic is in sight, it remains a fluid situation. The University will continue to follow CDC and other public health guidance. In anticipation of the easing of at least some restrictions, the University will take appropriate, proactive steps this summer, such as returning all of the chairs to the classrooms. A determination about whether hybrid classes will take place in-person will be made no later than June 30. All University announcements related to COVID-19 will continue to be emailed to students, staff and faculty and posted to truman.edu/coronavirus.

May 7
11 a.m.
All undergraduate accounting, agricultural science, art, art history, biology and design degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

2:30 p.m.
All undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology, business administration, chemistry, classics and communication degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

6 p.m.
All undergraduate exercise science, French, German, health science and history degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

May 8
9:30 a.m.
All undergraduate interdisciplinary studies, justice systems, liberal studies, linguistics, mathematics, modern language, music, nursing, and philosophy and religion degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

1 p.m.
All undergraduate communication disorders, computer science, creative writing, economics and English degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

4 p.m.
All undergraduate physics, political science and international relations, psychology, Russian, sociology/anthropology, Spanish, statistics and theatre degree candidates, as well as commissioned officers
Watch on YouTube

7:30 p.m.
All master’s degree candidates
Watch on YouTube

Daniel D.Nagy earned second place in the national portion of the Gould Scholastic Award competition for his paper, “Mask Up: Opportunity Awaits.”
D.Nagy will receive a $7,500 award for winning second nationally. He also placed first in the local Gould Scholastic competition and took home a $250 award. Two other Truman teams received second and third place in the local Gould Scholastic Award competition.

Eric Bruce, Brock Malone and Patrick May earned second place for their paper, “Digitization: The Future of Finance.” They will share a $150 award.

David Shah and Seth Smith earned third place for their paper, “The New Normal: Digital Capabilities in Financial Service Firms in a Post-COVID World.” The duo will share a $100 award.

The event is an exhibition open to currently enrolled students from undergraduate programs across the United States. For this fifth year, participants were eligible to submit up to three works for jury consideration. A panel of three judges from the St. Joseph arts community assigned scores to the artwork submitted. This year had the broadest groups of participants, including artists from six states representing 15 colleges and universities and 20 cities. Out of more than 200 submissions, 56 artworks were chosen from 38 artists. These artworks include paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics and fiber art.

Works will be on view at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art through June 6. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for students. Museum members and children under six years of age are free of charge. For more information about the exhibition, call 816.233.7003.

The National Financial Plan Competition is sponsored by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. It is open to undergraduate university students who are enrolled in a financial services curriculum. From a fictional case narrative, the students are requested to craft a financial plan to present throughout the competition. The competition prepares these undergraduate students in a financial services curriculum for the real world of financial consulting by asking them to transform fictional family data into a reality-based financial plan.

“Experiential opportunities are so valuable in helping make the connections between theory and practice,” said Charles Boughton, instructor of business administration. “Students like the competitive environment and professionals have the opportunity to meet some of the best and brightest students that have aspirations of joining the industry. Congratulations to Tom and Gracie, and a heartfelt thank you to all the Association members who volunteered their time and the staff that made this event possible.”

The competition follows three stages: an initial analysis by professional consultants to reduce the entries to six semi-finalists; a semi-finals stage that identifies the top three finalists, this year it was four due to a tie; and the finals where the top teams present to IARFC U.S. Chapter Board Members. The four finalists rose from a field of 73 students representing 10 universities.

Bindbeutel and Trokey virtually presented their financial plans to the U.S. Chapter Board of Directors for judging on April 22, which brought the 2021 competition to a close. This was the first time Truman has participated in the competition.

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Art: Studio Art
Halle Workman

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Art: Visual Communication
Kayla Decker

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Classics
James J. Nicholson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Creative Writing
Claire Benevento

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Creative Writing
Kaitlynn Ellis

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in English
Caroline Lesch

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in French
Ashley Nichole Bone

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in German
Karis Chapman

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Linguistics
Karis Chapman

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: General
Noah Rogers

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: Performance
Trenton Kranz

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: Pre-Certification
Vivian Scott

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Music: with Emphasis Groups
Adam Barker

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Spanish
Sophia Cuni-Mertz

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Theatre
Alexandria Barge

Outstanding Graduate Student in English
Julie Noringriis

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Accounting
Caleb Bruemmer

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Finance
Jessica Riegel

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: International Business
Emily Green

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Management
Micah Linberger

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration: Marketing
Kayla Decker

Outstanding Graduate Student in Accounting
Robin Cooksey

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Anthropology
Kaitlin Lewis

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Communication Studies
Elisabeth Shirk

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Journalism
Ryan Pivoney

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication: Public Communication
Lesley Hauck

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Economics
Emma Rollings

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in History
Lauren Reed

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Justice Systems
Bryan Ritchey
Michael Christian

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Philosophy
Alexandra Marie Medler

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Political Science and International Relations
Vivian Alexandra Graham

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Lillian Rose Schell

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Jonie Welland

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Religion
Jacob Nicholson

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Sociology
Lesley Hauck

Outstanding Graduate Student in Leadership
Sara Seifert

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Agricultural Science
Sarah Oliver

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Reuben Kern

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biology
Kay McNeary

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Chemistry
Mahan Hadjian

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Computer Science
Pasindu Tennakoon

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Mathematics
Brent Koogler

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Physics
Angelina Partenheimer

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Statistics
Peyton Bell

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communication Disorders
Anna Christine Hess

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Exercise Science
Kayla Quanstrum

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Health Science
Kelly Decker

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Nursing
Baylee Garrett

Outstanding Graduate Student in Athletic Training
Clay Thebeau

Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Disorders
Gretchen Marie Sadler

Outstanding Graduate Student in Education/Elementary
Melissa Merkel

Outstanding Graduate Student in Education/K-12
Jordan Lewis

Outstanding Graduate Student in Education/Secondary
Elliott Leong

Outstanding Graduate Student in Education/Special Education
Ashley Merideth

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Interdisciplinary Studies
Liam Morris Connolly

The office will only accept email requests. Any submissions received after 12 p.m. May 6 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis once lottery requests have been processed. Requests will be processed throughout the summer and confirmations plan to be sent out prior to the start of the semester.

University guidelines for the fall 2021 semester have not been fully solidified so continue to reserve with social distancing in mind. Updates will be provided as soon as more information is made available. Consult the room release chart to identify appropriate spaces for anticipated events. The Union will continue to serve as classroom space weekdays from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Reservations for the Student Recreation Center will be available for request starting in the fall semester. Construction is occurring in Pershing Building and may impact availability of rooms.

All lottery information and forms can be found here. Contact the Union & Involvement Services Office at union@truman.edu or 660.785.4222 for more information.

In the wake of the Chauvin trial, the University conducted a community discussion to reflect on its impacts. Truman McNair alumnus Darius Taylor moderated a panel that included alumna Dr. Danielle Cooper along with justice systems professors Arlen Egley and Elizabeth Wiles. The recording of that event is now available online at diversity.truman.edu/community-discussion-regarding-chauvin-trial.

May 3
9 a.m.-10 p.m.

May 4
9 a.m.-10 p.m.

May 5
9 a.m.-10 p.m.

May 6
9 a.m.-7 p.m.

May 7
9 a.m.-7 p.m.

May 8
Closed

May 9

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available June 1.

Marc Becker, professor of history, was awarded a Summer Research Stipend by the National Endowment of the Humanities. These $6,000 stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months.
 
This funding will allow Becker to gather additional material for his project, “Philip Agee and the CIA in Ecuador, 1960-1963,” by conducting research in the foreign ministry archives in Quito, Ecuador.
 
Agee was a CIA case officer who became disillusioned with his role in the cold war. In 1975 he published “Inside the Company: CIA Diary,” the first uncensored exposé of CIA operations by a former case officer. Agee’s condemnation of U.S. intervention in Latin America ignited a broad debate about the role of the CIA and the moral responsibilities of its officers that permanently shifted public perceptions of the CIA.
 
Becker, who recently published “The CIA in Ecuador,” plans to draw on previously assembled data to examine the veracity and limitations of surveillance accounts such as that of Agee for interpreting the ideas and actions of leftist political activists in Latin America. The research will result in peer-reviewed journal articles and a book.
 

Through April 27, Truman recorded a total of 521 cases among students and employees. Since the beginning of March, the University active case total has remained in the single digits, twice reaching zero reported cases for the week. The group credited the willingness of the Truman community to find and get vaccinations for the ability to complete the school year without interruption. Approximately 70 percent of the campus has been vaccinated, and the CDC recently released new guidelines for what fully vaccinated individuals can safely do.

What the fall semester will look like is still unknown and will be contingent guidance from the CDC and other health care professionals. The University will continue to assess the situation and post any announcements regarding the fall semester at truman.edu/coronavirus.

A recording of the final Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group meeting of the semester can be found here.

A.T. Still University-Kirksville Family Medicine will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 4. Gutensohn Clinic, located at 800 W. Jefferson St. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered to patients age 18 and older at no cost and by appointment only. Participants will be required to follow CDC guidelines, including wearing a mask and social distancing.   

Email covidvaccinesignup@atsu.edu to request a time or call 660.626.2191. A consent form and directions will be sent to those inquiring by email. For additional information, call 660.626.2191.

The Adair County Health Department has scheduled another curbside vaccine clinic for 2-4 p.m. May 5 at 1001 S. Jamison in Kirksville. The clinic is open to all individuals age 18 and older who live or work in Missouri and who have not yet completed their COVID-19 vaccine series.Anyone who has received any vaccine other than for COVID-19 within the past four weeks prior to the May 5 event should not sign up.
Residents interested in receiving the vaccine should sign up using the Sign-Up Genius link on the Adair County Health Department website homepage or Facebook page. Those who do not have internet access may register by calling 660.730.6100 or 660.730.6200.
Although there is no charge for the vaccine, Medicare beneficiaries are asked to bring their Medicare or Medicare Advantage cards to the event.

The Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation will offer the Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of Allan Walker Purdy.

Purdy was born in 1914 on a farm near Macon and was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He worked in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture before becoming the campus’s first director of scholarships and student financial aid.

The scholarship is designed to provide merit-based scholarships to emerging leaders who are outstanding students and have a need for additional resources for higher education. The scholarship amount can vary based on an applicant’s circumstances. The general range will be $1,000-$5,000 based on expected family contribution (EFC), unmet need and other factors.

Applicants must be a Missouri resident, typically a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, a U.S. Citizen, and a sophomore, junior or senior attending a Missouri public four-year university or the State Technical College of Missouri. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2021. Applications should be submitted online through Scholarship Central at moslf.org. To access more information about this scholarship, click here, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130.

 
Listed below are several of the major national fellowships and their websites. More information about these fellowships is available at www.truman.edu/majors-programs/more-learning-opportunities/fellowships.

For Graduate Studies
Fulbright Grants
Research grants and teaching assistantships for a year abroad

Rhodes Scholarships
Grants for two years of study at Oxford University

Marshall Scholarships
Awards for two years of study in any British university

Mitchell Scholarships
One year of graduate study or research in Ireland or Northern Ireland

Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Awards for an advanced degree or second bachelor’s degree at the University of Cambridge
 
For Undergraduate Studies
Goldwater Scholarships
Up to $7,500 annually for tuition, fees, books, room and board for science and mathematics majors

Harry S. Truman Scholarships
For senior year and post-graduate study leading to a career in public service

Udall Scholarships
For students interested in careers related to environmental issues or for Native Americans and Alaskans interested in careers related to health care and tribal public policy

Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowships
For students interested in international affairs to work as research assistants to the Endowment’s senior associates in Washington, D.C. for a full year

Boren Scholarships
To study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests