Vol. 27 No. 2 - August 29, 2022

Nursing students now have additional resources on campus following a lab renovation in the Pershing Building.

Truman recently received a five-year award of more than $1.5 million in support of the University’s McNair Scholars Program to help college students prepare for postgraduate studies.

Of the 189 new grants distributed by the U.S. Department of Education, Truman’s award ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The University’s total of $1,517,720 was the largest among the four awards distributed in the state of Missouri this year.

“For 30 years, McNair Scholars have been a dedicated and talented group of Truman students who commit to completing additional work while enrolled in rigorous undergraduate programs of study,” said Heather Cianciola, Truman’s McNair director. “They do this to ensure that their goals for advanced education stay within reach. For many first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students, opportunities to complete master’s and doctoral degree programs evaporate if students do not have consistent access to financial resources and effective preparation. The McNair Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education enables Truman to have a vibrant and academically driven community of student-leaders who combine their own strengths with McNair’s targeted resources and services. As a result, what Truman McNair alumni accomplish for themselves and their communities year after year is never surprising and always amazing and worth celebrating.”

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program honors the second African American to fly in space. After his death in the Challenger space shuttle accident in 1986, members of Congress provided funding for the McNair program. It is one of eight federal TRIO programs designed to remove social, academic and cultural barriers to students’ higher education goals.

Located in Adair House with Truman’s Upward Bound Project, McNair works with highly qualified Truman students across all academic majors to provide effective preparation for graduate study toward doctoral degrees. This includes: academic and social support through regular programming and academic counseling; funding for original, faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarly and creative projects; summer research internships; travel to conferences and graduate program visits; and graduate application costs.

Truman has been affiliated with the McNair program since 1992, and the University supports more than 30 scholars each year. In its history, 421 students have participated in the program with more than 75% who have completed or are currently enrolled in graduate studies and 26% who have completed a Ph.D. or other terminal degree.

Each year, junior and senior McNair Scholars have the opportunity to receive NASPA-certified peer educator training and to help first-year Truman students participating in the Pre-McNair Fellows Program explore graduate study opportunities.

Applications for the McNair Scholars Program and the Pre-McNair Fellows Program are open now. For more information visit mcnair.truman.edu and follow @tsumcnair on Facebook and Instagram.

A list of all the new grantees can be found here.

Truman’s chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma marked its 100th anniversary with a weekend of festivities, Aug. 26-27.

Truman’s Fraternity and Sorority Life recruitment will take place in September.

Sorority recruitment will be Sept. 6-11 and fraternity recruitment will be Sept. 9-16. Recruitment sign ups can be found here. Those interested in joining a National Pan-Hellenic Council organization can keep an eye out for interest events in the fall. Questions regarding recruitment can be emailed to fsl@truman.edu. More information can also be found by following @trumanfsl on Instagram.

The Student Health Center and University Counseling Services open house will take place from 4-6 p.m. Aug. 29 in the McKinney Center.

Alpha Gamma Delta’s signature fall philanthropy event, Cornhole for a Cause, will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 17 at Rotary Park. Anyone from Truman or the Kirksville community is invited to participate in the cornhole tournament. Tickets will be $20 per team and sign-ups will close at midnight Sept. 9. All proceeds will go to Feeding America and the I Think I Can Foundation. Food and refreshments will be available as well as prizes for the top players. For more information or to purchase a ticket and sign up a team, visit here. For timing purposes there will be a max of 50 teams.

Aug. 22-Sept. 2 load $100 worth of bonus bucks and get $20 free. For more information call 660.785.4197.

The Office of Citizenship and Community Standards is seeking students who want to become members of the Student Conduct Board. This opportunity allows students to be part of a positive restorative education-based conduct process. In addition to hearing cases of alleged misconduct, other optional opportunities include professional development, participating in educational outreach programs, creating and giving presentations and assisting with the evaluation of outcomes. Those who are interested can visit conduct.truman.edu or click here for more information.

To activate an account, visit WSJ.com/Truman and register using a Truman email account. Students will be asked for their graduation month and a year in order to gain uninterrupted access during their time at Truman. Faculty and staff will be asked to refresh accounts annually. For those who already have an account and have questions about the school-sponsored membership, call 800.JOURNAL or emailsupport@wsj.com.

Truman’s counseling program is currently accepting applications for the spring 2023 cohort.

Students with financial needs that may interfere with their ability to continue their education can seek assistance through the Truman State University Foundation Loan Program.

Faculty can schedule a meeting with Val Sevilla, instructional designer in learning technologies, for various course needs.

Huping Ling, professor emerita of history, recently published “Chinese Americans in the Heartland: Migration, Work, and Community” with Rutgers University Press. The book draws rich evidence from various government records, personal stories and interviews and media reports. It also sheds light on the commonalities and uniqueness of Midwestern and Southern states as compared to the Asian American communities on the East and West coasts and Hawaii. Ling has authored or edited more than 30 books and published more than 200 articles on Asian American studies. From 2008 to 2012 she served as the executive editor-in-chief for the Journal of Asian American Studies.

Victor Marquez-Barrios, associate professor of music, was recently awarded a McKnight Visiting Composer Fellowship. This competitive program is sponsored by the American Composers Forum and the McKnight Foundation and designed to provide meaningful support to artists to create music through an engagement with Minnesota communities. Music creators throughout the U.S. were invited to propose a residency project that responds to or reflects the unique qualities of people and communities in Minnesota. Each McKnight Visiting Composer receives $10,000 to spend time in Minnesota pursuing a self-designed residency project.