Vol. 27 No. 5 - September 19, 2022

Truman alumni (from left) Kristina Kohl, Matthew Matheney and Lindsey Watson are each a finalist for the Missouri Teacher of the Year Award.

With roughly 70,000 educators in the state of Missouri, it is nearly impossible to recognize all those dedicated professionals who devote their careers to teaching. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education tries to do just that with its Teacher of the Year program, and among the current seven finalists, three are Truman alumni.

Kristina Kohl, Matthew Matheney and Lindsey Watson all advanced to the finals for the 2022 Missouri Teacher of the Year award. The program recognizes the efforts of effective teachers who work tirelessly to provide a high-quality education to their students.

“Sincere congratulations to Lindsey, Kristina and Matthew,” said Lance Ratcliff, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education. “We are very proud of them, and we are honored to have helped all three of these alumni embark on such successful careers.”

Since Truman was originally founded as a teachers’ college, it is no surprise alumni are regularly finalists for this award. In addition to the University’s rich history, its Master of Arts in Education approach and focus on best practices and personalized attention have helped Truman continue to produce top-notch educators.

“At Truman, we don’t teach teachers, we teach their students,” said John Jones, associate professor and chair of the Department of Education. “We prepare our graduates to be the best at what they do because their own students deserve nothing less from anyone who walks into their classroom and picks up the chalk. We are extremely proud of our three Teacher of the Year finalists. Any of them would be more than deserving of the honor.”

All three alumni finalists represent different aspects of education. Watson (’11, ’13) teaches fourth grade at Sunny Pointe Elementary in the Blue Springs School District. She was drawn to teaching because of her experience as a student. Having spent her childhood in three different countries, each transition to a new school brought difficulties of its own.

“From my appearance to my accents, being the new kid was tough. My teachers supported me through my transition to my new schools and helped me feel a sense of belonging,” Watson said. “As a result, I started believing in myself and chose a career in education so I can offer my students a similar experience. I create a classroom environment where students can be the best version of themselves because all students are worthy of success.”

Kohl (’16, ’18, ’22) teaches sixth grade English language arts at Truman Middle School in the Lindbergh District in St. Louis. She is also part of the first cohort to graduate from Truman’s new Master of Arts in Gifted Education program. After five years in the profession, she is beginning to notice the lasting effects teachers can have on their students.

“I’m just now starting to see those long-term relationships stick out as some of the students I taught enter and exit high school,” Kohl said. “I just love seeing how kids grow up, and I love even more when they come up to me excited to share about where they’ve been or where they’re going. It’s this amazing and unique opportunity we have as teachers, and though we don’t always get to follow up with every student, I absolutely love when it happens.”

Matheney (’17, ’19) is a mathematics teacher at Miller High School in southwest Missouri. He is responsible for teaching geometry, algebra II, college algebra, technical mathematics, trigonometry and statistics to students in grades 9-12.

“I revel in the opportunity to create positive math experiences for everyone,” Matheney said. “When someone experiences triumph in the face of an appropriately challenging problem, the result is magical. It’s empowering. And when their list of triumphs grows, so does their confidence.”

The Teacher of the Year is determined following interviews of each finalist by a committee comprised of teachers, business leaders and education organization officials. The winner will be announced later this month, and all finalists, semi-finalists and regional teachers of the year will be recognized at a banquet in October. The new Missouri Teacher of the Year will serve as the state’s nominee for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year.

Truman will recognize its inaugural class of Echo 25 and Alumni Fellows honorees on Sept. 24.
 
The Alumni Fellows Program is sponsored by the Office of Advancement and the University’s five academic schools. It recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers. The program is designed to enrich the Truman experience by exposing students to outstanding alumni who share extensive knowledge and real-world experience from their respective fields.
 
Nominees must have distinguished themselves in their chosen profession, have made significant contributions to their community and demonstrated integrity in their personal lives. Learn more about this year’s Alumni Fellows honorees here.
 
The Echo 25’s inaugural class will feature 25 exceptional alumni under the age of 40. Recipients of The Echo 25 are 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 have the characteristics that enable them to be active, successful participants in their worlds. Learn more about this year’s Echo 25 honorees here.
 
Alumni Fellows

• Laura Brooks (’09)
• Jesse Jokerst (’03)
• Derek Ozkal (’03)
• Abigail Swetz (’04)
• Dyane Tower (’05)

Echo 25

• Babajide “BJ” Adio (’12)
• Deanna Barger (’14)
• Pascael (Barclay) Beaudette (’05)
• Grant Berry (’10)
• Jennifer Blank (’11, ’12)
• Theo Dean III (’12, ’14)
• Michelle (Carter) Failla (’07)
• Shari (Fieser) Foglesong (’15, ’19)
• Rachel Greer (’15)
• Ellie (Glenn) Harmon (’07)
• Pete Howe (’06)
• Joshua Kappel (’07)
• Robert Kelchen (’07)
• Sara (James) Kurovski (’07)
• George Patrick Lee (’15)
• Brianna Lennon (’07)
• Adam Lowrance (’05)
• Stephanie McGrew (’12)
• Katie Cooper Nix (’06)
• Jessica (Chaney) Rooks (’05)
• Alafiya (Nasrulla) Sachak (’09)
• Sarah Saheb (’06)
• Darius Taylor (’12)
• Daniel Tucker (’07)
• Geoffrey Woehlk (’14)

Truman Theatre’s first production of the year will be “The Revoluntionists” by Lauren Gunderson and will run nightly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in the James G. Severns Theatre.

“The Revolutionists” is a play that combines a good bit of hilarity with some high-stakes drama about four real women during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Olympe De Gouge was a playwright who was executed by guillotine for expressing her dissenting opinions.  Charlotte Corday was the young woman who assassinated Jean-Paul Marat, a major player in the worst excesses of The Terror.

Marie Antoinette is the former queen in the play, a big fan of ribbons and has moments when she is oddly prescient. The fourth character is Marianne Angelle, a composite character made up of real women who were revolutionary activists in what is now Haiti. The four women spend their time brainstorming revolutionary plays and attempt to beat back extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. The women are united by their dismay over the way this hopeful people’s revolution is now sinking into hyper-violent and hypocritical male rhetoric.

The performance has a runtime of 90 minutes with content warnings of violent imagery of the guillotine and brief discussion of sexual abuse. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at boxoffice.truman.edu or at the door. For more information, contact the Truman Theatre Box Office at 660.785.4515 between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Jurjevic is a poet and literary translator. She was born and raised in Rijeka, Croatia, in the former Yugoslavia, before immigrating to the United States. Her poetry explores her experience after the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

“Small Crimes” was Jurjevic’s debut poetry collection that won her the Phillip Levine Prize. Her chapbook “Nightcall” was selected for the ACME Poem Company Surrealist Poetry Series. Her book-length translations from Croatian include “Mamasafari” and “Dead Letter Office.” She was the recipient of a Tennessee Williams Scholarship from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a Hambidge Fellowship and the 2018 Georgia Author of the Year award.

Jurjevic currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and teaches in the English Department at Georgia State University.

The Nursing Department is hosting one of the ground sites for the national presentation of “The Nurse Antigone” at 5 p.m. Sept. 21 via Zoom.

This event is in collaboration with the Nursing Student Association and the Rho Omega chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Professional actors and front-line nurses will present dramatic readings from the Greek tragedy “Antigone” that will be the basis for discussions on what nurses have experienced before, during and after COVID-19.

Antigone is an ancient play about a young woman who puts everything on the line to do what she believes is right. It dramatizes the heavy cost of silencing and marginalizing caregivers, especially during times of crisis. The performance of “The Nurse Antigone” aims to generate compassion, awareness, connection and much needed healing while celebrating and advocating for nurses at this critical juncture in the history of their profession.

Registration for the event can be found here.

The 32nd Annual Philosophy and Religion Conference will take place Nov. 5 on campus.

Students can now submit papers to be featured at the conference. The submission deadline is Oct. 3. Papers from any area of philosophy and/or religion are welcome. This may include fields such as classics, anthropology and others. Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes reading time (approximately 2,000 to 2,500 words). A review panel of Truman undergraduates will select the program.

Papers should either be emailed to Dereck Daschke, professor of philosophy and religion, with the subject line “Undergraduate Philosophy and Religion Conference,” or a hard copy dropped off at Daschke’s mailbox in McClain Hall 204. Students should separate all identifying information, including name and school, from the body of the paper in either format – include this information only in a separate cover sheet or in the body of the email. The title of the paper should be listed in both documents.

An assistant professor of American history at New Mexico Highlands University, Ritter will discuss his book “Inventing America’s First Immigration Crisis” which examines the history of immigration, nativism and anti-Catholicism in the early American West.

Fraternity and Sorority Life will host fun, educational activities for Hazing Prevention Week, Sept. 19-23. There will be a hand-printing banner, giveaways, snacks and educational games throughout the week. Banner printing will take place Sept. 19 on the quad and pretzels will be available at the “hazing is twisted” table Sept. 20-21 at the Student Union Building. The winner of the poster contest will be announced Sept. 22 and “twisted trivia” will take place Sept. 23.

The McNair Program supports and prepares first-generation, Pell-eligible and underrepresented students for graduate studies. Paid summer research internships, funds for graduate school visits and conferences, and academic counseling are just a few of the benefits the program has to offer. Applications are open now with a priority deadline of Sept. 19. Check eligibility here. For more information visit mcnair.truman.edu or follow the program on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Alpha Sigma Gamma, a non-selective service sorority, will host their fall recruitment from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 20-21 in the Student Union Building Activities Room and Sept. 22 on the quad with a rain location of Violette Hall 1000.

ASG’s four pillars are service, sisterhood, scholarship and friendship. They do service in the Kirksville community along with service outside of Kirksville. They also put on sisterhood and social events with other organizations.

Email asgducks.pr@gmail.com for more information.

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. 23 with soccer games versus Maryville University. Women’s soccer will play at 2:30 p.m. at the Bulldog Soccer Park with men’s soccer following at 7 p.m. at Stokes Stadium. A concert performed by the jazz ensemble and jazz lab band will also take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Baldwin Hall Auditorium.

The annual Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 24 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, north to the courthouse and around the courthouse square. A full line up of entertainment is scheduled and includes local dance and music groups such as Truman’s own Minor Detail. The performances will close with the blues band Deadwood. Artists and crafters come from throughout the Midwest and include a wide variety of work including ceramics, jewelry, photography, woodworking, candle making and more.

From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 24 there will be a welcome tent set up on the quad where families can receive a free gift. Library tours will be available from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Pickler Memorial Library. This is a chance to tour the library and view a variety of historical items in the Special Collections Department. At 12 p.m. women’s tennis will play against Saint Ambrose at the tennis courts. Football will face Tiffin University at 2 p.m. at Stokes Stadium. Tickets are required and can be purchased at the gate or online here. Deadline for ordering tickets online is 11 a.m. Sept. 21. SAB will host coaster painting from 2-5 p.m. in front of the Student Union Building. Participants will be able to choose forma variety of coaster shapes and paints.  

Women’s soccer will face University of Missouri-St. Louis at 12 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Bulldog Soccer Park. Wind Symphony will perform a concert at 2 p.m. in the Baldwin Hall Auditorium. The weekend will end with a men’s soccer game versus University of Missouri-St. Louis at 2:30 p.m. at the Bulldog Soccer Park.

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

Wind Symphony I and II will perform their first concert of the semester at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Baldwin Hall Auditorium. This performance will include a special feature of David Maslanka’s “Symphony 4” which is a spontaneous rise of the impulse to shout for the joy of life. Using original themes as well as several hymns including “Old Hundred,”( the Doxology) the symphony compels people to consider the fundamental human issues of transformation and re-birth in this chaotic time. This event is free and open to the public.

Students have the opportunity to vote for Student Government until Sept. 23.  Results will be announced Sept. 23. Any questions can be emailed to stugovelectionsadmin@truman.edu. Follow Student Government on Facebook and Instagram.

The Truman forensics team will host an informational meeting from 6-6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Barnett 1211. The team will briefly discuss events offered, competitions and student experiences. No prior public speaking experience is necessary to join the team. For any questions email Ben Davis, director of forensics, at bdavis@truman.edu.

CML 200, Taiwan Connect, is a service-learning course. Starting in the second block, it will meet every Monday evening (from 6:30-8: p.m. before Nov. 6 and from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. after Nov. 6) beginning Oct. 17 in Baldwin Hall 309. The only requirement is participating students must be native English speakers.

Students enrolled in 12-16 credits can take CML 200 at no additional cost. For more information, contact David Zhijun, assistant professor of Chinese, at zwen@truman.edu, 660.785.6016 or in McClain Hall 313.

Information sessions about each graduate program will take place both virtually and on campus. Master’s programs offered are accountancy, athletic training, communication disorders, education, English, leadership, music, counseling (online), data science and analytic storytelling (online) and gifted education (online).

English
1-1:45 p.m.
Sept. 22
Zoom
Counseling
1-1:45 p.m.
Sept. 23
Zoom
Data Science
2:30-3:15 p.m.
Oct. 12
Zoom and in-person in Violette Hall 1300
Accountancy
3-3:45 p.m.
Nov. 3
Zoom and in-person in Violette Hall 1000

Communications Disorders
All day open house
Nov. 5
Health Sciences Building

The Special Collections Department of Pickler Memorial Library is looking to add to the Faculty Publications and Alumni Publications collections. Books and edited volumes published by Truman faculty, staff and students should be preserved for future Bulldogs to enjoy. Make sure to notify the Library about new – or older – publications. Contact the Special Collections Department at speccoll@truman.edu with information.

Even though a student may not qualify for grants or work-study, all students are considered for the Federal Direct Loan (no co-signer required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit students to taking a loan, but it does allow for more options.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For the 2023-2024 FAFSA students will use their 2021 tax information.