Vol. 27 No. 36 - July 24, 2023

Economics students Lauren Frazier, Thaddeus Meadows and Warren Barge, along with graduate Caroline Wright, recently published articles through the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Frazier, who is currently interning at the AIER, published a solo article, “The Zoning Laws Cometh for Dollar General,” in June. During the spring semester, she published three articles with David Gillette, professor of economics. Together, they addressed central banking, health care and price discrimination.

Meadows, who is also interning at the AIER this summer, collaborated with Gillette on the topic of economic development in their article “How Does a Region Rust Away?” published in March. Meadows also published a solo article during his internship, “I Owe my Economics to Robert Heinlein,” on the topic of economics education and his own personal journey with the subject.

Last fall, Gillette and Barge began work on their article “Downsizing the Administrative State,” which was completed remotely while Barge interned in Washington, D.C., and published in April.

Wright, who graduated in May and is now working in the global compliance and reporting services division of RSM, the fifth-largest consulting firm in the United States, worked with Gillette on two articles. One examined current economic trends in regard to lending, while a second explored how markets can aid in rhino survival in the wild.

Much of the work on these articles began last fall as a result of Gillette’s fellowship at AIER in summer 2022. All of these students – with the exception of Barge who was completing an internship in Washington, D.C. – presented their work at the Student Research Conference. Economics students Heidi Royer and Emma Rohrbach also participated in the SRC in April.

Kathy Nelson, CEO and President of the Kansas City Sports Commission, will be the featured guest for the next “Bulldog Break,” a webinar series sponsored by the Office of Advancement.Nelson is a nationally recognized leader in the sports and tourism industries. As the CEO and president of the Kansas City Sports Commission, she has led her team for more than a decade. Nelson works to promote Kansas City locally and nationally with the goal of attracting, retaining and facilitating sports events, conventions and organizations in the bi-state area.Among her numerous accolades, Nelson has earned Telly, Emmy and cable television awards for her work in broadcast journalism, specifically sports production. In 2020, she was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Kansas City Sports History. Earlier this year, she was also recognized as the Missouri honoree for USA Today’s “Woman of the Year” list.This one-hour webinar will allow attendees to ask Nelson questions about her impressive career, including her role in bringing the FIFA World Cup to Kansas City. The free webinar will take place at 12 p.m. Aug 2. Click here to register.

For 40 years, the “Fiske Guide to Colleges” has chosen a select group of schools based on academic quality and affordability for its best buy list. The 2024 guide includes 20 schools – 10 public and 10 private – it deems as best buys. These are schools that, in the judgement of the editors, offer “outstanding educational value as determined by academic quality in relation to the net cost of attendance.”Truman has been included in the “Fiske Guide to Colleges” for nine consecutive years and 15 times total. This year’s list includes colleges and universities throughout the United States, with Truman being the only school from Missouri to be selected.“Fiske Guide to Colleges” Best Buys of 2024
Public
Arizona State University   
University of Florida                                                    
Georgia Institute of Technology                                
University of Maryland, Baltimore County            
University of New Mexico                                          
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill            
Purdue University                                                        
SUNY–Stony Brook University                                   
Truman State University                                             
Private
Agnes Scott College
Alfred University
Beloit College
Centre College
The Cooper Union
Olin College of Engineering
Rice University
Vanderbilt University
Warren Wilson College
Xavier University of Louisiana

 
The Student Recreation Center’s main gym is now open with a newly renovated floor.
 
The gym has been closed since the end of December due to damage caused by a frozen water line. The entire floor was removed and replaced, and now includes the Truman Bulldog logo. The new court is striped for basketball, volleyball, badminton and pickleball.
 
During the summer the Student Recreation Center is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Fridays. Slacklining will take place 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays on the quad. Yoga with Janes will take place at 12 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m. Fridays. The full schedule of summer fitness classes can be found here.
 
The Student Recreation Center staff appreciates everyone’s patience throughout this process. The track is still closed at this time due to additional work that needs to be done.

Move-in Day will take place between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Aug. 16.

Those who volunteer will help new students move their belongings from their car to their respective rooms, direct traffic at essential locations and guide families to long-term parking.

If there are more than two people of in an organization that plan to volunteer, it is recommended to register as a “group” rather than submit “individual” registrations for each member.

Volunteering is open to all students. Sign up is available here. For more information, contact orgs@truman.edu.

Foundation loans can come in the form of short-term loans, long-term loans, access loans and cultural loans. 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.

Sign-ups for Truman’s Fraternity and Sorority Life Recruitment is open and will remain open until the first week of September.

Sorority recruitment will be Sept. 5-11 and fraternity recruitment will be Sept. 7-15. Recruitment sign-up 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 Fraternity and Sorority Life community makes up approximately 20% of the student body. In the 2022-2023 school year, FSL organizations raised more than $93,000 for philanthropic groups both in the Kirksville community as well as nationwide. The past few years, the Fraternity and Sorority Life community has had a higher overall-cumulative GPA than the general Truman community. Additionally, FSL organizations performed a combined 8,000 hours of service through events such as highway cleanups, The Big Event and more.

Learning Technologies and Instructional Design team will host virtual office hours from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday and 3-4 p.m. Wednesday throughout July and August. Sessions will be hosted by Susan Thomas, instructional designer, now through Truman Week. These will not be workshops, but open time to drop in and ask targeted questions.

ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies has received a CDC grant to offer the Public Health Workforce Certificate program to qualified Missouri residents, free of charge. The goal of the grant is to increase public health leadership, particularly in rural and urban underserved areas and among racial and ethnic individuals.

Courses from this program will carry into the Master of Public Health program or Master of Public Health-Dental Emphasis program for advanced standing. After completing the certificate program, students are eligible for a 20% tuition discount toward the full Master of Public Health program.

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA. To be eligible for the tuition-free grant, applicants must be a Missouri resident and meet at least one of the following requirements: live in an underserved or rural community; BIPOC; LGBTQ+; person with disabilities; be a member of a religious minority; or a person otherwise adversely impacted by persistent poverty or inequality.

Start dates for the program are: July 17; Oct. 2; Jan. 8, 2024; and March 25, 2024.

For more information, visit atsu.edu/workforce-grant.

While every person at Truman plays an important role in achieving Truman’s mission, it is not uncommon for individuals to have little knowledge about how their work fits within the broader University framework and how the University, both as individual units and as a whole, functions.  Having this foundational knowledge can support individuals in achieving their personal goals at Truman while also strengthening the University’s pursuit of its mission.

In this course, students will learn about: the state of public higher education in Missouri and the impact on Truman; Truman’s organizational structure and associated operations; essential functions of the University; and how Truman is greater than the sum of its parts.

Class will meet in person at 10:30 a.m. Thursdays in McClain Hall. A complete schedule can be found below. Details on how to register for this pass/fail course will be emailed to all employees in the coming weeks.

Week 1, Aug. 24
Truman is All of Us and None of Us
Sue Thomas

Week 2, Aug. 31
Enrollment Management (Recruitment, Retention, Funnel, Enrollment Cliff)
Tyana Lange
 
Week 3, Sept. 7
Budgets & Appropriations (Education & General vs. Auxiliary)
Dave Rector

Week 4, Sept. 14
Academic Affairs
Eric Freedman

Week 5, Sept. 21
Advancement: Fundraising & Alumni Relations
Ernie Hughes

Week 6, Sept. 28
ITS: Systems and Software
Donna Liss

Week 7, Oct. 5
Facilities
Dave Rector

Week 8, Oct. 12
Mid-Term Break        

Week 9, Oct. 19
Student Engagement & Marketing
Tyana Lange

Week 10, Oct. 26
Shared Governance
Kathryn Brammall, Kerrion Dean, Colleen O’Reilly, Sue Thomas

Week 11, Nov. 2
Employee Types and Workloads & Higher Education Law
Melissa Garzanelli, Amy Clendennen

Week 12, Nov. 9
Data Access and Availability, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) & Clearinghouse          
Nancy Asher, Jonathan Vieker

Week 13, Nov. 16
Emergency Procedures & Clery Act
Sara Seifert

Week 14, Nov. 23
Thanksgiving Break  

Week 15, Nov. 30
Academic Organization
Eric Freedman, Kevin Minch

Week 16, Dec. 7
So That’s How It Works!
Sue Thomas

Finals Week, Dec. 14
TRU-MAN!
Sue Thomas and Guests

The Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Aug. 5 in the Student Union Building Conference Room. The website will be updated to include the open session agenda.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available Aug. 21.