Vol. 30 No. 15 - December 1, 2025

Alumna Eneda Hoxha (’08) will give the commencement address during graduation, Dec. 13

Hoxha is a biotech executive focused on building companies that turn rigorous science into real therapies. She serves as vice president at Nurix Therapeutics, working at the intersection of science, strategy and law to help shape how breakthrough medicines are discovered, protected and scaled. A molecular biologist turned company builder, she began her career as a scientist at the bench, then litigated intellectual property on some of the world’s best-selling drugs before deciding she’d rather help build the next generation of them instead. Since then, she has helped advance first-in-class degraders, RNA medicines and gene-editing therapies through intellectual property, legal and business development strategy. 

In addition to a bachelor’s degree from Truman, Hoxha has a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. 

Truman will conduct fall commencement at 11 a.m. Dec. 13 in Pershing Arena. For more information, click here. 

Through the Truman State University Foundation, donors can make a difference in the lives of Truman students. 

In conjunction with Giving Tuesday, the Foundation is coordinating two matching gift campaigns for programs that directly impact students. Donations made to the Truman Food Pantry Fund and the Career Center Clothing Closet Fund will be matched up to $5,000.

The Truman Food Pantry focuses on alleviating food insecurity and provides access to nutritious options for students in need. Thanks to matching funds from Jacquelyn “Jackie” Settlage, donations are matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000. Donations can make all the difference in the lives of students, supporting their physical health and academic performance.
    
Career Center Clothing Closet helps aspiring Truman students dress for success. This on-campus resource provides access to professional attire for students who are preparing for a job interview, an internship or a networking event. Thanks to the generosity of Amanda (’93) and Justin (’93) Gioia, every dollar donated – up to $5,000 – will be matched.

In addition to these campaigns, the Truman State University Foundation administers a variety of funds and scholarships that support the needs of the University and students. A list of Foundation funds and scholarships can be found here. Donations can be made at any time. For more information, contact the Office of Advancement at gifts@truman.edu or 800.452.6678.

The 2025 Holiday Choral Concert will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall. 

As usual, this year’s concert includes performances of holiday music by choirs from Kirksville High School and Truman State University. Special guests include Dr. Jill Phillips, mezzo-soprano, and the Truman Orchestra. After intermission, the combined forces will performance selections from G. F. Handel’s “Messiah.”

Tickets for this biennial event are $10 for adults and $5 for students, available via TixTrack. 

Truman football was heavily represented on the 2025 All-GLVC teams, as Bulldogs earned 15 all-conference honors, and head coach Kellen Nesbitt was named the GLVC Coach of the Year.

Nesbitt is just the second Truman coach to be to be voted GLVC Coach of the Year. He led the team to an 8-4 overall record, a 7-1 GLVC finish and the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Division II Playoff berth since 1994. Nesbitt’s father, Gregg, also earned the GLVC Coach of the Year distinction in 2022.

Bulldog players took 15 places on the All-GLVC teams this year, including seven first-team selections, five second-team selections and two honorable mentions. The selections reflect a season in which Truman ranked among the league’s elite statistically, finishing second in scoring offense (36.7 ppg), third in scoring defense (22.5 ppg allowed) and first in rushing offense (2,261 yards; 205 per game).

First Team All-GLVC
Greg Krupa – Offensive Line
Wyatt Bonnett – Offensive Line
Denim Cook – Running Back
Jack Weltha – Linebacker
Jaxin Patterson – Defensive Back
Connor Baxley – Defensive Back
Thomas Pulliam – Return Specialist

Second Team All-GLVC
Dylan Hair – Quarterback
Nathan Ryan – Wide Receiver
Gerard Grewe – Tight End / Offensive Utility
Thomas Spaulding – Defensive Line
Jack Weltha – Defensive Utility

Honorable Mention All-GLVC
Tyler Shanks – Defensive Line
Dominic Grand – Defensive Back

Spalding Sportsmanship Honoree
Nathan Ryan – Wide Receiver

 
The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series will sponsor a performance of the opera classic, “La Bohème” at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. 
 
Originally composed by Giacomo Puccini in the late 1800s, this innovative reimagining performed by Ozarks Lyric Opera is set in the modern day and focuses on young artists hustling to make ends meet. At the forefront, Rodolfo, a poet and writer, falls for Mimì, a seamstress and aspiring designer facing grave illness. Puccini’s lush score captures the fleeting joy, heartbreak and defiant spirit of youth in a production that pulses with contemporary energy and emotional depth.
 
Established in Springfield, Missouri, in 1979, Ozarks Lyric Opera is committed to the transformative power of opera and providing live performances in the Ozarks. In keeping with the spirit of accessibility and bringing opera to a wider audience, this production of “La Bohème” is performed in Italian with English supertitles projected on stage. 
 
 
Tickets for the 2025-26 Kohlenberg Lyceum Series are provided free of charge thanks to the generous support of local sponsors, the Friends of the Lyceum program and the Truman State University Foundation.
 
For more information about the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series, visit lyceum.truman.edu or contact the Advancement Office at 660.785.4133.

The Student Activities Board will celebrate Holiday Lights in a two-part event. 

From 5-7 p.m. in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms there will be a screening of “The Polar Express” while students can build their own gingerbread house. There will also be a special performance by the Showgirls. 

The Office of Admission is looking for reliable and responsible students to welcome and introduce all first-year students and their families to Truman during summer orientation activities.

The position of an orientation leader requires a great deal of dedication and hard work. As representatives of Truman, they are expected to learn the most important aspects of the University to best facilitate positive interactions between families and first-year students and be able to fulfill varying and diverse roles throughout training and the orientation sessions. While serving as a friend and mentor to new students, orientation leaders are also responsible for communicating and upholding Truman policies, as well as any special policies which may apply specifically to summer orientation.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 16.

The University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Student Union Building Conference Room. 

Rafael Tubongbanua, associate professor of nursing, successfully defended his dissertation, “The Lived Experience of Doctoral Nursing Students with English as an Additional Language (EAL): Perspective from Graduates.” He will be formally conferred the degree Doctor of Education, major in Nursing Education, and will be hooded at the University of West Georgia, Dec. 11-12.

Carol Cox, professor of health science, received the Dr. Kathleen Kinderfather Award. This is MOSHAPE’s highest honor, and it recognizes honor, dignity, integrity and exemplary contributions to the society and the profession.

Julene Ensign, chair of exercise science, was recognized with the Dr. Lynn Imergoot Scholar Award for competence in research. 

Melody Jennings, instructor in exercise science, was awarded the Dance Teacher of the Year for both MOSHAPE and the Northeast District. 

Alumnus Joe Jackson (’13, ’14), a former student of Jennings, was recognized as the Middle School Teacher of the Year for MOSHAPE and the St. Louis District. These Teacher of the Year awards recognize outstanding teaching practices and contributions to physical education/dance education.

Jesse Krebs, left, and Jocelyn Stevens, right, rehearse during the North Central Missouri Bandmaster’s Association Honor Band. 

Jocelyn Stevens, Education Department chair and associate professor of music, along with Jesse Krebs, professor of music, were invited as guests for the 2025 North Central Missouri Bandmaster’s Association Honor Band, Nov. 24. Stevens served as the honor band conductor, and Krebs performed two clarinet concertos as soloist with the ensemble on that evening’s concert: Weber’s Concertino and Mangani’s Blues from an American in Paris. 

This annual event is one of the oldest honor bands in the state, with the first one taking place in 1951. This year’s NCMBA ensemble was made up of the top students from these participating high schools: Cameron, Carrollton, Chillicothe, Excelsior Springs, Fayette, Gallatin, Hardin-Central, King City, Macon, Maryville, Maysville, North Harrison, North Shelby, Norborne, Orrick, Penney, Smithville, South Harrison, Trenton and Winston.

Daniel Mandell, emeritus professor of history, recently published the chapter “Southern New England’s Great Upheaval,” in the collection “The Great Upheaval, 1675-1725,” eds. Ian Saxine and Kristalyn Shefveland (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2025), 37-54.