Setting Up for Success

In March, a team of students from Mo State’s engineering and computer science programs traveled to Boulder, Colorado, for the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Region 5 Congress and Student Competitions. Bears placed in multiple categories—and earned First Place in circuit design.

And in April, students from Mo State’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) found success at the 2026 ASCE Region-7 Mid-America Symposium competition. Bears brought home awards in the 3-D Printing and Student Paper competitions.

Biz Bears Winning

Two risk management and insurance majors were named 2026 Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Program Scholars for RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.) RISKWORLD®. The highly competitive process drew applications from top students across the country.

For the sixth time in the past eight years, Mo State’s Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Research Challenge Team finished first at the Kansas City CFA Society Competition. Each member of the four-person team received a $1,000 scholarship, plus a scholarship for the CFA exam.

Mo State Collegiate DECA competed for top honors in 25 events at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Louisville, Kentucky. The students tested their business acumen in a range of disciplines, earning top honors and/or Top 10 placements in several categories.

At the 2026 Missouri Collegiate Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Leadership Conference, our FBLA Collegiate chapter competed against 13 colleges and universities. The team won several awards, and 15 students qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.

Achieving Legendary Status

This March marked a major Maroon milestone. Mo State’s Equestrian Team was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. The team formed in 1980 and began competing in 1989 after joining the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association.

Leading in the Arts

Over the spring semester, students in the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities scored big recognition in the arts. Their awards and placements include the following:

• Film students gained significant recognition at the Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts, including a commanding showing in screenwriting categories.
• At the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) conference, seven Mo State music students were selected to perform with MMEA’s All-Collegiate Orchestra.
• The Arktos Quartet advanced to the final round of competition at the North American Saxophone Alliance conference.
• Emma Habert, graduate student in the Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing program, won a college EMMY® from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America chapter. She was recognized for Student Production for Best Fiction—Short Form.
• Lyndon Wilson, instrumental performance major, placed first and second in two separate categories at the Missouri Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion.

Competing at Top Levels

Mo State’s Mock Trial team advanced to national competition rounds. In March, they traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, where they competed in the Opening Round Championship Series of the American Mock Trial Association annual national tournament.

At the Midwest Model United Nations Conference, Bears brought home three delegation awards and nine individual awards. After the regional competition, eight members of Mo State’s team attended the National Model United Nations in New York—our first appearance at the national conference.

The post Here Come the Bears appeared first on Academic Expressions.

We chatted with Michael Mardis, project manager/architect in the office of planning, design and construction, about what to expect next.

Current Construction Status

Currently, one of the west-bound lanes of Grand Street is closed to accommodate sidewalk, stormwater and underground utility work. If you come up through the Grand Street underpass, you may be directed to the east or west, depending on the section of sidewalk that’s being addressed at that time.

Once these phases are complete, it will be time to pour new concrete outside the Reynolds Complex, Mardis says. The team will also install cladding for the building’s second floor. This will require overhead protection and a wide working space, which may necessitate additional closures, including the temporary closure of the Grand Street underpass.

“We know that construction projects can be intrusive—more so than any of us wish—but the Reynolds Complex is incredibly exciting,” Mardis says. “It’s going to be such a cool, new entry to campus. We appreciate everyone bearing with us along the way.”

For the Latest Updates

To keep up with the latest news about closures and construction, follow these resources:

• Weekly Project Updates From the Office of Planning, Design and Construction
• Administrative Services Notifications (If you’d like these posts delivered directly to your inbox, hit the gray “Subscribe” button while you’re there.)

And if you have questions about construction along Grand Street, feel free to reach out to Michael Mardis.

To Report Accessibility Issues

To prepare for these phases of construction, Mardis worked with campus accessibility experts. He notes that safety is the top priority for the team.

The following resources can help you report barriers or accessibility issues (at any time, not only related to this construction project):

• Fill out the Report a Barrier Form.
• Send an email to Accessibility@MissouriState.edu.
• Use the “Submit a Tip” function on the Bear Shield app. (If you haven’t downloaded Bear Shield yet, you can learn about it here. And check out our recent article about how it supports campus safety.)

The post Bear With Us appeared first on Academic Expressions.

Q&A

Academic Expressions: Tell us about your path to Missouri State.
Lance Renner: I’m a native Springfieldian. I earned my bachelor’s and MBA from Drury and got a doctorate from Saint Louis University. I’ve also been a Springfield business owner; right after college, I owned my own restaurant for five years. After I sold it, I spent a year as a substitute teacher for Springfield Public Schools. I loved it, and then, I spent 25 years at Ozarks Tech, which I also loved. I retired from there as dean of general education and business.

AE: So, you’ve been an entrepreneur, a higher-ed administrator, and you have teaching experience. What drew you to this role at the Testing Center?
LR: As soon as I saw the job posting, I sensed there was real possibility. I reached out to a few people I know here, and they all said, “Yes, this role would offer you opportunities to do interesting, important things.”

AE: What are some of those things?
LR: There are two big categories for what we do at the Testing Center. First, we offer student services. One example is our collaboration with the Disability Resource Center to make sure students have appropriate accommodations. That piece of it really appeals to me — supporting our students as they work toward their goals. We also provide testing services for the community, such as specific job certifications. These generate revenue, and my business side is excited about the chance to be very strategic with that revenue-generating segment.

AE: Tell us more about that.
LR: For one thing, we’re heightening the importance of collecting data. Holly Kouns [coordinator of public services for Meyer Library], served as interim director of the Testing Center this past year, and she’s been a fantastic partner. I can go look at when we administered certain tests over the last 12 months, and that helps us forecast staffing. We can also look at which exams we’re administering most often, which helps us use our resources effectively.

AE: How can faculty and staff collaborate with the Testing Center?
LR: We’re very open to potential collaborations. This summer, we’re working with SOAR to offer the math placement exam. Another example happened recently when a faculty member in one of our health care programs reached out about the certification exam her students must take to enter their profession. They had to go elsewhere to take that exam, and now, we’re going to start offering it here. That’s a better experience for our students.

AE: So, people are encouraged to reach out.
LR: We have an open-door policy, and I mean it literally. Just the other day, a professor stopped in, simply because my office door was open. We had a great conversation! And I will always have an open door, even when people are right outside my office, working in the library. Sure, in the height of the semester, it can get a little noisy, but it doesn’t bother me.

AE: You like being part of it.
LR: Yes, 100%.

The post Meet the New Testing Center Director appeared first on Academic Expressions.

“As members of CUSA, we have opportunities to showcase our academic and scholarly excellence to broader audiences,” says Provost Clarenda Phillips. “I could not feel more proud of the way our campus community has shown up and competed in every realm.”

This year, we participated in two CUSA programs that recognize achievements in academics: CUSA Stars of Tomorrow and the CUSA Faculty Achievement Award.

CUSA Stars of Tomorrow

This spring, Mo State’s Cole Coursen and Isaac Moon were among 20 students selected for CUSA’s Stars of Tomorrow program. They traveled to Huntsville, Alabama, for the 2026 Air National Guard CUSA Basketball Championships at Propst Arena. During the visit, they enjoyed a full day of professional development and engagement with the local business community.

“My favorite part of the experience was the chance to interact and network with high-achieving students from each CUSA member institution — all while representing and sharing my experience at Mo State with fellow students, local leaders and conference representatives,” Moon says.

CUSA Faculty Achievement Award

We also celebrated our first CUSA Faculty Achievement Award winner. Dr. Paul Durham, distinguished professor in the biology department, was honored with this award, thanks to his outstanding contributions in teaching, research and service.

Durham’s research has produced more than 7,400 citations, secured over $18 million in funding and resulted in 18 patents for novel therapeutic approaches. Beyond his research, Durham has mentored more than 170 undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Ken Brown, chief academic strategy officer, notes that Durham’s selection is particularly meaningful, given that it marks our university’s first year of eligibility for the award.

“It is both a personal achievement for Paul and a historic moment for our institution,” Brown says.

Next Year’s CUSA Faculty Achievement Award

Our university will select a recipient of the CUSA Faculty Achievement Award each year. The next round of applications will open in December. Learn about the award and the application process.

The post Celebrating CUSA Recognitions appeared first on Academic Expressions.

President Richard B. Williams and Provost Clarenda Phillips spoke about the dedication and expertise of our faculty — and the impact they have on our students. Mike Foster, professor in the department of theatre and dance and 2025–26 chair of Faculty Senate, highlighted the value of faculty’s service to the university. And Dr. Ken Brown, chief academic strategy officer, set an upbeat tone as the event’s emcee.

The ceremony included moments of recognition for our faculty’s many contributions to Education Abroad, service-learning, public affairs, assessment and professional development. We also celebrated faculty who achieved major milestones this year — through tenure, promotion or a significant Marooniversary.

Awards Presentations

This event also marked the presentation of specific awards from a range of offices. The following awards were presented:

Faculty Senate Recognition

• The Eric Shade Memorial Faculty Governance Award was presented to Dr. Lanya Lamouria, professor in the English department.

Education Abroad Awards

• The Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Programming was presented to Dr. Yating “Tina” Liang, professor in the School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership, who was recognized in the Cultural Competence category.
• The Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Programming was presented to Dr. Sarah Murray, assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences, who was recognized in the Community Engagement category.

Honors College Awards

• The Curtis P. Lawrence Master Teacher Award was presented to Dr. Holly Holladay, associate professor in the department of communication, media, journalism and film.
• The Marcia Morriset Award for Outstanding Service to Honors Education was presented to Tracy Dalton, senior instructor in the English department.
• The Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Research was presented to Dr. Alicia Walker, associate professor in the department of sociology, anthropology and gerontology.

Office of Assessment Award

• The Excellence in Assessment Award was presented to Dr. Yating “Tina” Liang, professor in the School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership.

Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Awards

The following faculty were recognized with Teaching Excellence Awards:

• Dr. Benjamin Beranek, assistant professor in the department of finance, economics and risk management
• Mike Foster, professor in the department of theatre and dance
• Dr. Holly Holladay, associate professor in the department of communication, media, journalism and film
• Dr. Keith McShan, assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences
• Dr. Sarah Murray, assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences

Office of Citizenship and Service Learning Awards

• Dr. Cindi Aurentz, associate professor in the School of Nursing, received the Excellence in Service-Learning Award.
• Maria Shade, clinical associate professor in the School of Nursing, received the Excellence in Service-Learning Award.

Missouri State University Foundation Awards

• Dr. Tara Boehne, clinical associate professor in the School of Health Care Professions, received the Excellence in Teaching Award.
• Dr. Holly Holladay, associate professor in the department of communication, media, journalism and film, received the Teaching Excellence Award.
• Dr. Daniel Goering, associate professor in the management department, received the Excellence in Research Award.
• Dr. Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, associate professor in the cooperative engineering program, received the Excellence in Research Award.
• Dr. Melissa Penkalski, associate professor in the School of Nursing, received the Excellence in Service Award.
• Dr. Julia Troche, associate professor in the history department, received the Excellence in Service Award.

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