Dear Griffon Nation:

During this difficult and unprecedented time, we hope that this email finds you and your loved ones well. We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support of Missouri Western State University. At the same time, I invite you to spend a few minutes reading and digesting the information below. Please excuse the length of this message.

Because of the gravity of our current situation and the importance of taking measures to sustain the University, I also ask for your understanding and assistance during a very critical point in our history. As you may have heard, Missouri Western is working through a process related to strengthening some of its degree programs while phasing out others. Please allow me to provide some context and important information.

Financial Challenges and

Proposed Adjustments to Our Degree Programs 

Missouri Western provides access and opportunities. We are an invaluable resource to individuals, families, our community, and the State of Missouri. We educate and elevate in a special way. As we collectively focus on student success and constantly strive for excellence, we can make significant progress if we stay positive and focus on the advantages provided by Missouri Western. Although much work and many challenges are ahead, we will emerge even stronger.

Mounting Challenges 

Without question, we are not immune to the forces driving unprecedented change across the higher education sector and challenges specifically facing our institution. COVID-19 and associated challenges have only complicated things even more. Such forces have led to universities making significant adjustments to staffing and programs in recent years (this includes Mizzou and Missouri State just to name a few), merging, or even closing their doors.  In our case, we are grappling with the impact of:

• Decreasing enrollment (nearly 25% drop in full-time undergraduate students over the past 10 years; 10% decrease in our freshman class this past fall; applications down over 15% this year)
• State subsidies dropping (largely stagnant or dropped over the years while tuition caps have kept tuition revenue relatively flat – we just had our support from the state reduced by over $600,000 per month for the next three months due to COVID-19 and we anticipate the likelihood of further reductions next fiscal year)
• Higher costs (higher pension contributions, growing health care costs, minimum wage increases, higher operating costs, more unfunded scholarships, etc. contribute to millions in increasing expenses)
• Deferred maintenance needs (over $60 million in needs as evidenced by our roads, curbs, roofs, heating/cooling systems, equipment, flooring, furniture, etc.)
• Fewer students going to college in the area (fewer high school graduates and increased public discourse questioning the value of four-year degrees)
• Increasing competition (from online programs, community colleges, peer institutions, etc.)

Until recently, the extent of these and other challenges was not fully appreciated in terms of our yearly budget, annual expenditures and available resources. In fact, in October, we announced a revised $3.178 million projected deficit for this fiscal year. Before the COVID-19 issues started impacting our institution, we had made progress. We have realized savings through some personnel moves and reduced expenditures, but these gains have been offset by legacy issues, lower student credit hours this academic year, maintenance expenditures and other unexpected expenses. Unfortunately, we need to address our immediate issues and other challenges without delay.

What Have We Been Doing? 

To ensure our survival, both short-term and long-term measures are critical to help us survive and thrive in the climate currently facing Missouri Western and higher education. Over the past eight months, we have been working across campus to address our budget issues. We have made difficult decisions to eliminate a significant number of senior administrative and management positions, reduce staff, stop doing certain things and trim operating budgets among other things. We have also centralized and consolidated some operations, tapped into resources from our Foundation, and explored possible revenue streams through community and business partners. These moves have been designed to sustain us in the short-term.

At the same time, we have also been working diligently to ramp up student recruitment efforts and roll out new initiatives to assist us in the long term. Please remember that all of these new initiatives are specifically designed to attract and retain students while both providing them with additional opportunities and building an even greater sense of community on our campus. These initiatives include Gold Fridays, Griffon Guarantee Scholarship, Center for Service, esports, lacrosse, Global Center, and Military & Veterans Center. 

It is important to remember that similar budget deficits will persist in future years unless we permanently reduce expenditures or increase revenue. Based on a host of factors, we have fewer options available to attack current and future shortfalls. For these and other reasons, we need to adjust to our enrollment without sacrificing focus and innovation. More than anything, it is critical that we find ways to stabilize our financial position in very short order.

University convenes a Financial Advisory Council in February 

To that end, the Board of Governors passed a strategic policy to help explore solutions to stabilize the University’s finances while facilitating an enhanced focus and a strengthening of the University’s core. This policy involves planning and discussions among administration, faculty, staff, and student leadership. Since that point in time, we have had a Financial Advisory Council review and confirm the urgency of our situation.

As part of the process to address our state of financial emergency, we convened an Academic Review Board (ARB) to assess data for each under-enrolled major and minor (e.g. enrollments, graduations, student credit hours, annual program reports, faculty counts, etc.) together with student demand for majors/minors, program viability, and career prospects. Over the past three weeks, the ARB spent countless hours reviewing programs that do not meet the state’s annual graduation guidelines (10 students per year) or otherwise sustainable enrollment levels. The ARB review focused on financial sustainability. By no means did the review question the quality, value, or rigor of a program or professor.

Proposal for a Two-Year Phase Out of Certain Programs 

Unfortunately, the University is compelled to contemplate steps that are very difficult and unpleasant for all of us. These proposed steps are intended to sustain the University and avoid additional job losses.

• The ARB released its objective report late last month recommending certain steps that can potentially help move the University to a position of sustainability. If you are interested, you can access the ARB’s report [here].
• On Saturday, the Provost reviewed the ARB’s objective findings and suggested the additional retention of programs in music, chemistry, and communication. He additionally suggested that the University suspend new enrollment and phase out certain programs (major/minor/concentration) over the next two years. Click [here] for this document.
• Several notes include most students should not be impacted directly by the recommended phase-outs because they are seeking a degree in higher enrollment programs
• Several notes include for those who are impacted, they will have a pathway to complete their degree over the course of two years.

The campus community has until April 15th to provide input at which time the Provost will finalize his recommendations and submit them to me for consideration. At the end of April, I will present my recommendations to the Board of Governors for action.

Closing Thoughts and

List of Programs 

I am including below a list of the programs currently proposed for retention at Missouri Western. It is notable that currently over 75% of our graduates come from only 31% of our programs. Unfortunately, we simply cannot afford to subsidize under-enrolled programs any more. It is not possible to spread our resources so thin and essentially be everything to everyone.

While the phasing out of programs isn’t welcome news, our viability and long-term success as an institution is dependent upon our continuing efforts to serve our students and prepare them for success. It is important that we strengthen our core while continuing to look at new approaches and enhanced programs. We also must do what we can to make college affordable and offer the academic programming that will enable students opportunities to thrive and prosper in the workplace. Our strategies are designed to leverage our strengths to continue that mission.

This is an outstanding university with wonderful people. We have motivated students who come to us to pursue their dreams. We can work together to overcome the challenges before us through positivity, collaboration, patience and understanding. I invite you to help me in continuing our spirit of collegiality, pride, commitment and family on our campus. I encourage you to talk positively about the University whenever possible.  Also, I invite you to send students to our fine University.

Thank you for all you do to support our students and institution. We hope to emerge stronger moving forward.

Sincerely,

President Matt Wilson

Missouri Western Alumni Association

4525 Downs Drive

Spratt 106

Saint Joseph, MO

816-271-5646 

Although the majority of employees are working from home, campus services are still continuing, and some students are still living in the residence halls.  Most student services remain in operation and are just a phone call, email or text away.

Starting on Tuesday, March 24 and continuing through at least April 2, the City of St. Joseph asked the community to follow a Stay At Home order . Because educational institutions and government entities are deemed “essential” to community operations, our campus and operations are exempt from this new order. However, in the spirit of the new order and other directives from governmental officials, Missouri Western has restricted public access to campus.

All campus buildings except for the Blum Union are now locked. For the students in the residence halls, the cafeteria is providing take-out services. Additionally, the Barnes & Noble bookstore is closed until at least April 2.

Although the library will be physically closed, services for students are being offered remotely. Reference Librarians are available via chat, email refdesk@missouriwestern.edu, or phone (816) 271-4573.

As national and global concerns over the spread of COVID-19 grew, the NCAA announced the cancellation of all winter and spring sports championships. Consequently, the MIAA canceled all spring competition with about one-third of the softball and baseball seasons completed.

The final spring competition by any Griffon team came on March 11 as softball completed a come-from-behind victory over Illinois Springfield in eight innings. Softball finished the shortened season with a 13-9 record with just two MIAA games completed, both wins for the Griffons.

Baseball was 8-15 after a three-game sweep of MIAA newcomer Rogers State to finish 3-3 in Conference play.

Tennis was 6-5 in Olaya Garrido-Rivas’ first season as head coach before any MIAA matches had been played.

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams had just competed in one event each when the season was cut short while the track & field teams had yet to begin outdoor competition.

Dear Alumni,

Greetings from Missouri Western! We wanted to send our thoughts and best wishes to you during this turbulent time. As a member of our family, I wanted to briefly share information on the COVID-19 situation as it applies to our institution.

First and foremost, our concern is for the health and safety of our students and campus community. While striving to accomplish this, we are also working tirelessly to ensure that our students receive the education that they deserve. To achieve both of these goals, we have taken some extraordinary actions including the extension of spring break, and subsequent adjustments for the remainder of the semester. For the spring 2020 semester, regular face-to-face and online class meetings have ended, but the courses and education of our students will continue. The faculty and staff are still here for our students to engage in alternative methods for course delivery.

As an unprecedented event, the total effects of this pandemic may not be realized for months. While we have set the spring course alternatives in place, many of our large-scale, in-person recruiting opportunities have vanished. As the University makes adjustments to our recruiting strategy, we are confident our new campus programs and initiatives, such as our Center for Service, esports and Gold Fridays, have already made impressions on potential students.

At the same time, we have significant concerns about the impact of this crisis on our institution. For the time being, the staff is also working on bringing resolution to the on-campus housing issue. While a few students remain in the residence halls, the majority have returned home to complete the semester. The remainder of student housing fees will be carried forward for use in the next term for either tuition or housing fees. Refunds will be issued to Seniors. In the name of transparency, this will impact us significantly.

This pandemic has touched everyone¬ - no doubt. Missouri Western is working to mitigate the circumstances as best we can. We appreciate your continuing support of our University and our students. If you are in a position to assist, your unrestricted gifts will make more of a difference now than ever before as we look at ways to support our students during these difficult times. Your donation will also be used to help our students with unexpected expenses due to this pandemic. You may send a check or give directly to the student emergency fund online here.

We are so thankful to our Griffon family and your continued support. Together, we will succeed.

Go Griffs!
Matt Wilson, President

The Child Abuse: Prevention, Education and Investigation Conference which will be held on April 15 & 16, 2020 on the MWSU campus (Fulkerson Center). Begins at 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

This is an Interdisciplinary conference for students, educators, law enforcement, nurses, social workers, lawyers, juvenile officers, and other related professions. Brought to you by the Missouri Western Regional Law Enforcement Academy, the Western Institute at Missouri Western, the Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, and Social Work, the Department of Nursing and Health Professions and the Department of Education.

Wednesday’s Keynote: Detective Stuart Littlefield will be discussion the Adrian Jones Case. WARNING: This presentation contains extremely graphic content and may be upsetting to some people.

In addition, there will be several expert speakers who will be presenting on a variety of topics on both days of the conference.

The website is live for the Child Abuse Conference. I have attached the registration form along with a Save the Date flyer. Additional information can be found at this link:

https://www.missouriwestern.edu/academy/child-abuse-education-prevention-and-investigation/

Twelve (12) CEU's (which includes ethics for participants attending those sessions) will be awarded for both days (6 CEU's/day). CLEs, and POST hours will be available, pending approval.
All students may attend for free or for $10/day if purchasing lunch. If you are a student – please only complete the registration form if you are paying for lunch
Professionals:
$90 (early bird price before March 15) if attending both days
$100 (after March 15) if attending both days
$55 if attending one day
$10/day for 2019-2020 field instructor, MWSU faculty or MWSU adjunct instructor

Alumni are welcome to attend the All Majors Career Fair as a job seeker or an employer. The fair will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, March 20 in the Fulkerson Center.

For more information, contact the Career Center at careercenter@missouriwestern.edu.

Entrepreneurship Week, a series of workshops and events, will be held March 23-27 on campus. Sponsored by the Craig School of Business Center for Entrepreneurship, Don Tolly American Family Insurance Agency; Sumner, Carter, Hardy & Schwichtenberg, PC; and Montee Law Firm, PC; the weeklong program is targeted toward local business professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs, college students, high school students and those curious about the skills needed to run a small business.

Business professors will offer small, personalized sessions at various times throughout the week. Sessions include “How to Write a Business Plan” with Annette Weeks, “Business Legal” with Montee Law Firm, “Google Workshop” with Bryan Caplan, a Google representative, “Creating a Marketing Plan” with Dr. Phillip Frank, “Protecting Your Business” with Tolly & Associates and many more! All of the sessions are open to the community and students. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is preferred. You can register by calling or emailing the Center for Entrepreneurship, 816-271-4283 or entrepreneurship@missouriwestern.edu.

The week will also feature a special edition of Cup of Joe, which will take place at Fulkerson Center on Wednesday, March 25. Also on Wednesday, the MECA Challenge Kansas City Youth Competition will travel to St. Joseph and local high school students will have the opportunity to participate in an all-day event. As part of this event, students are paired with a local business owner and get to practice career skills, network with peers and mentors, and engage in problem solving for real world startup businesses.

The final day of Entrepreneurship Week, Friday, March 27, features an opportunity for students to meet with Steven L. Craig for a question-and-answer session. The capstone business luncheon, with guest speaker Palmer Luckey, will be held at noon in the Fulkerson Center. Tickets for lunch are $20 and must be purchased in advance. Because seating is limited, we suggest that you register for the luncheon prior to March 16.

At the luncheon, winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur and Entrepreneur of the Year awards will be announced. The awards recognize two outstanding entrepreneurs.

Men's & Women's Basketball
Both men's and women's basketball wrapped up successful seasons at the MIAA postseason tournament last week and weekend.

The #4 seeded men beat Washburn University on Friday, but lost to Northwest Missouri State on Saturday. They finish the season 18-14 overall and 13-6 in the conference.

The #6 seeded women lost to University of Nebraska-Kearney on Friday, finishing the season 21-8 overall and 13-6 in the conference.

Baseball
Missouri Western baseball recorded their first series sweep of the 2020 season on Sunday afternoon. The Griffons (8-15, 3-3 MIAA) beat Rogers State (9-10, 0-6 MIAA) 11-10 in game three in their first home conference series of the year.

The Griffons brought out seven different pitchers to throw in Sunday's game. Andrew Meier got the start for game three and only pitched a single inning allowing three runs to the Hillcats. Justin Wood, Jacob Cooper, Talbott Buford and Jake Gilbert were brought in for relief of Meier before Brock Wrolstad and Brian Tan finished out the game with the victory and save, respectively.

Next up is 3 p.m. March 13 at Missouri Southern in Joplin. They return home for games on March 17, 20, 21 and 22.

Men's and Women's Golf
 Allycia Gan and Tammy Lim finished in the top-15 through two rounds of play at the Emerald Coast Classic yesterday in Destin, Florida. As a team, the Griffons finished in eighth place within the 13-team field. Missouri Western will round out action in Destin with the third and final round on Tuesday. 

Next up is the Holiday Inn Express Women's Invitational March 16 and 17 at the St. Joseph Country Club.

The men opened their season in the Warrior Invitation on Monday in Las Vegas. The Griffons finished fourth in the 12-team field with a score of 307. The Griffons will return to Stallion Mountain Golf Club today to compete in the final round. Individually, Lucas Horseman leads the field with a first-round score of 69.

The men play in the Hillcat Classic in Owasso, Oklahoma March 16 and 17.

Softball
The softball team pushed its win streak to five when it beat Drury University at the Spring Sports Complex on March 8. Missouri Western came back to defeat Drury (9-9) 5-4 in game one before a run-rule, 10-1, win in game two. After the pair of wins, the Griffons had won eight of their last nine games.

On March 6, they won both games of a doubleheader against Northwest Missouri State.

The Griffons play today (March 10) and tomorrow at home against the University of Illinois Springfield. Today's games are 2 and 4 p.m., and Wednesday's game is at 1 p.m.

Women's Tennis
After losing to University of Missouri-St. Louis on March 6, Griffon tennis (6-5) bounced back with a 6-0 win at Illinois Springfield on March 7. Missouri Western took the doubles point without even completing No. 1 doubles then swept the top five singles matches, not needing to finish at No. 6.

The Griffons get a week off before returning to action March 14 at home against Southwest Minnesota State.

Track
Missouri Western track and field rounded out their weekend with the final day of the MIAA Championships on Sunday. Similar to Saturday's action, many personal records were set and program records were broken.

Sunday's results were highlighted by Hanna Williams placing third in the women's 600-yard run. Williams' finish is the best individual finish at the MIAA Indoor Championships in school history. She finished the weekend with a time of 1:24.59, scoring six points toward the women's team total and breaking her program record for the third time this year.

Next up is the Texas Relays March 26 and 27 in Austin, Texas.

Now -March 20
Twin Cups and Off the Table
Juried Exhibition
Potter Hall Gallery
Reception 5-7 p.m. Feb. 21

March 9-13
Spring Break
No Classes, Offices are Open

March 16
Faculty Recital: Dr. Kristin Newbegin, soprano
7:30 p.m.
Potter Hall Theater

March 17 
Tea & Talk
Noon
Eder 101

March 18
Dr. Saskia van de Gevel: "Tree Ring and Disturbance Histories of Endangered Forest Ecosystems in the Eastern United States"
6 p.m.
Agenstein 224

March 23-27
Entrepreneurship Week
Free Workshops Monday-Friday

March 23
Marimba Madness Concert
7:30 p.m.
Potter Hall Theater

March 23 
Be the Spark: Speakers tell their journey with mental illness
6 p.m.
Blum 222/223

March 31
Frank Luzsicza '99: The Unexpected Journey from MWSU to the Top of the Cybersecurity Field
3:30 p.m.
Spratt 203

March 31
International Cooking Class
S. Korea Sushi Roll - Gimbap
4 p.m.
Commons Building (by Residence Halls)

April 3-5, 9-11
"She Kills Monsters"
Potter Hall Theater
mwsutix.com

April 5
Music Tech Ensemble Concert
7 p.m.
Spratt Hall Kemper Recital Hall, 101

April 6
The Mochila Review Presents:In the Shadow of Deb Olin
7 p.m.
Spratt Hall Kemper Recital Hall, 101

April 14
Spring Jazz Concert
7:30 p.m.
Potter Hall Theater

Employers are invited to set up at the All Majors Career Fair from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday, March 20 in the Fulkerson Center on the MWSU campus.

Students and recent graduates from every major will be invited to attend. Employers may also conduct on-site interviews in the Career Development Center after the career fair.

Registration includes a table, chairs and lunch for two. Register here. 

Men's Basketball
The Griffon men remained perfect at home (11-0) with a upset win over #17-ranked Missouri Southern on Saturday, Feb. 22. They stand at 16-12 overall and 12-5 in the conference after three wins in their last four games. They beat Pittsburg State 95-79 in Pittsburg and 94-76 at home. They played Missouri Southern on Feb. 15 and lost 97-87, so the Feb. 22 89-85 will was a sweet redemption.

The Feb. 22 win over Southern was a nail-biter that featured 16 lead changes and 15 ties.

Next up, the men play at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) at home against Northwest Missouri State and at 3:30 p.m. at home against Washburn to close out their season.  They have also earned a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament that begins March 4 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Baseball
Missouri Western Baseball closed out their first home series of the season on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Griffons (4-11) split the doubleheader with Minot State (6-4) 0-11 and 12-7. 

Since Feb. 14, the Griffons have won two and lost two, all at the MIAA/GLVC Crossover in Joplin, Missouri.

The team is in Topeka, Kansas to play three games against Washburn University on Feb. 28-March 1. They return home on March 6.

Softball
Three-run rallies by Sioux Falls and Wayne State (Nebraska) against Griffon softball last Sunday left Missouri Western with two losses on its final day in Topeka at the Washburn University softball complex.

Sioux Falls scored three in the fifth of the first game of the day to take down the Griffons, 3-2. Wayne State scored three in the top of the sixth and held on for a 4-3 win over MWSU.

On Saturday, the women split with a win against Maryville University and a loss to Minnesota State University-Mankato. The women, coached by Jen Trotter, stand at 3-7. The team plays Missouri Southern at noon on Friday, Feb. 28, Missouri S & T at 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, and Northern State University at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sunday. All the games will be held in Joplin, Missouri.

Track
The Missouri Western women's 4x400-meter relay team hit a provisional qualifying time at the Nebraska Tune-Up Feb. 21 in Lincoln. Griffon Track also finished with many personal bests on Friday. The Tune-Up was the last event for the Griffons heading into the MIAA Championships on Feb. 28 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team handily beat Missouri Southern 76-47 on Feb. 22 to advance its record to 19-7 overall and 11-6 in the conference. The women lost to Pittsburg State on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19, once in Pittsburg and once at home. They also beat Missouri Southern 65-61 on Feb. 15 in Joplin.

Next up is Northwest Missouri State Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at home. They play Washburn at home at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 to close out the regular season.

The women have also earned a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament that begins March 4 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Women's Tennis 
Griffon tennis (3-4) jumped back into action last Sunday at Southwest Baptist. Missouri Western fell 7-0 in the nonconference match.

The Griffons host Northwest Missouri State on Feb. 29 at Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph.

Do you know a successful entrepreneur? Nominate them for Entrepreneur of the Year or Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year awards here as part of the Craig School of Business Center for Entrepreneurship's Entrepreneurship Week March 23-27.

Nominations are due no later than March 9. Winners will be announced during the Entrepreneurship Week lunch on Friday, March 27.  

For more information, contact the Center for Entrepreneurship at (816) 271-4283 or entrepreneurship@missouriwestern.edu.

Feb. 21-March 20
Twin Cups and Off the Table
Juried Exhibition
Potter Hall Gallery
Reception 5-7 p.m. Feb. 21

February 26
Javier Colon
7 p.m.
Spratt Hall Kemper Recital Hal

l

March 2
Planetarium Show -- "Forces of Nature"
Tickets available at missouriwestern.edu/planetarium

March 9-13
Spring Break
No Classes, Offices are Open

March 17 
Tea & Talk
Noon
Eder 101

March 23-27
Entrepreneurship Week
Free Workshops Monday-Friday

March 23
Marimba Madness Concert
7:30 p.m.
Potter Hall Theater

March 31
International Cooking Class
S. Korea Sushi Roll - Gimbap
4 p.m.
Commons Building (by Residence Halls)

April 3-5, 9-11
"She Kills Monsters"
Potter Hall Theater
mwsutix.com

Missouri Western's Department of Communication and Journalism has combined the Griffon News, Griffon Yearbook and Griffon Update (video) under the umbrella of Griffon Media, and the department is hiring a director to work with students in all three programs.

If you are interested in applying, click here. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28.

Griffon Media is holding an open house at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 in Murphy 207.

Baseball
The baseball team opened its season Jan. 31 at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma with a 5-3 win, but dropped the next two games there. Games Feb. 7, 8 and 9 brought them to a 1-6 record.

Next up is a 4-day series in Joplin, Missouri: 1 p.m. Feb. 14, 10 a.m. Feb. 15, 4 p.m. Feb. 16 and 10 a.m. Feb. 17. The Griffons play their first home game at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21.

Football
Griffon football signed 57 on National Signing Day Feb. 5. The signing class includes several in the area and representation from 14 states.

Men's Basketball
Griffon men have a six-game winning streak going since winning every game since Jan. 23. On Jan. 30, they beat the University of Central Oklahoma 83-74 and on Feb. 1, Newman University 81-57. The men returned home on Feb. 5 and 8 to beat Lincoln University on Feb. 5 81-71 and the University of Central Missouri Feb. 8, 84-80.

The win on Feb. 5 matched the men's longest MIAA winning streak in 17 years. Their then- 8-4 conference record was the best since 2010. Their win over Central Missouri on Feb. 8 kept them perfect at home this season. The men are now 13-11 overall and 9-4 in the conference.

Next up is 7:30 p.m. at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas and 3:30 p.m. Feb. 15 against Missouri Southern in Joplin. They return home at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 against Pittsburg State and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 against Missouri Southern.

Women's Basketball
For the first time in the season, Griffon women's basketball suffered consecutive losses with a heartbreaking defeat at Central Oklahoma, 70-69, on Jan. 30. The Griffons used a 22-4 run in the final seven minutes of regulation to take a 69-68 lead, but UCO got the game-winning put-back layup off an errant 3-point attempt with seven seconds remaining.

That two-game skid was stopped at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas on Feb. 1 with a 70-59 win. The women continued their winning ways with their next two home games. The Griffons beat Lincoln University 72-53 on Feb. 5 and University of Central Missouri 67-57 on Feb. 8.

Missouri Western handed Central Missouri its first MIAA loss of the season and snapped its 15-game winning streak. The Jennies had not lost since Feb. 9, 2019. It also snapped a streak of seven straight MWSU losses to the Jennies.

The win with Newman's loss on Saturday clinched the team's spot in the MIAA Women's Basketball Championships to be held March 4-8 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The women now stand at 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the conference. They will play Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in Pittsburg, Kansas and at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in Joplin, Missouri against Missouri Southern. The Griffons return home at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 to play Pittsburg State.

Softball
Softball opens its season Feb. 14 at the Arkansas-Monticello DII Challenge in Bentonville, Arkansas. The women were ranked #2 in the MIAA preseason coaches poll. Game times are as follows:

10 a.m. Feb. 14, Southwest Baptist University; noon Feb. 14, Harding University; 2 p.m. Feb. 15, Quincy University; and 4 p.m. Feb. 15 University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Tennis
Tennis opened its season Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and 2 at the Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph for the Stoney Creek Hotel Tennis Classic. They lost to Augustana University and Arkansas Tech University, but had wins over Newman University and Truman State University.

The team will travel to Shawnee, Oklahoma to play Oklahoma Baptist University at 3 p.m. on Feb. 15 and Durant, Oklahoma to play Southeastern Oklahoma State University at 11 a.m. on Feb. 16.

Track & Field
Griffon Track traveled to Pittsburg State University to compete in the PSU Invitational on Feb. 1. Multiple Griffons finished in the top-25 of their respective events and a few hit personal bests.

On Feb. 8, Hanna Williams broke her own school record and won the 600-meter run for the second time this season on Saturday. Griffon Track finished action at the Bearcat Invite with 11 top-10 finishes, along with multiple personal bests.

The Career Development Center has moved to the Blum Student Union and has a new director, Megan Raney.

The center can assist you with developing your resumes and cover letter and provide guidance on your employment search. The Career Development Center provides  resources on their website Handshake, an online tool for searching employment opportunities. The website also offers help with interview techniques and a free online career personality assessment tool.

For more information, call (816) 271-4292 or email careercenter@missouriwestern.edu.