Griffon Guarantee Scholarship
Missouri Western will launch a scholarship program next year that automatically renews and increases in value each year. The Griffon Guarantee Scholarship will be offered to qualifying incoming freshmen and transfer students beginning during the fall 2020 semester.

The Griffon Guarantee Scholarship differs from previous Missouri Western programs and from scholarships at other institutions in the following ways:

  • Annual scholarship renewal is guaranteed for students who remain in good academic standing (minimum 2.0 GPA).
  • Automatic upgrades to scholarship amounts. Recipients will receive an additional $1000 at the 30-credit mark, $500 at the 60-credit mark, and $500 at the 90-credit mark, meaning that recipients will receive $2,000 more in their fourth year of school than they did in the first year.

The base first-year award for the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship will range from $500 to $6,500 for incoming freshmen and $500 to $1,500 for transfer students. With the automatic renewal and upgrades, the scholarship will provide students up to $4,500 in additional aid over the course of eight semesters.

To qualify, incoming freshmen must have a high school GPA of at least 3.0 and ACT score of at least 19. Also, students with a lower ACT score may be eligible depending on their GPA. Transfer students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and at least 12 credit hours will qualify for the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship.

Full details are available at missouriwestern.edu/finaid/griff-guarantee.

Gold Fridays
Beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, the University will adopt a flexible approach to class scheduling called “Gold Fridays,” giving students greater flexibility to engage in applied learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

Under the revised academic schedule, most classes will be held Monday through Thursday, leaving Fridays for students to engage in internships, research with a faculty member, service learning or other applied learning opportunities.

A four-day class schedule may not be appropriate for every program, President Wilson said, but most programs will be adapted. Courses will be taught for the same amount of classroom time and involve the same academic rigor as before. They will simply be organized a bit differently throughout the week to allow for a more concentrated and purposeful set of experiential learning opportunities on Fridays.

Gold Fridays will offer flexibility for more engagement and learning opportunities. It would also allow students to access services like tutoring, academic advising and career services without having to worry about conflicts with class time. Traveling for competitions, rehearsals, practices, extracurricular and club activities could also be focused on Fridays.

“Our primary focus will be to retain quality and ensure student success,” said Matt Wilson, Missouri Western’s president. “Instructional time and course expectations will remain the same, but students will now have greater flexibility to work, to prepare for the following week of classes and, most importantly, to pursue hands-on applied learning opportunities. Wise use of their Gold Fridays will enhance students’ learning experiences and ultimately increase the value of their degrees.”