News Releases

Missouri Western State University will hold its 21st annual Reading of Challenged and Banned Books in recognition of the American Library Association’s National Banned Books Week at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Enright Community Room, Spratt Hall room 214. The event is free and open to the public. Missouri Western students and faculty will be joined by members of the St. Joseph community to read from books that have been either banned or challenged in U.S. schools in recent years. Refreshments will be served following the reading. The event is sponsored by the Department of English and Modern Languages, the[Read More]

The Saudi Students Club of Missouri Western State University invites the campus and community to learn more about Saudi Arabia as they celebrate Saudi National Day from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25 in the Blum Student Union Lobby. The event is free and open to the public. Visitors will enjoy authentic Middle Eastern food, try on traditional clothing in the photo booth, get a henna tattoo, have their names written in Arabic and participate in a trivia contest with prizes. Saudi National Day celebrates the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sept. 23, 1930. Missouri Western State University is[Read More]

Students and faculty of Missouri Western State University will mark Constitution Day with a discussion at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Spratt Hall. The discussion, “The Constitution: Issues and Challenges from an Interactive Perspective,” is free and open to the public. Sept. 17 marks the 230th anniversary of the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by the 39 members of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Because Sept. 17 falls on a weekend this year, Constitution Day is observed on Monday, Sept. 18. Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of[Read More]

Missouri Western State University is making plans to accommodate a larger-than-normal crowd for the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues featuring Martin Luther King III. The Convocation will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena, with a live simulcast in the Potter Hall Theater. The event is free and open to the public. “People have expressed a lot of interest in our Convocation this year, so we wanted to make plans to accommodate everyone,” said Jerry Pickman, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the Missouri Western State University Foundation. Doors to[Read More]

The Bushman Planetarium at Missouri Western State University presents “Totality” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19. The planetarium is located in Agenstein Hall. “Totality” is all about eclipses, from total to partial and lunar to solar. It covers how they occur and what happens when they do. It looks back to the proof of general relativity and forward to upcoming eclipses and where to witness them. The Bushman Planetarium features a Digistar 4 projection system and a dome that is tilted slightly, rather than directly overhead, making viewing easier. A 17-channel stereo sound system enhances the viewing experience. Planetarium tickets must be purchased[Read More]

The Peace and Conflict Studies program at Missouri Western State University will sponsor the Peace and Conflict Studies Fall Film Series this semester. All films will be shown at 6 p.m. in the Hearnes Center, room 102. They are free and open to the public. The film series features five films related to issues of war, conflict and peace. Audience members are encouraged to engage in critical evaluation of these films as they relate to broader themes and experiences. A brief discussion led by political science faculty members will follow each film. Sept. 7: Judgment at Nuremberg Sept. 21: The Devil[Read More]

The Ensemble of Irreproducible Outcomes (EIO) will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6 in the Kemper Recital Hall, inside Spratt Hall on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The concert is free and open to the public. EIO is a Kansas City-based trio of David McIntire on saxophone, Ryan Oldham on trumpet and Brian Padavic on double bass. The group focuses on creating music that is recognizable as individual pieces, but every composition is designed to have an improvisatory parameter allowing the listening experience to be different every performance, making each piece “irreproducible.” They will perform a[Read More]

Lindy Lou Wells, the subject of the 2017 documentary “Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2,” will attend a free screening of the film at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Spratt Hall at Missouri Western State University. A reception in the Walter Cronkite Memorial in the Spratt Hall Atrium precedes the screening at 6 p.m., and Wells will make a brief presentation after the film. The event is free and open to the public. Lindy Lou, a woman from rural Mississippi, always thought she could easily give the death penalty. Then she sat on a jury that[Read More]

The Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance in the School of Fine Arts at Missouri Western State University will hold open auditions for the upcoming production of “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 in the Potter Hall Theater. To sign up, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/theatrecinema/theatre-program/upcoming-auditions/. Those auditioning are asked to prepare a musical cutting from the show, and a one-minute memorized story presenting two different and specific characters. Callbacks will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6. “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” brings the beloved 1970s Saturday morning cartoon to the musical stage. It will be presented Oct. 13-21 in the Potter Hall Theater. For[Read More]

As classes start at Missouri Western State University this fall, preliminary enrollment data indicates that about 1,000 incoming freshmen are starting their college career, an increase of 16.2 percent over last year’s number. “A one-year increase this large is really unprecedented in today’s higher education environment, especially since we were also able to maintain the academic quality of the class,” said Dr. Paul Orscheln, associate vice president for enrollment management and student retention. “The competition for a dwindling high school graduate population is fierce, especially in the state of Missouri, and we are both honored and humbled that so many students[Read More]

The Christopher S. "Kit" Bond Science and Technology Incubator at Missouri Western State University welcomes a new tenant: Grant Company, a creative services company that like the incubator has a strong focus on animal health and agriculture. Below is a press release from Grant Company announcing their location in the Incubator: Creative Services Company Locates in the Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator Grant Co. joins Saint Joseph’s Innovation Stockyard as part of the growing animal health entrepreneurial experience. Things are moving fast at Grant Company. Launched this spring, the company now provides creative services — advertising, communications and public relations — to a wide[Read More]

Human rights advocate and community activist Martin Luther King III will be the featured speaker at the 24th annual R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at Missouri Western State University this fall. The Convocation begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the M.O. Looney Complex arena and is free and open to the public. King’s topic is “Embracing the Ideals of Freedom, Justice and Equality.” “Mr. King has a very important message for our students, employees and community members,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “It is hard to believe that in 2018, his father will have been[Read More]

The public is invited to welcome about 1,000 incoming Missouri Western State University students at a New Student Convocation at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. The convocation will be followed by a candle-lighting ceremony and ice cream social at the Glenn E. Marion Memorial Clock Tower. All events are free and open to the public. Sunday evening’s events conclude Griffon Edge, Missouri Western’s extended orientation program for first-year students. Griffon Edge is designed to aid incoming students in their transition to college by developing a diverse social network of classmates, upperclassmen, faculty and staff[Read More]

The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University has approved construction of a pavilion on the west end of Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. The pavilion will be built and donated by Steve Craig, the benefactor for whom Craig Field and the Craig School of Business are named. “The pavilion will provide the finishing piece to the recent improvements to Spratt Stadium, adding to the aesthetics of the stadium, providing symmetry to create a bowl effect and, for some fans, providing a unique game-day experience,” Craig said. The pavilion will be built into the hillside that housed the original Spratt[Read More]

The total solar eclipse is nearly here. Below is a recap of information we sent in a news release earlier this month about eclipse-related activities at Missouri Western State University, with some additional information regarding where to watch streaming video. Planetarium show “Totality” will be shown nine times over the weekend. All shows are SOLD OUT. The Walter Cronkite Memorial inside Spratt Hall will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and includes a space-suit photo op on loan from NASA. Talk with the Experts at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Potter Hall Theater. Guest speakers include Michael[Read More]

St. Joseph is one of the largest cities on the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, and Missouri Western State University has several activities planned to help educate and entertain the public about this astronomical phenomenon. The Bushman Planetarium is showing “Totality,” a new show about all kinds of eclipses, at various times, including two showings on the morning of the eclipse, at 9 and 10 a.m. Aug. 21. Check the planetarium website for show times and to purchase tickets, which must be purchased in advance. The Potter Art Gallery inside Potter Hall presents[Read More]

Missouri Western State University has named Josh Looney as the University’s next director of athletics. Looney, currently director of athletics at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, will start at Missouri Western on August 7. Prior to ESU, Looney was associate director of NCAA Division II from 2012 to 2015. He worked for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006 to 2012 and the Orlando Magic in 2005 and 2006. His work with the Chiefs included spending time on Missouri Western’s campus for the team’s summer training camp, which has been held on campus since 2010. “I believe that Josh brings the right mix[Read More]

Missouri Western Athletics is proud to announce a new partnership with Family Center Farm & Home, Carhartt and Club Cadet as the title sponsors of Family Fun Day during 2017 Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp. Family Fun Day presented by Family Center Farm & Home, Carhartt and Cub Cadet will be Saturday, Aug. 5. Practice that day begins at 8:15 a.m. and features a team autograph session following practice in addition to many other fan-friendly activities. The day has been one of the most highly attended events of training camp since 2010. “We are ecstatic about this new relationship,” Missouri Western associate[Read More]

The Bushman Planetarium at Missouri Western State University will present “Totality,” a new show about eclipses, July 31 through Aug. 21, the day that St. Joseph will experience more than two-and-a-half minutes of a total solar eclipse. “Totality” is all about eclipses, from lunar to partial solar. It covers how they occur and what happens when they do. It looks back to the proof of general relativity and forward to upcoming eclipses and where to witness them. Planetarium tickets must be purchased in advance, either online at www.missouriwestern.edu/planetarium or in person at Agenstein Hall, room 140 during regular business hours (8 a.m.[Read More]

Four finalists to be the next director of athletics at Missouri Western State University will visit campus beginning July 17. All four of the candidates are currently athletic directors at other NCAA Division II universities. “We have an amazing pool of candidates to choose from, reflecting the current strength and future potential of our Department of Athletics,” said Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic affairs and chair of the search committee. “The committee is excited to enter the next phase of the search process, and we believe others on campus and in the community will be as impressed[Read More]