December 19, 2026
Mark your calendar for the Winter 2026 Commencement Ceremony. We cannot wait to celebrate our newest graduates. Join us Saturday, December 19 at 11:00 a.m. in Looney Arena.

We also invite you to join us for the Honors Medal Ceremony on Wednesday, December 9, and the Nurses Pinning Ceremony the morning of Commencement. Find all the information on our Commencement webpage.

November 13, 2026
The Center for Military and Veteran Services is hosting a seminar open to the public that focuses on the care and support of our military members.

The program will include sexual assault prevention and response presented by the 139th Airlift Wing SAPR Team, a veteran’s personal case study highlighting the importance of awareness and support, a session on understanding and supporting military populations presented by a VA psychologist, and suicide awareness and prevention training covering warning signs, risk factors, and how to respond.

If you work in a field that serves military members, veterans, and their families, we highly encourage you to register.

November 1-30, 2026
The Society for Collegiate Journalists is hosting a diaper drive benefiting the Noyes Home for Children. We invite you and your student to drop off supplies outside Spratt 103 (Walter Cronkite Memorial building). Donations will be accepted the entire month of November.

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Our students deserve a break! Our campus will be CLOSED for fall break from November 21-29. We’ll reopen for the final few weeks of classes before we close for the holidays from December 24, 2026 – January 1, 2027. Visit our Academic Calendar for a full list of closures and important dates.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Fall and winter sports overlap for one precious month, and lucky for us that month is November! While Griffon Volleyball, Cross Country and Soccer look for post season bids, we’re excited for the tip-off of Griffon Basketball! The women’s team starts their season at Gannon University on November 6, while the men’s team travels to Quincy on November 9.

Be sure you get out to a game this fall. Check out the full athletics schedule at https://gogriffons.com/.

Our official enrollment for the Fall 2026 semester is 3,711! This marks the first increase in enrollment since 2018. This number reflects a jump of 9% in new undergraduate degree-seeking students, a 9.7% increase in new first-time students, and a 7.2% increase in new transfer students.

We couldn’t be happier to share this news with you and are so glad that you are a part of our Griffon Family. Read the full story here.

Future Griffons and their families joined us for Discover More at MoWest Day. Students were able to tour campus, meet professors, and enjoy an afternoon of MoWest student life activities. We also launched our Discovery Guides, which included fun word games, scavenger hunts, and important information about enrolling at MoWest.

Schedule a visit to campus at https://www.missouriwestern.edu/admissions/ . We would love to see you and your future Griffons join at an upcoming event.

Homegrown Homecoming was an absolute blast. We spent the entire week celebrating MoWest and our amazing St. Joseph community. There’s no better way to tell this story than to show you. Check out the full photo gallery from the Homecoming game on our Flickr page, where you can download photos for FREE!

We recently dove into YouTube Shorts! These quick videos showcase life on campus from the perspective of our students. We share videos ranging from athletics to campus events to tours of our dorms. It’s a great place to support our student content creators. Don’t forget to like and subscribe.

Having trouble accessing the Family Newsletter? Contact us at marketing@missouriwestern.edu