Message from Chancellor Shirley Lawler to Faculty and Staff
Greetings!
We are quickly approaching the end of winter, and spring break is just around the corner. I hope everyone’s semester has gone well to this point. Hopefully, the frigid weather is behind us. Spring is out there!
Our enrollment held steady this semester, with a total of 1,578 students enrolled this spring compared to 1,582 last spring. We continue to work on strategies to not only recruit new students but also retain our current students. Many thanks to all of our employees for joining the effort to stabilize our student enrollment.
We enjoyed having students on campus for two Red Carpet Days in February. We had a total of 254 students from 11 schools, including West Plains (brought a group both days), Alton, Couch, Hartville, Koshkonong, Licking, Lutie, Mountain Grove, Thayer, Van Buren, and Winona. We also had guests from nine different schools: Buffalo High School, Fort Zumwalt South High School (St. Louis), Lee’s Summit West High School (Kansas City area), Lebanon High School, Mountain Grove High School, North County High School (Farmington), Pattonville High School (St. Louis area), Rolla High School and Salem High School (Salem, MO). We so appreciate our admissions team and all of the faculty and staff who play a part in these vital campus visit days!
Missouri State University’s administration continues to monitor and track the spread of the coronavirus through information received from the U.S. State Department, the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and our local authorities. We are forming an emergency coordination team on the West Plains campus with the assistance of David Hall, director of university safety for the MSU system. The primary goal is to have a plan in place to minimize risks to this campus in case the threat of an epidemic heightens. We will continue to keep the lines of communication open and promptly keep everyone informed. Do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns.
We have many activities taking place on campus as we enter the spring season. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the following:
Items of Note —
- March 13: Teacher Placement Day, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Gohn Hall.
- March 24: Joe and Nick’s VCR Party, 7 p.m., West Plains Civic Center theater.
- March 27: Grizzly Bowling Tournament, 7 p.m., West Plains Civic Center theater.
- March 30: Graduation Fair begins at Drago College Store.
- March 31, Art Around Town exhibit opens at the Gallery on the Mezzanine at the West Plains Civic Center. Continues through April 9.
- Check out the Web Master Calendar for a full listing of upcoming events.
Always remember what you do each day makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.
Shirley Lawler