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Honors College Students Visit State Capitol

The core mission of The Honors College is to support an inclusive environment that stimulates critical thinking, interdisciplinary problem-solving, intellectual curiosity and a global perspective. One way this mission is accomplished is through high-impact courses, such as Professor Garrett Pratt鈥檚 course this fall, "Legislating Change.鈥�

In this class, students took on the challenge of identifying pressing societal issues, analyzing how current laws address them and developing evidence-based policy proposals aimed at creating real solutions. The course concluded with an opportunity for students to present their policy proposals directly to Missouri legislators and policymakers.

Students worked in teams to create proposals and prepare presentations, covering topics such as air quality in schools and regulating puppy mills. They traveled to Jefferson City on Nov. 12 to share their innovative, thoughtful solutions at the Missouri State Capitol. 

Professor Elected as Broadcast Education Association Board Representative

Stephen Price, Ph.D., professor of Digital Media Production, was elected to be the District 5 representative on the Broadcast Education Association's Board of Directors. 

Price will serve during the 2026-28 term, which begins in April at the BEA 2026 convention. District 5 includes Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. BEA is an international organization of media educators and the premier organization for educators of Broadcast and Electronic Media.

Associate Professor Speaks at Guardian and Mediation Training

Jaimee Hartenstein, Ph.D., associate professor and program coordinator for Human Development and Family Science, was a speaker at the 2025 Advanced Guardian Ad Litem and Mediation Training sponsored by the 13th Circuit Family Court and Boone County Bar Family Court Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 11. 

Hartenstein presented on "Hearing the Voices of Adolescents in Custody Arrangement Decisions," as well as the factors parents consider when determining custody of their children. The audience members included attorneys, mediators, guardians ad litem, juvenile officers and judges.

UCM鈥檚 TRIO McNair Scholars Program Celebrates 100th Doctorate

UCM's TRIO McNair Scholars Program is celebrating the 100th doctorate earned by McNair Scholar alumni. 

The 100th doctorate was earned by Caleb Henderson, who received a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Henderson is a UCM graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2018. He has been awarded a postdoc at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, and will be traveling there soon.

Music Professor Nominated for Grammy Awards

Elisabeth Stimpert, DMA, associate professor of Music, was nominated in two categories for Grammy Awards for her ensemble Alarm Will Sound's recent album release "Land of Winter" on Nonesuch Records. 

Stimpert is a founding member of Alarm Will Sound, which is celebrating their 25th season this year. The album, which resulted from a long-term collaboration with composer Donnacha Dennehy, is up for consideration as both Best Chamber/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Michael Brodeur, a classical music critic at The Washington Post, called the album "one of my favorite recordings of the year" in a recounting the year鈥檚 best classical recordings. "Structured to evoke the passage of time across the Irish landscape, the music lightens and darkens under sweeping waves of color, like a time-lapse film racing across slowly unfolding seasons," Brodeur wrote.

Central Missouri Police Academy Partners with Powell Gardens

Cadets from the (CMPA) assisted Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri, with a security vulnerability assessment of the botanical gardens鈥� buildings and grounds.

In September, Powell Gardens Chief Operating Officer Donna Young reached out to the academy to explore a potential partnership opportunity. The organization had conducted an internal audit of its security practices and wanted to partner with CMPA cadets to either bolster what they already knew or make additional suggestions. Young thought that the collaborative assessment could offer valuable real-world experience for participants while providing fresh insights and recommendations from a law enforcement perspective.  

On Nov. 12, the CMPA cadets and staff traveled to Powell Gardens. The grounds were divided into four zones on a map and cadets were split into four groups, each paired with a Powell Gardens executive. The groups spent about two hours surveying the property. The next day, cadets completed security reports and photos to submit to Powell Gardens.

Data Analyst Presents at MIDAIR Conference

Catalina Tibaduiza, data analyst II in the Office of University Analytics and Institutional Research (UAIR), presented at the MIDAIR conference, hosted Nov. 5-7 at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. It marked her second time presenting at the conference.

Her presentation focused on a newly developed Student Intervention Management System (SIMS). The Office of Student Experience and Engagement (SEE) needed a way to track interventions, monitor student progress over time, and make sure no one was overlooked. Months of collaboration between SEE, UAIR and the Success Advising Center resulted in a system that better monitors, supports and retains students.

Conference attendees said it was helpful to see a model that blended data, cross-departmental collaboration and student-centered design. 

"It was a story of collective efforts, lessons learned, and bold steps toward improving student retention," Tibaduiza said of her presentation. "As I spoke, I saw heads nodding in recognition. Many institutions face similar challenges, and it felt meaningful to share not just our outcomes but also the process, the trials, the adjustments, and the insights gained along the way."

Accountancy Instructor, Students Recognized for Community Efforts

On Nov. 18, Dawn Anderson, senior instructor of Accountancy, and student volunteers from the Accountancy program were presented with a flag that was flown over Whiteman Air Force Base aboard a B-2 aircraft. 

The flag was awarded to Anderson in recognition of her leadership of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and to the student volunteers in honor of their dedication to preparing and filing taxes for community members.

UCM's Accountancy Program offers the VITA program on campus each tax season. Students complete training sessions to become IRS-certified and then volunteer to prepare income tax returns for UCM students, staff and the general public. 

鈥淭he hands-on experience gained is invaluable, as is the service provided to our clients,鈥� said Anderson, who has been the site coordinator since 2017. 鈥淲e have many clients who have been coming to our site for over 10 years.鈥�

In the last tax season, VITA students completed 69 federal tax returns and 71 state returns for clients from three states and 21 different zip codes. Clients received a total of $42,195 in refunds.

Criminal Justice Professor Publishes Article on Gang Research

Gregg Etter, Ed.D., professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, recently published an article in the Fall 2025 edition of the Journal of Gang Research titled "Getting Published in Gang Research."

Etter鈥檚 article is based on a course he has taught for years with the National Gang Crime Research Center. He helps law enforcement practitioners get their work published in journals and trade magazines, educating them on how to reach different audiences and effectively write about law enforcement topics.

English Associate Professor Helps Draft AI Use for TESOL

Christina Kitson, Ph.D., associate professor of English, participated in drafting an artificial intelligence (AI) use statement, with three other professionals, for the TESOL International Association.

The statement, which guides all English Language Teachers on how to approach AI use in their classrooms, was officially released by in November. Four higher education professionals, including Kitson, drafted the statement.

TESOL is a global organization dedicated to English language teaching, and it calls for ethical and responsible integration of generative AI in English language teaching and learning. 

Associate Professor Published in Theatre Topics

Theatre Topics, the official journal of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, published Aaron Scully's review of the book "The Group Theatre: An Enduring Legacy by Mark Connelly" in its recent publication. Scully, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Theatre and the Meridith Harmon Sauer Distinguished Professor of Theatre for 2023-26.

Division of Theatre & Dance, Department of Communication & Digital Media Production Host High School Workshop Day

The Division of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Communication and Digital Media Production (DMP) welcomed 23 high schools and more than 400 students and teachers to the annual High School Workshop Day on Nov. 19.

Students participated in an Admissions presentation, various workshops on more than 30 topics in the areas of Theatre, Dance, Communication and DMP, ate lunch in the dining hall, took a campus tour, and attended a Speech and Debate and Shenanigans Showcase. To end the day, students attended either a DMP Film Fest or caught the last dress rehearsal for UCM鈥檚 production of "The Importance of Being Earnest," followed by a talkback with the cast and crew after the show.

Computer Science Student Presents AI Research

Pushpa Kumar Balan, a master's student in Computer Science, was recently awarded a Cohere Labs Catalyst Grant to support his research in machine learning and generative AI. This research is part of his work as a graduate assistant for Aijing Feng, Ph.D., assistant professor of Computer Science and Cybersecurity.

Cohere Labs鈥� grant program helps remove barriers for researchers and innovators, empowering them to achieve real-world impact through AI advancements.

Balan鈥檚 work has already led to several exciting opportunities. In late October, he represented UCM at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research鈥檚 conference, AI-Driven Approaches to Emergent Protein Behaviors in Kansas City, Missouri. He presented his , "From Genomic Signals to Protein Behaviors: AI-Driven Feature Selection for Bioinformatics Modeling," which reviewed how cutting-edge generative AI and machine learning techniques can be used to solve complex problems in genomics and protein science.

Two of Balan鈥檚 co-authored papers have been accepted for the student abstract and poster program at the 2026 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) conference in Singapore. He has also been accepted for a poster presentation at the 2025 EurIPS AICC Workshop in Copenhagen for his paper on AI weather model interpretability, "Physical Consistency of Aurora鈥檚 Encoder."

Biology Students Recognized for Research Posters

Two students were awarded for their research posters at the Entomological Society of America's national conference, which drew more than 3,100 attendees from around the world to Portland, Oregon, from Nov. 9-12.

Dan Marschalek, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological and Clinical Sciences, attended the conference with three graduate students and one undergraduate student. 

Leah Landon (top photo), of Sedalia, Missouri, is majoring in Biology - Ecology and Evolution. She placed second in the Education and Biodiversity undergraduate poster session for her research comparing butterfly assemblages along Missouri roadsides and in remnant prairies. 

Kyra Lathrop (bottom photo), of Richmond, Missouri, is a master鈥檚 student in the Biology program. She placed second in the Biodiversity and Ecology graduate poster session for her research project focused on carrion preferences of necrophagous dipterans in Missouri鈥檚 grassland and woodland vegetation communities.

Both were up against students from R1 universities with well-respected Entomology departments.

Emily Henderson, a master's student in the Biology program, presented her thesis research, 鈥淎ssessment of Butterfly and Bumble Bee Assemblages in Coastal Sage Scrub in San Diego County, California.鈥� Brynna Beck, a master's student in the Biology program, also attended the conference.