Commerce Bancshares Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to the Missouri Colleges Fund to underwrite scholarships at each of the 16 Missouri Colleges Fund schools, including Drury, Evangel and Southwest Baptist universities. The fund also received a $24,000 grant for scholarships from the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation.
Judy Campbell, administrative assistant in Missouri State University’s department of counseling, leadership and special education, was awarded the 2011 Friend of Education Award from the Missouri Association of School Administrators. In addition to her work at MSU, Campbell served on the Strafford R-VI School Board for nine years. The award is presented annually to noneducators for contributions to education locally or statewide.
Southwest Baptist University’s marketing and communications department and The Whelan Group received a merit award in the 26th annual Education Advertising Awards Competition for the admissions publication, “A Life of Direction Starts at Southwest.” The awards were sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report, and the competition drew more than 2,500 entries from more than 1,000 schools.
Tim Lehman, disability projects coordinator at MSU, received a $5,000 regional demonstration grant from the Missouri Assistive Technology Advisory Council. The funds will provide assistive technology demonstrations for people with disabilities to help them achieve independent living, finish school and maintain jobs.
Evangel University’s Students in Free Enterprise Team was first-runner-up in its league at the 2011 SIFE USA Regional Competition, held March 28 in Chicago. Members of Evangel’s presentation team are: Natalie Akins, Joshua Fletcher, Jochebed Garcia, Ariahna Knight, Daniel Noah and Brock Shaffer, with multimedia created by Robert Martin. The team is led by Sam Walton fellows Elizabeth Fletcher and Mark Maynard. Knight, an Evangel senior with a double major in accounting and management, was accepted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She will attend MIT beginning in the fall to earn a Master of Engineering in logistics. MIT accepts 35 students a year from among 200 applicatnts, and those chosen are rarely admitted directly after undergraduate studies because the program recommends three to eight years of work experience.
Juan Meraz, coordinator for diversity outreach and recruitment in MSU’s office of the provost, was elected president of the Academy of International Business U.S.-Midwest Chapter. Through his involvement with the group, he has presented several papers, served as session chairman and reviewed submissions.
Robin Farris, director of Missouri State’s Center City Counseling Clinic, was certified as a registered play therapist by the Association for Play Therapy. In play therapy, toys are used to help therapists communicate more effectively with children.
The William T. Kemper Foundation and Commerce Bancshares Foundation presented a joint grant for $25,000 to the Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation. The gift, which supports OTC’s Major Gifts Capital Campaign, will provide furniture, fixtures and equipment for Information Commons West on the school’s Springfield campus.
John Avery, horticulture outreach adviser at the William H. Darr School of Agriculture on MSU’s Mountain Grove campus, was awarded a $6,900 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture via the University of Missouri for the project, “Advancement of American Elderberry as a Missouri Specialty Crop by Elucidating its Pest and Disease Complex.” Avery will collaborate with Martin Caps from the MSU Mountain Grove campus, Andrew Thomas from the University of Missouri’s Southwest Center and others to identify pests and diseases that affect elderberry health.[[In-content Ad]]
A franchise store of a Branson West-based quilting business made its Queen City debut; Grateful Vase launched in Lebanon; and Branson entertainment venue The Social Birdy had its grand opening.
