It is also online as a pdf, if you prefer to read it that way.

This is true for Federal Student loans. Any federal loan payments, and interest accrual on the loans, is suspended until Sept. 30, retroactively going into effect on March 13, 2020. Your billing should update automatically — if it hasn’t, make inquiries.

Loans that don’t qualify are Federal Family Education Loans, Perkins Loans, and Private Loans.

Private loans can include loans that were refinanced through a private company (ex. SoFi). You should still check to see what services private lenders may be offering.

Keep in mind that any payments you make during this time will go entirely toward the principal amount, not split with interest.

Additionally, if you are working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness – these suspended months will still count toward your required monthly payments.

DISCLAIMER: Information is changing daily, so make sure you are checking studentaid.gov regularly for any updates or amendments. If you have any questions, reach out to the Financial Aid Office:
missouriwestern.edu/finaid/contact.

In honor of Nurses Week (May 6-12), the Foundation announced their commitment to the annual fellowship that will award $10,000 each up to 10 qualifying applicants. This year’s recipients were chosen from applicants currently enrolled in nursing programs throughout the Mosaic service region, and eight of the nine selected are in Missouri Western’s nursing program.

The Nursing Fellowship lays the foundation for a successful nursing career. Following graduation and obtaining a Missouri State Nursing License, each Mosaic Life Care Foundation Nursing Fellowship recipient will be partnered with a professional mentor throughout their first three years of employment with Mosaic, participate in community engagement opportunities and develop clinical and leadership skills in a supportive, hands-on environment.

They scholarships recipients include the following:

• Jennifer Buch, of St. Joseph
• Kourtney Chaney, of St. Joseph
• Shelbie Gaines, of Watson, Missouri
• Jaileigh Hamlin, of St. Joseph
• Lauren Hill, of Troy, Kansas
• Alyssa Hough, of Gower, Missouri
• Ashley Moeck, of St. Joseph
• Holly Poppa, of Bethany, Missouri

“Graduating from college is an achievement worth celebrating even in the best of times. It is even more remarkable now, when our graduates have overcome not just the normal challenges of the college experience but the extraordinary circumstances created by COVID-19,” said President Matt Wilson. “While social distancing guidelines make it impossible to celebrate with our seniors and their families in person as we planned on May 2, we hope that they’re able to join us later this year as we commemorate this significant milestone on their educational journey.”

Spring and summer 2020 graduates who are unable to participate in the Sept. 20 commencement will be invited to participate in the December 2020 commencement ceremony.

In the release of the Academic Review Board report, the recent vote by the Board of Governors and President Wilson’s many community addresses, I’ve heard a growing concern specific to alumni regarding their own degrees. The primary question being, “what happens if my degree has been phased out?”

There’s been a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding from those confusing the phasing out process with the loss of accreditation. As President Wilson pointed out, the only risk to the school’s accreditation is if we don’t make changes to improve the university’s finances. Simply put, if your completed degree’s program is no longer offered at the school, it does not change the fact that it was accredited at the time it was earned.

You would not need to amend your resume to reflect the changes to the university’s current offerings. Your degree is as valid now as it was the day you graduated. Whether you’re applying to a new position or even graduate school, your earned credits remain the same. Should you ever need documented support (outside of your diploma), then your transcripts would show the degree earned and courses taken. This is the information that employers or post-graduate programs would be concerned with.

I’ve been of the opinion my entire career that the degree doesn’t ultimately dictate the profession. It is the individual’s accomplishments that can carry more weight in the professional world. Colleges and universities will naturally evolve as new concepts and ideas replace old ones – consider the popularity of the Home Economics degree from decades ago, to how rarely it is offered now. Additionally, the person with the Computer Science degree from 1980 would have to remain diligent in their industry with changing technology, skills, and programs in order to stay competitive.

If you have concerns about how this could have an impact on your professional journey, please feel free to reach out to me directly. But also stay confident that the value of your diploma is not now, nor has ever been, called into question.

Together We Succeed,

Megan Raney

For a list of the degree programs that are currently being offered at Missouri Western, go to .Ěý

“Our first priority is the health and well being of our campus community, so we have taken proactive steps to make all our summer courses are available online,” said Dr. Doug Davenport, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. “With so much uncertainty about when students will be able to return to campus, we wanted to make sure our students could continue their education without interruption.”

Missouri Western’s online course information can be found at missouriwestern.edu/online.

“The summer semester also provides a perfect opportunity for students and prospective students to get a jump start on their coursework,” said Dr. Davenport. “And with so many more students homebound this semester, this means we can continue our important mission to keep teaching and keep learning.”

Alumni are invited to submit nominations for the annual Alumni Association Awards. The deadline for nominations for the Alumni Awards is May 1. Recipients will be honored at a banquet on Oct. 16.

Nominations will be accepted for the following awards – Great Griffon Awards (alumni from the University’s Schools and Colleges), Herb ’35 and Peggy Iffert Award for Outstanding Service to the University, GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade), Distinguished Faculty, Distinguished Alumni and the Student Leadership Awards: Graduating Student of the Year, Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian International Student of the Year and Clifford Hughes ’55 Award.

You can find the nomination forms here or on the Alumni Relations webpage. For further information, please contact Alicia Otto at aotto@missouriwestern.edu or Kim Weddle at weddle@missouriwestern.edu.