April 22, 2026鈥揟he 含羞草社区 Honors Program will hold its Spring 2026 Honors Medal Ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 in the Enright Community Rooms, Spratt Hall rooms 214-216. The ceremony is open to the public.

Graduating seniors who have achieved General Studies and/or Majors Honors will be presented commemorative medals during the ceremony. The medal will be worn as part of the graduate鈥檚 academic regalia during the Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 9.

General Studies Honors encourages breadth of understanding across disciplines. Students achieving this honor have successfully completed at least 12 credit hours of general studies honors courses, four credit hours of honors colloquia and two credit hours of community service learning while earning a grade of B or higher in all honors courses and maintaining an overall GPA of at least 3.25.

Majors Honors encourages depth of understanding within a student鈥檚 field of study. Students achieving this honor have completed a research project or creative work under the guidance of a professor in their major, presented the research or submitted it for publication, and completed at least six credit hours of honors courses in the major, two credit hours of honors colloquia and one credit hour of community service learning while earning a grade of B or higher in all honors courses and maintaining an overall GPA of at least 3.5.听

The 含羞草社区 Honors Program was created in 1987 to foster the growth of intellectual inquiry, independence, and initiative in participants with an array of learning experiences including special courses, colloquia and independent research and study.听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 含羞草社区 is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

Nov. 3, 2025–On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Missouri Lambda chapter of Alpha Chi inducted 20 new members.

Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor society for 含羞草社区 students, open to junior, senior and graduate students in the top ten percent of their class. New students are inducted each semester, and each inductee nominates a significant faculty member for the Compass Award.

For the fall 2025 semester, twelve undergraduate and seven graduate students were inducted, along with a faculty member honored for her significant contribution to the chapter.

Undergraduate Inductees:

• Beverly Ard, Nursing; Hannibal, Missouri
• Kayla Beam, Criminal Justice; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Linda Bieri, Law; Kansas City, Missouri
• Kylie Clark, Nursing; Gower, Missouri
• Khia Haley, Secondary Education; Savannah, Missouri
• Maddie Jones, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Auburn, Nebraska
• Haylie Owens, Early Childhood Education; Camden Point, Missouri
• Ayron Reeter, Social Work; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Ashley Thomson, Management; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Shaneka Thornton, Social Work; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Selena Toole, Secondary Education; Altamont, Missouri
• Bailey Woodbury, Performing and Cinematic Arts; St. Joseph, Missouri

Graduate School Inductees:

• Lhingneiching Briner, Master of Arts in Teaching; Smithville, Missouri
• Adrienne Chleborad, Master of Applied Science in Assessment, TESOL; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Lauren Herr, Master of Social Work; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Jodi Jakylovich, Master of Social Work; Platte City, Missouri
• McKala Meziere, Master of Applied Science in Forensic Investigations; Shreveport, Louisiana
• Kelia Pitzenberger, Master of Arts in Teaching; Kansas City, Missouri
• Marcy Withrow, Master of Arts in Teaching; St. Joseph, Missouri

Honorary Inductee:

Dr. Pam Clary, Bachelor of Social Work Program Director and Professor of Social Work

Fourteen faculty members were honored by inductees for their significant contributions: Brandon Johnson, Crystal Dowdell, Dr. Dan Shepherd, Dr. Dominic DeBrincat, Dr. Jonathan Rhoad, Dr. Kipton Smilie, Dr. Grey Endres, Dr. Jennifer Malone, Dr. Jonathan Euchner, Linda Salfrank, Dr. Monty Smith, Dr. Pam Clary, Ronda Chesney and Whitlea Castillo.

Additionally, fourteen fall 2025 graduates were recognized with honors cords.

• Brookelyn Buttolph, Psychology; West Des Moines, Iowa
• Amy Clary, Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Adrienne Chleborad, Master of Applied Science in Assessment, TESOL; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Kole Conaway, Master of Business Administration; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Rachel Gonzalez, Master of Business Administration; Independence, Missouri
• Carter Hays, Management; Parkville, Missouri
• Garrett Jackson, Master of Business Administration; St. Joseph, Missouri
• Molly Killion, Psychology; Malvern, Iowa
• Patty Lashbrook, Applied Communications and Journalism; Faucett, Missouri
• Justice Matthes, Psychology; Trenton, Missouri
• Avery McVicker, Elementary Education; Cameron, Missouri
• Haylie Owens, Early Childhood Education; Camden Point, Missouri
• Taylor Triplett, Nursing; Faucett, Missouri
• Marcy Withrow, Master of Arts in Teaching; St. Joseph, Missouri

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 含羞草社区 is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

Award recipients were:

Missouri Western Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence

• Pam Clary, assistant professor of social work and director of the BSW program
• Shauna Hiley, professor of chemistry
• Mark Mills, associate professor of biology

Missouri Western Foundation Award for Staff Service to Students

• Susan Garrison, director, Center for Academic Support

Missouri Western Foundation Award for Staff Service to Colleagues

• Hawley Rumpf, procurement card/employee reimbursement, Accounting Services

Missouri Western Foundation Award for Staff Service to University

• Stacy Turner, special credit programs coordinator, Western Institute

Missouri Western Foundation Dr. James V. Mehl Award for Outstanding Faculty Scholarship

• Pi-Ming Yeh, associate professor of nursing

Missouri Western Foundation Dr. James L. Scanlon Award for Staff Service to the Community

• Brett Esely, associate director of athletics for external relations

Missouri Western Foundation Dr. James L. Scanlon Award for Faculty Service to the Community

• Teddi Deka, professor of psychology and director, Honors Program

Student Employee Supervisor of the Year

• Jessica Frogge, administrative coordinator, Student Government Association

The following employees were honored for their retirement after a combined 216 years of service to Missouri Western:

• Deborah Becker, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics
• Marsha Dolan, School of Nursing and Health Professions
• Ronnie Hodge, Physical Plant
• Marilyn Hunt, Department of Communication and Journalism
• Debbie Johnson, Campus Printing and Design Services
• David Jones, Physical Plant
• Joanne Katz, Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Social Work
• Dale Krueger, Craig School of Business
• Catherine Lawson, Department of Economics, Political Science and Sociology
• Andrew McGarrell, Library

Award recipients pictured at top, from left to right, are Frogge, Esely, Clary, Hiley, Rumpf, Yeh, Deka, Turner, Mills and Garrison.

含羞草社区 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .