Foundation – News

St. Joseph School District Partners with ��߲�� to Expand Teaching Scholarships

kheier — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:56:20 +0000

March 27, 2026 – The St. Joseph School District is excited to announce a new partnership with the ��߲�� Foundation to provide additional scholarship opportunities for participants in the district’s Grow Your Own and Pathway to Teaching programs.

The ��߲�� Foundation has generously contributed a one-time gift of $8,000 to support these programs. The funds will be awarded to select program recipients who choose to enroll at ��߲�� as part of their participation in the district’s teacher preparation initiatives.��

The Grow Your Own Program provides students the opportunity to pursue a teaching career in the St. Joseph School District. Selected students may receive up to $4,000 a year for four years, participate in summer professional development, and gain employment with the district upon graduation and teacher certification. Recipients are required to teach for the SJSD at least one year for every year of participation in the program.

The Pathway to Teaching Program supports current district employees with a bachelor’s degree in fields outside of education who wish to become certified teachers. Recipients may receive up to $4,000 annually for up to two years to cover costs of teacher certification at an approved college or university. In return, participants commit to teaching in the district for at least three years after certification.��

“The partnership with ��߲�� and the generosity of the ��߲�� Foundation strengthens our commitment to cultivating homegrown educators,” said Superintendent Dr. Ashly McGinnis. “These scholarships make it more achievable for both students and current employees to pursue a teaching career and serve our community.”

“This investment reflects a shared commitment to developing the next generation of educators right here in our community,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, ��߲�� president. “By supporting students who are passionate about teaching, we are helping to build a stronger future for our schools and our region.”

For more information about the Grow Your Own Program or Pathway to Teaching Program, visit the St. Joseph School District website or contact Director of Human Resources, Mark Korell at markkorell@sjsd.k12.mo.us.

CTAC bay named in honor of Texas firm Humach

kheier — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:25:10 +0000

May 9, 2024 – One of the four specialty bays in the Convergent Technology Alliance Center (CTAC) at ��߲�� will be named in honor of a leading national provider of technology-fueled customer experience solutions for business. The advanced AI, IT, and cyber science bay will be named in honor of Dallas-based Humach, a provider of AI technology-driven contact center solutions for hundreds of clients across a variety of industries and regions.

The bay will feature a Secure Operations Center or “SOC” where students learn how to detect potential attacks, a cybersecurity incident “war room” for studying how to combat them, and tools for conducting computer forensics in the aftermath of an incident to understand what happened and how to address the issue.

“The resources housed in this bay will enable our students to engage in hands-on, applied learning that will provide them with essential skills and experience as they enter careers driven in cybersecurity or that draw on AI or other information technologies,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, ��߲��’s president. “We are excited to recognize Humach in this way.”

CTAC, currently under construction on Missouri Western’s campus, is a partnership with North Central Missouri College to serve workforce development needs in skilled manufacturing, construction and related industries, along with cybersecurity. The $12 million project is expected to open in Fall 2024. Funding has been provided by ��߲�� Foundation, NCMC, the State of Missouri, the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, and more than a dozen local business, industry, and non-profit partners.

“We are proud to partner with this transformational project,” said Tim Houlne, a 1986 graduate of Missouri Western and Humach’s CEO. “MWSU, NCMC and the other partners are investing in the development of a new and uniquely-capable workforce. These innovative technologies have the power to change the way the world works for the better.”

Humach simplifies and streamlines customized customer experiences for some of the world’s leading brands with a blend of live agents, digital agents and robust AI and automation technologies to allow businesses to focus on their core business operations. In 2023, Humach was number 29 out of 5,000 rated businesses on Inc. Magazine’s list of the Southwest region’s fastest growing private companies. That same year, Humach was named the best AI / business process outsourcing provider by Remend, an independent industry advisor group that identifies ways for business to manage technology costs.

“Just like the manufacturing and construction industries represented in CTAC that are evolving toward increasing productivity through the use of technology, our company’s heritage traces back to some of the earliest adopters of contact center operations more than three decades ago,” says Houlne, “And by leveraging technological innovations, we’ve been ahead of the curve ever since.”

Previously, Missouri Western announced that other parts of CTAC would respectively be named the Gray Manufacturing Workshop Bay and the Altec Manufacturing Technology Bay.

About Humach

Humach (humans + machines) is redefining customer engagement, sales, and support. By blending the expertise of human contact center agents with machine learning and digital agents, Humach provides businesses with unparalleled customer experiences and streamlined transactions. With a focus on Fortune 2000 companies and venture-backed start-ups, Humach aims to transform the way businesses engage, acquire, and support their customers. For more information, visit

About ��߲��

��߲�� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 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 missouriwestern.edu.

Legal analyst Jonathan Turley named 2022 Convocation on Critical Issues speaker

kheier — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:48:43 +0000

July 22, 2022–Professor and legal analyst Jonathan Turley will headline the 28th annual R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena at ��߲��. Turley’s talk, titled “The Rise and Fall of Free Speech,” is free and open to the public.

Turley will also be the guest of honor and participate in a question-and-answer session during the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon on Sept. 27. Registration information for the luncheon will be available online at missouriwestern.edu/convocation beginning in August.

“The Convocation on Critical Issues has a rich tradition of bringing thought leaders to our campus to discuss timely and relevant issues of the day, and Professor Turley certainly lives up to that tradition,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, Missouri Western’s president. “This year’s event promises to be another thought-provoking and challenging presentation for our students, the high school students who attend, our faculty and staff, and the community.”

“I have for some time wanted to focus on the infringement of free speech in our country today and how it can foment division and conflict among our citizenry,” said Dan Boulware, former chair of the Missouri Western Board of Regents (now Board of Governors) in whose honor the Convocation is held each year. “Professor Turley is not only a highly regarded and well-known constitutional scholar but a great choice to address this critical issue.”

Professor Jonathan Turley is a nationally recognized legal scholar who has written extensively in areas ranging from constitutional law to legal theory to tort law. After a stint at Tulane Law School, he joined the faculty at George Washington University in 1990 and, in 1998, was given the prestigious Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law, the youngest chaired professor in the school’s history.

Professor Turley has served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last two decades, including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, former Cabinet members, judges, members of Congress and a wide range of other clients.��

He testified more than 50 times before the House and Senate on a variety of issues, and appeared as an expert witness in both the impeachment hearings of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

Professor Turley is currently the legal analyst for Fox News. He has previously worked as a legal analyst for NBC, CBS, and the BBC. His columns appear regularly in national newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Professor Turley received his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Chicago and his Juris Doctorate at Northwestern University. In 2008, he was given an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to liberties and the public interest.

Missouri Western inaugurated the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues program in 1993. The program was started as part of an overall commitment to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community.��

Previous Convocation speakers include:

1993 Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
1994 Jeane Kirkpatrick
1995 Cancelled (Colin Powell)
1996 David McCullough
1997 Colin Powell
1998 Bill Bradley
1999 Jerry Linenger
2000 Patricia Schroeder
2001 Daniel Schorr
2002 Joseph Nye
2003 David Gergen
2004 Bob Woodward
2005 J. C. Watts
2006 Steve Forbes
2007 Sam Donaldson
2008 James Carville & Mary Matalin
2009 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
2010 Newt Gingrich
2011 Thomas Friedman
2012 T. Boone Pickens
2013 Doris Kearns Goodwin
2014 Douglas Brinkley
2015 Tom Ridge
2016 Cokie Roberts
2017 Martin Luther King III
2018 Chris Wallace
2019 Jon Meacham
2020 Cancelled (Michael Morell)
2021 Arthur C. Brooks

Convocation on Critical Issues to feature former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell

kheier — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 16:34:48 +0000

Michael Morell

Feb. 27, 2020—Michael Morell, the former acting director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, will be the featured speaker at the 27^th annual R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena on the campus of ��߲��. Morell’s talk, “National Security, Populism, and American Leadership in the World,” will be free and open to the public.

Morell will also be the guest of honor and participate in a question-and-answer session during the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon Oct. 1. Ticketing information for the luncheon will be announced at a later date.

Morell is one of our nation’s leading national security professionals, with extensive experience in intelligence and foreign policy. During his 33-year career at CIA, he served as deputy director for over three years, a job in which he managed the agency’s day-to-day operations and analysis, represented the agency at the White House and Congress and maintained the agency’s relationships with intelligence services and foreign leaders around the world. Morell also served twice as acting director, leading CIA when Leon Panetta was confirmed as Secretary of Defense and again after David Petraeus left government.

Morell’s senior assignments at CIA also included serving for two years as the director of intelligence, the agency’s top analyst, and for two years as executive director, the CIA’s top administrator—managing human resources, the budget, security, and information technology for an agency the size of a Fortune 200 firm.

Today, Morell is involved in a wide range of activities. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Fortress Investment Group; senior counselor and global chairman of the Geopolitical Risk Practice at Washington’s fastest growing consulting firm, Beacon Global Strategies; and an advisor to a large number of private sector entities. He is also the Chairman of the National Security Task Force at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Morell is a senior national security contributor for CBS News, the host of the national security podcast Intelligence Matters, an expert voice on Axios and a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller “The Great War of Our Time: An Insider’s Account of the CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism – From al Qaida to ISIS.”

Previous Convocation speakers include: Bill Bradley, Douglas Brinkley, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, Thomas Friedman, David Gergen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Martin Luther King III, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Jon Meacham, Joseph Nye, T. Boone Pickens, Colin Powell, Tom Ridge, Cokie Roberts, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, Chris Wallace, J. C. Watts and Bob Woodward.

Weddle to lead alumni relations and annual giving

kheier — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 16:25:26 +0000

Nov. 22, 2019—Kim Weddle, previously director of development at ��߲��, has been named executive director of alumni relations and annual giving.

“Kim is well-liked and respected by her colleagues and by her fellow alumni,” said Todd Simpson, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the MWSU Foundation. “Her combination of fundraising knowledge and her understanding of alumni relations will be a tremendous asset to the University in this role,”

“I love Missouri Western and believe strongly in our mission,” said Weddle, who graduated from Missouri Western in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. “We alumni form the strongest grass-roots support network the University has, and I’m excited to work together to keep moving Missouri Western forward.”

In her new role, Weddle will direct alumni operations and coordinate a comprehensive annual giving program.

Weddle has worked at Missouri Western since 2003, and has been director of development for nearly five years.

��߲�� 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 .

Guest speaker talks about Endangered Species Act successes

kheier — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 22:24:15 +0000

Nov. 5, 2019—A biologist from the US Fish & Wildlife Service will talk about the Endangered Species Act at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 in Agenstein Hall, room 224 on the campus of ��߲��. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Laurel Hill is an endangered species biologist at the Missouri Ecological Services Field Office in Columbia, Missouri. She is interested in citizen and industry engaged policy approaches to conserve imperiled species and their habitats. Hill’s current focus is on karst species conservation as well as habitat opportunities for the monarch butterfly.

Hill’s presentation, “Endangered Species Act Successes Through Partnerships,” is presented sponsored by the ��߲�� Foundation, the Missouri Western Department of Biology and the Psi Xi Chapter of Tri-Beta, the biology honor society.

Sunderland Foundation gives $1 million to Potter Hall project

kheier — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 15:10:10 +0000

Architect’s rendering of Drew H. Brown Arts Annex by Patterhn Ives LLC

Oct. 25, 2019—The Sunderland Foundation has given ��߲�� a contribution of $1 million for the construction of the Drew H. Brown Arts Annex for Potter Hall.

“We are extremely grateful to the Sunderland Foundation for their investment in our students and their futures,” said Matt Wilson, Missouri Western’s president. “The facilities made possible by this gift will foster creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking, skills that make our students valuable contributors to society.”

At this stage, it is envisioned that the Drew H. Brown Arts Annex will house the Department of Art’s sculpture and ceramics programs. Space vacated by the three-dimensional arts would then be used for Missouri Western’s growing graphic design program.

“Potter Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and has served Missouri Western well, but many of our programs have outgrown the space available,” said Dr. Doug Davenport, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The annex will give us greater flexibility in providing appropriate teaching environments, and we are very grateful.”

The new structure is named for St. Joseph resident Drew Brown, who announced his own $1 million gift toward the project in April 2019.

The Potter Hall project is part of Missouri Western’s Centennial Capital Campaign, launched in January, 2015, the University’s centennial year. The campaign so far has exceeded the initial celebration goal of $20 million by more than 50 percent.

“We’re very thankful to the Sunderland Foundation and to the hundreds of others who have supported the Centennial Capital Campaign,” said Todd Simpson, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the ��߲�� Foundation. “Through the campaign, Missouri Western has been able to address many of its long-range needs. That kind of private support is critical in today’s higher education environment.”

The Centennial Capital Campaign funded significant improvements to Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium and the Looney Arena, endowed a first-of-its-kind population health management degree program and grew the Foundation’s endowment. The five-year campaign will end in January 2020.

The Sunderland Foundation, based in Overland Park, Kansas, was established in 1945 by Lester T. Sunderland, who served as President of the Ash Grove Cement Company for 33 years as a highly respected leader in the cement industry. Since its inception, the Foundation, which continues to be led by Lester T. Sunderland’s descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company.

Convocation featuring Jon Meacham to be aired on cable, online

kheier — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 14:24:44 +0000

Sept. 27, 2019—The 26^th annual R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at ��߲�� featuring presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham will be broadcast on MWtv, Suddenlink Channel 12 in St. Joseph.

Meacham’s Sept. 26 presentation was titled “The Soul of America: Moving Beyond Division and Hostility.”

The Convocation will air on the following dates:

Sunday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 1, Thursday, Oct. 3, Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10, noon

The presentation may also be viewed for one month on the Convocation website, .

Simpson named VP for university advancement

kheier — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 19:47:24 +0000

R. Todd Simpson

Aug. 21, 2019—R. Todd Simpson, currently chief executive officer of the Peru State College Foundation, has been hired by ��߲�� as vice president for university advancement and executive director of the ��߲�� Foundation. The Board of Governors approved the recommendation of Matt Wilson, Missouri Western’s president, in a telephone poll Aug. 13. Simpson will begin his duties Sept. 16.

“We are excited to have Todd Simpson join Missouri Western as we work together to assist students, create pathways to current and future careers, and elevate our community,” President Wilson said. “Todd has extensive experience in working with stakeholders, industry and the community to facilitate opportunities for traditional and non-traditional students. As we build a new team here at Missouri Western, Todd and his wife Michelle will be pillars of strength for our University and community.”

Simpson will oversee advancement activities of Missouri Western, including development, alumni relations, public relations and marketing, and campus printing and design services. He will serve as a member of President Wilson’s cabinet and as executive director of the MWSU Foundation, the not-for-profit charitable organization that raises private support for Missouri Western’s mission.

“Michelle and I are excited with the challenge and opportunity at Missouri Western,” Simpson said. “It is a special place, and I look forward to finding more ways that the campus and community can work together to support its vital mission as an open-access university.”

Simpson has served as CEO of Peru State’s foundation since 2010, and ushered in a new era of foundation support and alumni engagement. Annual giving doubled under Simpson’s leadership and identified estate gifts topped $20 million. In addition, Simpson guided the Foundation through three capital campaigns to help fund the Oak Bowl Football Stadium renovation, the new Campus Entrance project and the renovation of the College’s Performing Arts Center.

Prior to his work at Peru State, Simpson was a consultant, director of development for the Omaha Home for Boys, director of client services for Target Development, director of development for COTA, the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, Inc., and director of member services for Phi Sigma Kappa International Fraternity.

Simpson served on the National Board of Directors for Phi Sigma Kappa from 1997 to 2011, including four years as national president, and was chancellor of the fraternity from 2011 to 2015.�� He has also served in leadership positions for the Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.

Simpson has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive since 1998. He holds a Master of Science in Organizational Management from Peru State College, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Central Missouri and certificates from Peru State, College of William & Mary National Planned Giving Institute, University of Wisconsin Learner Resource Center, University of Nebraska Omaha and the Grantmanship Center.

Simpson succeeds Jerry Pickman ’85, who left Missouri Western in July to accept a position at Mosaic Life Care.

Makeup effects artist coming to Missouri Western

kheier — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 22:13:09 +0000

“Draxian,” a latex bust by Wayne Anderson

April 15, 2019—Wayne Anderson, makeup effects artist and sculptor who has worked on the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and numerous movies, will present an artist’s talk and demonstration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 24 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Spratt Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Anderson was a season four finalist on the SyFy show Face Off. In addition to serving as a key creature sculptor on several episodes of “Stranger Things,” he has worked on the films “Ghostbusters,” “It,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Predator,” “Bright” and next year’s “Avatar 2.”

Anderson will talk about his work from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. From 9:30 to noon, he will provide a sculpting demonstration.

Anderson’s appearance is sponsored by the Missouri Western Arts Society, the School of Fine Arts, the Department of Art and the Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance.

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