Having trouble accessing the Family Newsletter? Contact us at marketing@missouriwestern.edu

Having trouble accessing the Family Newsletter? Contact us at marketing@missouriwestern.edu

Events

Commencement

December 13, 2025Ìý

Fall 2025 Commencement is this weekend! Be sure to come celebrate and support your graduating Griffon at 11:00 a.m. at Looney Arena. Check out our Commencement webpage for all the details!

Ring the Bell

Select dates

We had several Griffon Athletics teams that competed in postseason tournaments. We especially want to recognize Wimach Gilo of Griffon Cross Country for competing at the NCAA National Championship and the Women’s Soccer and Volleyball teams for lifting conference trophies this fall!

Basketball season is heating up! Both our men’s and women’s teams will be competing throughout the month of December. We would love to see you at a game.

Check out each team’s schedule at .

Winter Break

The holiday season is quickly approaching, so we wanted to remind you that º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø will be closed for Winter Break from December 24, 2025, to January 1, 2026. We hope everyone has a relaxing and rejuvenating break.

News & Reminders

Griffs Giving Day 2025

We celebrated our annual day of giving earlier this month and raised over $34,000 for our students. We want to thank everyone who made a gift and contributed to our goal this year.

It’s not too late! You can still make a difference in the lives of our students at

Psychology Research Day

Join us for an Applied Learning Showcase in Murphy Hall at 12:45 p.m. on December 4. Students studying psychology and affiliated programs will be presenting their research projects. This event is open to the public and we welcome everyone to come learn from our Griffons.

Learn more about Applied Learning at º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø at /appliedlearning/

Cram the Cupboard CanStruction Competition

Campus came together to restock the Campus Cupboard by having a friendly competition. Teams brought nonperishable items and constructed º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø-themed structures in the dining hall for our students to vote for a favorite. Hundreds of items were collected for the Campus Cupboard, a resource any student with an ID can access.

Learn how you can support this important initiative here.

Download the Griffon News App

Keep up to date on everything our students are up to by downloading the Griffon News App or by regularly visiting their website at .

Griffon Gold Community Standards Winners

These students exemplify our Griffon Gold Community Standards. By demonstrating respect and honesty, they are making º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø a great place to live and learn. These students were chosen as November’s Griffon Gold Community Standards winners:

• Scanlon – Brooke Cutler
• Leaverton – Riley Wells
• Vartabedian – Traeger Rader
• Vaselakos – Madison Dickherber
• RAs – Molly Killion & Maddie Jones

The Future of the Griffon Family Newsletter

As we look at the future of this newsletter and how you and our amazing audience absorb news from campus, we are excited to announce that the Griffon Family Newsletter will be moving over to our Family Facebook Group in 2026. This allows you to receive updates in a more timely manner and to interact with other members of our community. Our goal is to make information more readily available and offer a place for questions and answers.

Join the today!

Events

Grad Fest

November 18, 2025

Grad Fest is a graduation fair for all graduating students where they can pick up their cap and gown, connect with campus resources, and fill out outcome surveys. Grad Fest will be held on Tuesday, November 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Leah Spratt Hall Atrium.

Daily Commute Art Exhibition

October 21, 2025 – December 5, 2025

Don’t miss the newest exhibit in the Drew Brown Art Gallery in Potter Hall. This exhibit showcases work from St. Joseph artist Tonia Hughes and is free and open to the public.

Learn more about Tonia Hughes and the exhibit here.

Ring the Bell

Select Dates

November is THE month for Griffon Athletics. Fall sports are winding down and winter sports are firing up. Don’t miss a single piece of this exciting overlap in seasons by catching Griffon football, soccer, volleyball, and basketball before the holiday season!

Check out each team’s schedule at . We can’t wait to see you at a game!

News & Reminders

Discover More Recap

Dozens of potential future Griffons joined us for the fall edition of Discover More at º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø Day. These attendeesÌý explored campus, met current students and even unlocked the opportunity to earn a $500 scholarship. We loved seeing our campus so alive on a Saturday and are already looking forward to our spring event.

‘Tis the Season for Job Fairs

The Department of Communication recently hosted their 6th Annual Communication Career Night. Alumni of the program met beforehand to visit and then met with dozens of current Griffons searching for employment in communication, journalism and marketing.

We also hosted a job fair centering around criminal justice. Students had the opportunity to meet with regional employers in the areas of government, non-profits, and legal studies.

To round out this busy job fair calendar, the Education Department will be hosting their annual Teacher Recruitment Fair on November 12.

Alpha Chi Induction

We welcomed the newest inductees of the º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Society last month. This honor society admits students from all academic disciplines and membership is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

Congratulations to this group!

Reminder: Campus Closures

The holiday season is quickly approaching so we wanted to remind you of the dates our campus will be closed:

• Fall Break: November 22-30
• Winter Break: December 24, 2025- January 1, 2026

Download the Griffon News App

Keep up to date on everything our students are up to by downloading Griffon News App or by regularly visiting their website at .

Griffon Gold Community Standards Winners

These students exemplify our Griffon Gold Community Standards. By demonstrating respect and honesty, they are making º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø a great place to live and learn. These students were chosen as October’s Griffon Gold Community Standards winners:

• Scanlon – Makenzie Thomas
• Leaverton – Jarede Swinton
• Vartabedian – Abbi Ward
• Vaselakos – Skiler Smith
• RAs – Grace Peters & Piper Cohen

Save the Date: Discover More

November 1, 2025

Join us on campus for Discover More Day on November 1. This is a great opportunity for potential future Griffons to experience life as a Griffon. Those in attendance will engage current students, take a campus tour, meet their future faculty, and cheer on Griffon Football at a game. Did we mention that any senior who attends Discover More and then enrolls in either Spring 2026 or Fall 2026 is eligible for a $500 one-time scholarship?

Alumni and Friends Art Exhibit

September 5, 2025 – October 17, 2025

Don’t miss the newest exhibit in the Drew Brown Art Gallery in Potter Hall. This exhibit showcases photography and art from Alumni and is open to the public Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Visit before it’s gone for good on October 17.

Ring the Bell

Select Dates

Griffon athletics is running full steam ahead in the fall season and you don’t want to miss a single piece of the action! Catch Griffon football, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, and cross country from now until November.

Check out each team’s schedule at . We can’t wait to see you at a game!

News & Reminders

Homecoming 2025

We invited the entire community to Wild º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø Homecoming and YOU showed up! Our campus streets were packed for the parade and then we kept the party going through a fall festival and tailgate. We crowned our Homecoming King and Queen during halftime of the football game, and also honored 50 Years of Women’s Athletics here at º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø.

See all the photos from Homecoming week on our page.

Nursing Early Acceptance

We recognized our newest future Griffon nurses at the 2025 Early Acceptance ceremony. Each acceptee was given a certificate to symbolize their entry into the program. We cannot wait to see what this group accomplishes.

You can view and download photos from these events by visiting our account.

Butterfly Tagging

The entire Griffon Family was invited to join in on butterfly tagging this year. During Family Day the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society hosted monarch butterfly tagging on the John Rushin Teaching and Research Prairie on campus.

ÌýDr. Koy’s BIO 100 classes also joined in on the important project later that week. Over three events, 242 monarchs were tagged.

ÌýYou can view and download photos from all the events during Family Day by visiting our account.

Save the Date: Homecoming 2025

October 4, 2025

Join us for an on-campus parade featuring high school marching bands, local businesses, and º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø student groups. After the parade stop by Lot H for a fall festival and tailgate full of free activities and plenty of school spirit. To top off the day, join us at 6 p.m. for a Griffon football game in Spratt Stadium.

Visit our Homecoming 2025 webpage for more information.

9/11 Stair Climb

September 11, 2025

Honor those that were lost on 9/11/2001 by joining us for this annual stair climb in Spratt Stadium. Registration and check-in begins at 8:00 a.m. The climb will begin shortly after check-in at 8:46 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Ring the Bell

Select Dates

Griffon athletics is running full steam ahead in the fall season and you don’t want to miss a single piece of the action! Catch Griffon football, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, and cross country from now until November.

Check out each team’s schedule at . We can’t wait to see you at a game!

Save the Date: Family Day

September 13, 2025

We can’t wait to have our entire Griffon Family on campus for Family Day 2025! This event gives YOU the opportunity to experience life as a Griffon while spending quality time with your student exploring campus.

Be sure to join our Facebook group for the most up to date information about this event.

News & Reminders

º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø Offers Direct Admission to SJSD

º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø and the St. Joseph School District have partnered to offer direct admission to º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø for district graduates, starting with the Class of 2026. This is the first partnership of its kind between a university and a school district in the state of Missouri.

Learn more about this exciting partnership at /news/.

Welcome Week Recap

We kicked off the new school year with a week’s worth of fun activities to welcome over 800 new students to campus! Events included a back to school photobooth, Grocery Bingo, Western Warmup, Meet the Greeks, the Griffon Grub Crawl, goal setting, and multiple tabling events.

You can view and download photos from these events by visiting our account.

Library Ribbon Cutting

The main floor of the Hearnes Library was remodeled over the summer and brought a modern space to life for our students. Over 600 Griffons visited the library on the first day of class and are already putting new study rooms to good use.

With the celebration of an official ribbon cutting, the library is officially open for our entire community! Come check it out for yourself during Family Day or Homecoming later this month.

We’re embracing the name our students, alumni and community made their own – and refreshing our brand to match. It’s more modern, more memorable and more us.

See the full announcement on our Facebook page.

Events

Chiefs Training Camp

Select Dates August 1 – August 13, 2025

We are so excited to welcome the Kansas City Chiefs back to campus for their 2025 Training Camp. We’d love to see you stop by our Missouri Western tent on the concourse, so make sure you reserve your ticket before they run out.

To view the full schedule and to reserve tickets, visit

Griffon Orientation

August 8

We’ve been busy welcoming new Griffons to campus this summer through our Griffon Orientation sessions. Through this integral step to the admission process, students get the opportunity to tour campus, visit with peers, and check in with advisors.

If you and your Griffon are signed up for our final GO session (August 8) be sure to check out all the necessary information at /fye/go/

Save the Date: MWSU Night at Mustangs

Saturday, July 19– Phil Welch Stadium

Join us for Christmas in July at Phil Welch Stadium with the St. Joseph Mustangs. This regular season finale will feature holiday themed giveaways as well as a postgame fireworks display. This is one summer event you don’t want to miss! Snag your tickets at

Move-In

August 20, 23, 24, 2025

Move-In day is right around the corner! Freshman move-in day is August 20, and returning Griffons may move-in August 23 and 24. We know that this can be both an exciting and challenging time for students and their loved ones, so we want to make it as stress free as possible. To best prepare, visit /reslife/move-in/

News & Reminders

º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø Night at the Mustangs

We celebrated Christmas in July with the St. Joseph Mustangs on their final home game of the season. We loved seeing so many Griffons in our community and can’t wait to do it all again next summer! Check out the full photo gallery from this event on our page.

Madam President Camp

We were honored to host Madam President Camp in July. Several Griffons served as mentors and led campers through activities that built leadership skills, communication skills, and confidence in an interactive camp setting.

Learn more about this inspiring camp at Ìý

Nursing Scholars of Promise

We recently announced our first Nursing Scholars of Promise class. The 12 students selected will receive three-quarters of the cost of earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at º¬Ðß²ÝÉçÇø. In exchange, the students agree to work at Mosaic Life Care for four years following graduation.

Congratulations to these future Griffons!

Chiefs Training Camp

Select Dates July 22 – August 13, 2025

We are so excited to welcome the Kansas City Chiefs back to campus for their 2025 Training Camp. We’d love to see you stop by our Missouri Western tent on the concourse, so make sure you reserve your ticket before they run out.

To view the full schedule and to reserve tickets, visit

Griffon Orientation

Select dates June – August

We’ve been busy welcoming new Griffons to campus this summer through our Griffon Orientation sessions. Through this integral step to the admission process, students get the opportunity to tour campus, visit with peers, and check in with advisors.

ÌýIf you and your Griffon are signed up for one of our later GO sessions be sure to check out all the necessary information at /fye/go/

Save the Date: MWSU Night at Mustangs

Saturday, July 19– Phil Welch Stadium

Join us for Christmas in July at Phil Welch Stadium with the St. Joseph Mustangs. This regular season finale will feature holiday themed giveaways as well as a postgame fireworks display. This is one summer event you don’t want to miss! Snag your tickets at

News & Reminders

Something New is Coming…

Tune in on our social media accounts on July 15 for an exciting announcement.

Esports Camp

Health, Sport & Exercise Science (HSES) hosted the 2nd Annual Griffon Esports Summer Camp earlier this summer. Future Griffons joined the camp that offered a unique blend of gaming, education, and skills development.

To learn more about HSES at Missouri Western, visit /hses/

Join the Family of Missouri Western Students Facebook GroupÌý

The Family of Missouri Western Students Facebook Group is a place to ask questions, learn about events, and celebrate the achievements of our Griffons. Join us at