A Publication of Missouri Valley College Spring/Summer 2018
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6 VALLEYWILL ROLL CAMPAIGN Walker C. Fletcher Athletic Complex
22 COMMENCEMENT 2018 224 degrees conferred
12 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Alumni on the move
24 ATHLETICS A Record Season
15 VALLEY BULLETIN Campus happenings 20 ON THE COVER Building Champions
26 CLASS NOTES Staying up-to-date with fellow classmates
28 DONOR HONOR ROLL Thanks to all our donors!
VIKING VIEWS Spring/Summer 2018
Viking Views is published two times a year for alumni, faculty, staff, trustees and friends of Missouri Valley College. Our goal is to produce a lively, informative publication that stimulates pride and interest in Missouri Valley College . EDITORIAL STAFF Vice President of Institutional Advancement Eric Sappington '95 Director of Marketing & Public Relations Danielle Durham '08
Marketing & Communication Specialist Lauren Grohs
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Graphic Designer Michelle Ninkov '16
Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Hiller Director of Development Chad Jaecques Sports Information Director Andy Pulverenti
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ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD
Sally (Wilson) Campbell '61 Jim Hargrave '64 Russ Whyte '65 Spencer Fricke '66 Sandi (Eaton) Guthrey '72 George Brown '73
Lisa (Schleicher) McComas '86 Jason Rinne '04* Jon Stockman '04 Katie (Burnstad) Shannon '04 April (Stottlemyre) DeGraff '09 Colin Smith '10**
David Corti '74 Steve Tuck '76 Tom Hayob '79
Tanner Fennewald '10 Matthew Tramont '15
*President **Vice President
THE PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
I am very excited to publish this issue of Viking Views! We are so fortunate that the College we love continues to grow. As a goal of our overall mission states, we “support extracurricular activities to develop teamwork and leadership in arts, academics, and athletics.” Nearly all of our students are involved in some extracurricular activity on campus. And as you’ll see from this issue’s two feature stories, when our students engage in extracurricular activities at the College, their overall student experience can be positively impacted. For the second time in my tenure as President, the College has launched a capital campaign--the first was for the Malcolm Center for Student Life and now for the Walker C. Fletcher Athletic Complex! I’m thrilled with the campaign progress to this point for this much needed facility. When the Burns Center was built in 1992, it was designed for fewer sports teams and student-athletes than what we have grown to have today. Missouri Valley College currently offers 19 sports. There are 38 total sports teams and we have 897 student-athletes. This facility adds a new, state-of-the-art strength and conditioning room, six new locker rooms, additional coaches offices, additional athletic training space and a new wrestling room. The additional space helps take the stress off of the Burns Center and allows us to add three additional classrooms there. Our facilities are crucial to our recruitment and retention, and this addition will continue to improve that. As you’ll see from the campaign feature, the Fletcher Athletic Complex will be very beneficial to the College, and I am very excited for your support and to continue the momentum of the campaign. This issue features our student-athletes, and I’m very proud of the hard work they put in to be so successful in their sport and in the classroom. The MVC Cheer team spends countless hours cheering on other Viking student-athletes. What many do not realize is that it is a competitive team and they spend as many hours preparing for their own competition as do other sports. I was very excited for them to capture the 2018 NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship while Head Cheer Coach Tori Cox was named the 2017-2018 NAIA Coach of the Year! Additionally, our men’s soccer team was the 2017 NAIA Men's Soccer National runner up. Finally, 11 of our athletic teams were named NAIA Scholar Teams. It was a great year! I say it often, and I mean it every time I say it; it truly is a great day to be a Viking! I hope you enjoy this issue of Viking Views, and I hope you are able to get to campus soon. Homecoming is set for October 5-7. I think it’s going to be the biggest one yet! I invite you to come home to Valley, and to come see all that is happening on our beautiful campus in Marshall.
Valley Will Roll!
Dr. Bonnie Humphrey President
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E ve r y V i k i ng . E ve r y D r e am. E ve r y Ye a r .
1,360 students=
What dream will you help make possible?
Support the Valley Annual Fund
online at www.movalgiving.com
call (660) 831-4010 (8 AM-4:30 PM CST)
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VALLEY WILL ROLL C A M P A I G N THE
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CAMPAIGN
r. Bonnie Humphrey announced in January the launch of the “Valley Will Roll Campaign” and an initial lead gift from the Walker C. & Marjorie Fletcher Family Foundation. The campaign has been established to raise funds for The Walker C. Fletcher Athletic Complex. The new, standalone 28,000+ square foot facility will be located just south of the Burns Center and house a wrestling training room, athletic training room, state-of-the-art strength training room, coaches offices, a conference room and six locker rooms. “This complex will be extremely beneficial to so many people on our campus,” said Tom Fifer, athletic director and executive vice president. “We are fortunate to have seen substantial growth over the past several years in our athletic department with the addition of new sports and sports teams. By adding additional space, our student-athletes will have the ability to practice and train in a more timely fashion. Currently our athletes must share the space we have, which pushes their practices very late into the night. The addition of this facility and the new south practice field will allow our athletes to complete their practices on most nights by 8:00 p.m.” The Burns Center, which was built in 1991, was designed for fewer sports teams and student-athletes. The construction of the new facility not only provides for more athletic space, but it also frees up space in Burns for three academic classrooms, additional athletic training space, and for coaching offices. Humphrey says the impact of the facility will reach across many areas of campus and be beneficial to students. “This athletic complex will positively impact the lives of our students beyond their sport,” Humphrey said. “By allowing our students to have practice and training at more reasonable hours and in a more constant routine, they will have more time for academic preparation, and will be able to more fully engage in student activities and programs on campus.” Humphrey is pleased with the interest in the Campaign up to this point, and looks forward to more support from alumni and friends. “It is a very exciting time at Missouri Valley College,” Humphrey said. “It is a great time for alumni and friends to take part in making a positive transformation on our campus. It is my hope that everyone who has supported or worn the purple and orange will be a part of the Valley Will Roll Campaign to help make a difference in the lives of not only our current students, but for future students also.” D
Construction on the facility is planned to begin in late Fall 2018.
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STRENGTH TRAINING ROOM A new space that will include sprint area on turf and 18 power racks.
OFFICE SPACE Provide more quality office space for 17 offices for coaches.
ATHLETIC TRAINING ROOM Expanded area for our athletic trainers to care for MVC student-athletes.
LOCKER ROOMS Provide locker rooms for all student- athletes. There are currently 7 teams with no locker rooms.
WRESTLING ROOM A new space for MVC men’s and women’s wrestling teams to practice and train.
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CAMPAIGN
MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE IS ENGAGED IN POSITIVE, DYNAMIC INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE We encourage your support and participation to make a new athletic facility a reality. Your support will be a testament to the mission of Missouri Valley College and will help attract tremendous student-athletes and continue to build championship programs, while most importantly allowing students to experience an exceptional education at the same time.
HOW TO GIVE CAMPAIGN PLEDGES
• Gifts of Cash Pledges of cash gifts over the next three to five years are essential to the success of this project. Your gift commitment to this MVC project will help provide the best educational opportunity for our students. A pledge form is located at www.moval.edu. • Business & Corporate Matching Gift Program Many employers will match your gift to Missouri Valley College. Matching gift forms are available from your employer. • Company or Corporate Stock Donations You may transfer stock to MVC gaining personal tax advantages while assisting the college.
*All gifts made to support the Valley Will Roll campaign are tax deductible.
Join the Campaign today!
500 E. College St. | www.moval.edu | 660-831-4010 Marshall, MO 65340
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>
CLIFF ‘06 & APRIL ‘09 (STOTTLEMYRE) DEGRAFF
A little bit about their time at MVC
to people who received it themselves; we both relied on scholarships and realize that we wouldn’t be where we’re at without the support of alumni before us. So I guess we’d like to think we’re paying it forward. We’re also very supportive of the current administration. They have a strong vision for MVC, and that vision has been instrumental in many positive changes to campus. We hope our gifts will support student learning opportunities, whether that’s through scholarships, experiences or athletics. We want MVC to be competitive and continue to give students the opportunity to change their life. Why do you think it's important to give to MVC/belong to the President's Society? We believe philanthropy in general is important and give to causes that we trust to make a difference; education is at the top of that list. An education has the potential to change a person’s life--it changed ours, and we want to help future students who need the support. Why would you encourage others to consider giving to MVC? We encourage all alumni to think about the best experiences they had at MVC, and to consider that a donation likely helped make it happen. Whether it was a fraternity or sorority activity, working in the college’s radio station, a class field trip, or a theatre or music production, donations ensure that future students have that same (or a better) experience. Being a President’s Society member is just the level at which we feel comfortable donating now--it’s getting us comfortable with a long-term giving commitment and still gives us the flexibility to invest in other things we enjoy, like traveling. What do you hope your gifts will do for MVC?
April was a first-generation college student who was recruited for track and majored in public relations. Cliff was on the golf team and majored in biology. He was also a member of Alpha Sigma Phi.
How has MVC impacted your life?
We don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that many of the best things about our lives now, were somehow woven together at MVC. We met each other, we met our best friends, and we got an education that formed the base of our careers. The people who stood up with us at our wedding and the people who helped us network to get jobs--they’re all connected to MVC. We’ve lived in Columbia for three years now. We both work for University of Missouri Health Care. April is the senior marketing strategist and Cliff is a practice manager. April went on to earn an MBA from the University of Central Missouri, and Cliff earned an MSRS (Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences) from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. When you give your money to any cause is a personal decision. For us, a major factor was paying off all of our student loan debt and completing our advanced degrees, and once we did that we felt like we had the resources to donate more consistently. Our first donation was to support the campaign for the Malcolm Center for Student Life. Seeing that building and how it’s used by students really gave us the fuel to continue to support initiatives like the Valley Annual Fund and the new Fletcher Athletic Complex. Where are you now? At what point did you choose to support MVC?
Why MVC—why did you choose to support MVC?
As we’ve become more involved with the college, we see the tangible impact donations have on today’s students. The need for financial assistance is much more obvious
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WHY WE GIVE
> >
"The need for financial assistance is much more obvious to people who received it
realize that we wouldn’t be where we’re at without the support of alumni before us. So I guess we’d
themselves; we both relied on scholarships and
like to think we’re paying it forward."
— Cliff ‘06 & April ‘09 (Stottlemyre) Degraff Columbia, Missouri
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ALUMNI
Friends Are The Family You Choose. They say, “friends are the family you choose.” Being a member of the Viking family is a bond beyond measure. Your fellow Vikings will and have been there for you through thick and thin. They remember who you were and continue to love you now. You’ve studied together, loved together, played together, survived hardships and life events together. These friends are part of your family. A family unit that is unbreakable and always only a phone call or text message away. While our daily lives seem to get busier than ever and technology becomes more prevalent in our day to day, there is nothing better than seeing and talking with an old friend. I encourage you all to pick up the phone or send a note to a fellow Viking. Check in on one another, reconnect. There are a number of events, socials, parties, or reunions year round at Missouri Valley College which provide the opportunities for you to simply show up and engage with your fellow Vikings and your alma mater. We’d love to see you!. If you’ve not had the opportunity to return to campus, please do so. We’re open year round. The grounds are absolutely beautiful. There are new buildings, new landscaping and exciting developments in the near future to check out. Stop in for a visit and let us show you around, you’ll be glad you did. Check the events calendar online and make plans to attend an event near you. Return for Homecoming this October 5-7. Stay Connected on social media as well. Fill out or update your alumni profile online to ensure you’re receiving all invitations, e-newsletters and mailings. The excitement and energy on campus is electric, we want to share that with you often! I look forward to welcoming you home and seeing you all. VALLEY WILL ROLL! Jennifer Hiller Director of Alumni Programs
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ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD SPOTLIGHT
The Missouri Valley College Alumni Advisory Board is an important extension of the Missouri Valley College campus. Their mission is to engage alumni in the life of MVC and its students, and to encourage lifelong connections among alumni in support of the college’s goals. Our alumni advisory board is exceptional and our members are world class Vikings!
Degree info: B.S. - Computer Information Systems Job title: Systems Administrator - Missouri Valley College
Hobbies: Anyone that knows me knows how much I love sports, in particular basketball. This marks the 14th year of faculty/staff basketball during the summer. Also my wife and I love being outdoors, visiting new places and going to the zoo. Favorite thing about being a Viking: Missouri Valley College has not only given me my education and my career, but it has also allowed me to be a fan. Not just of the athletic programs but of the students, the employees, and the school itself. I am very proud to be a Viking. Why you enjoy being a board member: The thing I enjoy most about being on the alumni board is being able to find out about past alums and their many accomplishments, as well as being involved as current students graduate and go on to start their careers.
Hometown: Marshall, Missouri
A fewMVC favorite memories or personal story: Most of my classes were in the basement of the Science Center. I always looked forward to the days when Todd Bossaller '05 would bring his guitar in and play while we worked on a program or a project in the computer lab. One moment however has always stuck with me. I had just finished taking the final in Eric Thompson's microeconomics course and he stopped me outside the classroom, shook my hand, and thanked me for being in his class. No teacher had ever done that before and I made sure I signed up for his course the next semester. I am very thankful for the people that Valley has placed along my path. Degree info: Bachelor of Arts, Non- Profit Management and Leadership with a Minor in Computer Information Systems, Missouri Valley College Masters of Arts in Education Administration, Lindenwood University Job title: Assistant Athletic Director, Missouri Valley College A fewMVC favorite memories or personal story: Being part of the football team that won eight straight games that took us to the NAIA playoffs back in 2007, and then upsetting the undefeated number 1 quarterback in the nation in the playoffs on their home field. A fan from Ohio Dominican told one of our administrators "We have been beating teams all season but we have never seen a team like this, where did you get these a guys from?" Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
JASON RINNE ‘04 Alumni Advisory Board President
Hobbies: Spending time with family, movies, traveling Favorite thing about being a Viking: My favorite thing about being a Viking is that I was able to gain a degree, complete a successful football career, start my athletic administration career and meet lifelong friends all at one place. I have had great guidance and support here at Valley and that speaks volumes about the leadership and integrity that we have here at this institution. When you are given an opportunity to succeed, you have to capitalize and build on that success.
Alumni Advisory Board Vice President COLIN SMITH ’10
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COLLEGE ESTABLISHES NEW H. ROE BARTLE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Missouri Valley College President Bonnie Humphrey has announced the establishment of the H. Roe Bartle Center for Community Engagement in honor of H. Roe Bartle and in recognition of the 70th anniversary of Bartle founding American Humanics (now called Nonprofit Leadership Alliance) on the MVC campus. The H. Roe Bartle Center for Community Engagement will include MVC’s nonprofit management studies programs, the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Program, and be connected to the campus-wide service learning initiative. H. Roe Bartle was a businessman, philanthropist, and Boy Scout executive who served as president of Missouri Valley College from 1948-1950 during which he founded American Humanics. He served two terms as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 1955-1963. American Humanics was the first college program of study to train professionals for youth and human service agencies. Now called Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, the program has spread to more than 40 colleges and universities nation-wide including Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, and the University of Houston. POWERLIFTING ADDED AS NEW SPORT The Missouri Valley College Athletic Department announced the addition of men’s and women’s powerlifting to its lineup of sports, along with the hiring of the program’s first coach, and a director of strength and conditioning. The sport of powerlifting will be added as the college’s 27th and 28th varsity sports and the program will begin competition in the fall of 2018. Powerlifting allows competitors to attempt three lifts each in squat, bench press and deadlift. The best lift in each discipline is added to each competitors total, and the competitor with the highest total is declared the winner in each weight class. In the event of two or more competitors achieving the same total, the competitor with the lightest body weight is declared the winner. Hired as the program’s first head coach is David Edwards. Edwards comes to Missouri Valley after serving as associate head strength and conditioning coach/head powerlifting coach at NCAA Division II McKendree (Ill.) University from 2015-2017. Edwards coached a second place, third place and seventh place competitor at the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) 2017 Collegiate Nationals. He also served as assistant strength and conditioning coach at NCAA Division II Limestone (S.C.) College from 2011-2015. In addition to his duties as powerlifting head coach, Edwards will also serve as director of strength and conditioning for the athletic department.
COMPETITIVE ESPORTS TEAM ADDED Missouri Valley College announced the addition of competitive eSports to its campus. eSports comprises several different computer games, including League of Legends, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Overwatch and Dota 2. The Missouri Valley College eSports program will operate as a part of the National Association of Collegiate ESports, and participate in the Collegiate Starleague. Competitions will be held online and viewable via streaming. The College is in the process of constructing a new eSports facility that will feature state of the art gaming computers and large screen TV’s. Missouri Valley College English Instructor Patrick Ocampo will lead the college’s new eSports program. Ocampo has been an avid gamer since his childhood, and has played and mastered a wide variety of computer games, most recently Elder Scrolls: Legends and the World War II flight simulator Aces High. He is applying this depth of experience to the Collegiate eSports arena, taking up the challenge of League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Overwatch, all of which he hopes to introduce to the eSports program. Mr. Ocampo has been a college instructor in English Composition for seven years, has published writings including an anthology of short stories and poems, and has been a lifelong fan of science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture. MVC HOSTED ARTIST DAVID CHAMBERLAIN Missouri Valley College hosted artist David Chamberlain the week of October 22-28 for a collaborative workshop with MVC students and faculty. Chamberlain is a painter, sculptor and printmaker based in Sodus Point, New York, who travels extensively as a guest critic and visiting artist. Chamberlain gave his introductory talk “Collaborations” on October 22, participated in a panel discussion, “On the Creative Process” on October 25 and held his final reception and artist talk on October 28. As a visiting artist, Chamberlain creates monotype oil paintings on paper, called “Duett Paintings,” in collaboration with college faculty and students. Chamberlain hosted a number of these collaborative workshops throughout the week that he was on the MVC campus. Chamberlain has given talks on creativity and the language of human composition to wide audiences including All Things Considered on National Public Radio, and CNN Headline News. He has participated in artistic cultural exchanges in Tokyo, Japan (with Emi Tajima and Muse a Muse Art Gallery, Ginza), Johannesburg, South Africa (with Kim Berman and Artist Proof Studios), and HCMC, Hue & Hanoi, Vietnam (with C. David Thomas and the Indochina Arts Project). Chamberlain was a panelist on Design, Aesthetics, Art & Creativity at the Conference on World Affairs in Boulder, CO from 1990-1998. He
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has been awarded several grants, including a Krasner-Pollack grant in 1999 and from the Aspen Institute in 2000. His work is in the collection of many museums and institutions, including the National Museum of American Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Yale University, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. In addition to visual art, Chamberlain is a published writer, poet and musician. This artist workshop and visit was generously funded by Bud and Jennifer Bacon, the Office of the President, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Art Department. SPRING 2018 MVC STUDENT RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM More than 60 students participated in the spring 2018 Missouri Valley College Student Research Symposium on April 27, 2018. The poster session included 22 student participants while 33 students gave presentations or performances of their work. Senior psychology major Victor Reveles won the Excellence in Student Research Award for Best Poster for his research project, “Lying via Text, Study 2.” Junior English & journalism major Dakota Cantwell won the Excellence in Student Research Award for Best Creative Work for his short story, “A Hearty Breakfast.” Junior Sydney Downs won the Excellence in Student Research Award for Best Presentation for her study, “Impact of Industrial Agriculture on Nitrate and Phosphate Levels in Cattle Feces.” MVC NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE AWARDED FOUR STAR CAMPUS PROGRAM STATUS The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance chapter at Missouri Valley College was awarded Four Star Campus Program Status for 2017 by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Missouri Valley College and Arizona State University were the only two colleges to receive this prestigious recognition. This recognition is given to chapters that demonstrate campus excellence through program growth, certification of nonprofit professionals and evidence of campus excellence through program reviews. The Missouri Valley College Nonprofit Management Program was also the runner up to Arizona State University for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Campus Excellence Award. Alpha Chi National College Honor Society invites membership to juniors, seniors and graduate students from all disciplines in the top ten percent of their class.
For all campus news, visit www.moval.edu or connect with us on social media!
@missourivalley
Missouri Valley College
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TRUSTEE SPOTLIGHT
TOM MOORE Owner, Parkwood Chicago, Inc.
oore graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1970 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics from Missouri Valley College. Moore is also an honorary member of the Class of 1962 at Dartmouth College. Moore is a lifelong participant in the Boy Scout’s of America. He is an Eagle Scout and a recipient of the Honorary Lifetime Staff Award for the Northeast Illinois Council Camp in Wisconsin. Moore is active in charitable organizations and is also the Board Treasurer of the Northern Sky Theater in Door County, WI. Moore joined the board in 2010 and his term ends in 2022. He and his wife, Kathie, have one daughter and two grandchildren. Why do you support MVC? " Supporting MVC is my way of giving back to the college that helped prepare me for both my professional career and life’s future endeavors." M Supporting MVC is my way of giving back to the college that helped prepare me for both my professional career and life’s future endeavors. I have always been grateful for the education I received at Valley from the caring professors who were fully engaged in teaching the content of study, as well as the application of learning. I started out as a student in the American Humanics program which prepared students for careers in youth and human services. Although my major shifted to Mathematics, the foundation within the Humanics program, combined with my years of service in the Boy Scouts of America, created my desire to help pave the way for future generations to have the same opportunity afforded to me. Supporting a college that is so committed to personalized student success,makes giving back all the more rewarding. To quote Mother Teresa, “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love”.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
DR. CLAIRE SCHMIDT Assistant Professor of English & Honors Program Director
"What I enjoy most about teaching at MVC is the people. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work every day with such smart, kind, interesting, and hardworking students, staff, and faculty."
When did you join the MVC faculty? August 2013
What degree(s) do you hold, and from where? Bachelors in English (2003) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Masters in English, 2008 (medieval literature) from the University of Missouri; PhD in English, 2013 (folklore, oral tradition, and culture studies & medieval lit programs) from the University of Missouri. What is something that people may not know about you? I worked as a nutritionist, a landscaper, a secretary, a cleaning lady, a medical secretary, a community organizer, and a lobbyist at the state level in the years before, during and after college.
What is a hobby you enjoy outside of teaching? Weightlifting, fruit and vegetable gardening and cooking. What do you teach at MVC and what other areas of campus are you involved in?
I was hired when Dr. Loren Gruber retired, so I inherited his eclectic mix of courses, which I absolutely love. I teach Rhetoric and Composition and Literature and Composition (both domestic and international sections), World Literature 1 & 2, Creative Writing, Advocacy and Grant Writing and 19th-Century British Literature, just to name a few. I became the director of the Honors Program in 2016. I've served on Faculty Senate and as chair for the strategic planning subcommittee on Academic Culture. I have served as co-chair of the Student Research Symposium since its creation in fall 2016, and organized the Visiting Writers Series since fall 2014.
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COVER STORY
I
t was a historic year for the Missouri Valley College cheerleading program. In addition to the Heart of America Athletic Conference and NAIA Southeast Region championships, the Vikings captured the program’s third National title. The cheer team outscored all teams with its final round performance at the 2018 NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship to overcome a deficit and edge out Oklahoma City University to earn the National title. The team’s performance at the National event featured many elements that are pivotal to success at cheer competitions. Head Coach Victoria Cox and Assistant Coach Gavin Runkel always work to create a performance that will maximize the team’s scoring potential and showcase their strengths. While the cheer program has been one of the most successful programs at Valley, its move into NAIA championship competition three years ago has brought a new spotlight to the sport. For her work during the 2017-18 competition season, Cox was named the NAIA Cheer Coach of the Year. To better understand cheer and what it takes to run a successful program, Coach Cox took the time to discuss the many aspects of the sport. How do you create/develop a routine for your team? I like to think that I am at least somewhat self-aware considering
my strengths and weaknesses. I view technique and skill development as two of my strengths, while I see choreography as one my weaknesses as a coach. I want my team to have the best chance of being as successful as possible, so I hire a professional choreographer to design the routine. This year we decided to combine the talents of two masterminds, Nikki Arroyo and Issac Klausmeyer. With the creativity of the two, we were able to go out with an elite routine to compete with the very best in the NAIA, and that obviously paid off! Typically, a choreographer will give you the "bones" of the routine to music counts, and then as a coach you must decide where to make changes to the routine after the choreographer leaves. If your athletes are struggling with a skill or section of the routine, you will need to make it easier in that section prior to a competition. This also gives you the freedom to make the routine more challenging if the athletes have mastered all of the skills and need to increase their challenge on the mat. Our team was already pushing the limits in our stunt sequences, but we were able to increase the difficulty in our baskets and pyramids throughout the season. How long does it take to develop a routine? We go back and forth with our choreographers months in advance. I am a fan of excel and google sheets, so I will always create spreadsheets of all the athletes and their skills. The choreographer
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will spend a lot of time developing unique stunt sequences, transitions and pyramids to incorporate into our routine, while maximizing our team's personal potential and scoring our difficulty as high as possible on a score sheet. Once the choreographers arrive on campus, they are given only one weekend to teach the entire routine to the team. This may seem like plenty of time to teach a 2 minute and 15 second routine to 20 people, but the process is no small feat. The formations call for an individual to possess a specific skill and if the individual in that spot on the mat does not possess that skill, like a puzzle, the problem must be solved. Everyone has to fit in such a specific way to make the routine possible. Choreographers must be flexible with their plan and our athletes must be able to easily adapt to and remember all of the information being thrown at them. Then, again, after the choreographer leaves, we coaches spend the next month or so altering the routine to meet our teams needs at that time, either making it easier or harder so that they may execute a flawless routine with the maximum difficulty. Where do you look for inspiration when developing a routine? Our choreographers have extensive experience as UCA College Staff, USASF All-Star Cheerleading Staff, Head College Coaches and they have cheered in college themselves. This combined with the growing world of cheerleading on social media, content is abundant for our choreographers to develop their own version of new ideas in cheerleading. This is a sport where the rules and limits will be pushed and constantly changing so teams may become known as the best in the sport. Tumbling constantly gets better, basket tosses get higher, pyramids are more intricate, and stunts almost defy physics. What aspects of cheer are most important to showcase during a competition? Standing tumbling, running tumbling, jumps, stunts, pyramids, and baskets are all main sections on our score sheet at a competition. The judges will rate our difficulty in each section and then rate our execution of each. They are all equally weighted and one is just as important as the other, meaning a team must be well-rounded and have no weaknesses in order to win a national championship. The best teams in cheerleading will max out scores in both difficulty and execution in every single part of the score sheet. At Valley, this team is specifically strong at coed stunting. We see this as our niche compared to all other schools that we compete against where we see virtually no coed stunting at all. Coed stunting is where one male
tosses/flips/spins and then holds one female above his head during a stunt sequence. We like to showcase our strength in coed stunting to impress both the judges and the crowd. This year our coed stunts were more elite than any other team and that helped us win at nationals! Our tumbling has been our weakness for the last two years and we intend to change that this coming season. We have recruited very elite tumblers to join our ranks and help us dominate in every area of the score sheet. The dance section is typically our cheerleaders favorite part and our choreographer always gives us a very unique dance, not typical of what you'd expect a cheer dance to look like. This allows our cheerleaders to have fun performing this section. It is also usually at the end of a routine so they can give the dance all the energy they have left "in their tank" and really perform for the crowd. Do you develop a routine that will showcase the team’s strengths, but also limit exposing any weaknesses? Absolutely. This team is nowhere near perfect, and we all know that. We work extremely hard on our strengths and even harder on our weaknesses leading up to the competitions. But this doesn't mean that our weaknesses don't exist. We always minimize, hide or disguise our weaknesses (like tumbling) throughout our routine, while blatantly and obviously showing off what we are good at. As coaches, we are very honest and forward with our team about where their skills should score on a score sheet and where other teams should score, better or worse. We want them to have this knowledge so that they can work to improve their weaknesses and to also to remain humble. There is always room to improve and we will never stop trying to be better than we were yesterday. What were the strengths and weaknesses of you team this past season? Our routine this year scored in the highest difficulty range on the score sheet in every category. There is only one other team in the NAIA that also accomplished that this year! Our strengths are coed stunting, group stunting, and our pyramids also score very high. Our weakness is tumbling. Though we always scores in the highest range, this is where we need the most improvement. Baskets, in addition to our growth in stunting, were our most improved sections over last year's routine. We were able to throw much more elite baskets this year and to score in the highest range on the score sheet.
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2018 COMME NC EME N T
Two hundred twenty-four degrees were conferred at the 129th commencement ceremony on May 5. MVC Alumnus Frank Massaro '76 gave the commencement address.
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"I applaud your determination to stick with, persevere and make it to this important day."
- MVC Alumnus Frank Massaro '76
Hugh L. Libby, MVC friend and Baity Heritage Society member, was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
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T
he 2017 Missouri Valley College men’s soccer team had a historic season. The team posted the best season in program history, which marked a new level of success for head coach Vladimir Simic and his program. After narrowly missing out on the National postseason tournament in 2016, the Viking men’s soccer team opened the 2017 season in a dominating fashion. Missouri Valley started the season with an 11-0-1 record, which included games against Nationally ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Benedictine (Kansas) College teams, along with eventual National postseason participant Columbia (Missouri) College. The Vikings proved to be strong on both offense and defense during the opening stretch, posting eight shutouts, along with averaging three goals per game. During this run, the men’s soccer team reached as high as No. 2 in the NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the highest ranking in program-history. Missouri Valley sat on top of the Heart regular season standings going into an October 15 road game at Nationally ranked Grand View (Iowa) University, but that game started a tough difficult two weeks, that saw
the Vikings go 1-2-1 in games heading into the season-finale. The Vikings hosted a top five Baker (Kansas) University team at Gregg-Mitchell Field in the final regular season game, and a win would give Missouri Valley a regular season championship in the Heart. The first half featured very few chances for either team, but the game opened up in the second half. Just over six minutes after the halftime break, Missouri Valley broke the scoreless tie, as Slaven Baskalo sent a corner kick into the Baker box. Clayton Sousa was the first person to the ball, and put a header past the Wildcat keeper, giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead. Baker came back 20-minutes later to score the equalizer, putting a shot off the post and into goal, tying the game at 1-1. Missouri Valley stepped up its pressure on Baker, forcing the Wildcat keeper into three saves over the next ten minutes. With less than eight minutes remaining in regulation, the Vikings were awarded a free kick just outside the Baker penalty box. Luka Gluscevic placed the free kick about 12-yards out from goal, and Joan Martorell gave Missouri Valley a 2-1 lead, scoring on another header to win the game and give the Vikings a Heart regular season championship.
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ATHLETICS
The Viking men’s soccer team followed with a postseason run that included a 5-1 win over Baker in the championship game of the Heart Postseason Tournament, and a late 1-0 win over Olivet Nazarene (Illinois) University in the first round of the 2017 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship, sending the team to Delray, Florida. Missouri Valley then earned a 3-1 win over Madonna (Michigan) University in the second round, and a 2-0 quarterfinal win over the University of Mobile (Alabama). A semifinal contest with Marymount (California) University followed, and the Vikings used more late-match heroics. After struggling to put shots on goal all game, Missouri Valley came down to the final seconds of the contest, tied at 0-0. What was going to be the final chance of the game for the Vikings turned into a game-winning situation. Dominic Newton gained possession near the Marymount box, and kept possession until close to goal. His show was deflected, but went to the feet of Pedro Garcia, who scored the game-winner with 16-seconds remaining in regulation to send Missouri Valley into the National championship match for the first time in program-history.
regulation, sending the contest into the first overtime period. Missouri Valley nearly won its first National title early in the first overtime, but a shot from Baskalo hit the underside of the crossbar, and bounced away from goal. The second overtime period featured a shot from Sousa, but his attempt was saved. With time winding down in the second overtime period, Wayland Baptist took advantage of an opportunity in front of the Viking goal, and scored to end the game with less than two minutes remaining before penalty kicks, defeating Missouri Valley, 1-0. Despite the tough finish to the season, the men’s soccer team advanced to the National championship game for the first time in program-history. The Vikings also won the program’s fifth regular season conference championship and the third Heart Postseason Tournament title. Two Vikings were named All-Americans. James Mclaren was chosen as a second team All-American, while Uros Ilic was a first team All-American and the NAIA Player of the Year. Ilic was also the Heart Player of the Year, and led six selections to the Heart All-Conference Team.
Wayland Baptist waited in the National title match, a team which was riding a 12-match unbeaten streak. Both teams failed to find a goal in
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CLASS NOTES
1930s Elizabeth Henley '34 of New Cambria, Missouri passed away on December 2, 2017. 1940s Bessie Chittwood '44 of Grain Valley, Missouri passed away on May 11, 2018. In Memoriam 1970s Dr. Glenn A. Berry, Ed.D ’71 was inducted into the Rock Bridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach. Glenn coached at Rock Bridge High School (Columbia, MO) for thirteen years. During his tenure at Rock Bridge he coached varsity football, wrestling, track and was athletic director. 1950s The Rev. Dr. Robert D. Nicholson '54 was featured in an article in the fall issue of 3rd Act Magazine. The article focsed on him honoring his past while living fully in the present. The late Kenneth Gibler '57 was inducted into the Grain Valley Missouri High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured is Ken's daughter Vickie holding the plaque that was given to her in honor of her father; a duplicate is on display in the high school. Ron Hall '59 was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on November 12, 2017.
1980s Latonya M. Turner ’87 graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership at Indiana State University's Commencement Ceremony, held on Saturday, December 16, 2017. Dr. Turner serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Quality and she is the Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning Leadership at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. 1990s Santa Fe Superintendent, Derek Lark '97 was selected as the Central Region Superintendent of the year. 2000s Director of Teacher Education at Limestone College, Dr. Shelly A. Meyers ’00 was recently presented with the Exemplary Service to the Teaching Profession Award from the South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators (SCATE).
Charles Buddy Mayfield ’04 won three awards at MASFAB. The first award was the State of Missouri Leadership Award, the second was a President's award and the third was the Missouri Award, which is the highest award in the association. Matthew Hughes ’16 was hired as the new Intercollegiate Rodeo Coach and faculty member at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Please keep us updated! www.moval.edu/alumni alumni@moval.edu
1950s Guy Schupp '54 of Columbia, Missouri passed away on November 25, 2017.
1960s Bob D. Stuart '61 of Edwardsville, Illinois passed away on January 17, 2017. Friends Randy McGraw of Marshall, Missouri passed away on May 10, 2018.
Elizabeth (Stalcup) Sorlie '56 of Tucson, Arizona passed away on January 24, 2018.
Gordon Sakamoto '57 of Honolulu, Hawaii passed away on November, 8 2017.
Denton Harris '48 of Atlanta, Georgia passed away on February 26, 2016.
Bonita Tooley '57 of Edgewood, New Mexico passed away on May 13, 2018.
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CLASS NOTES
| Willard Ray Heath ‘42 and Helen Letitia Mead ‘70
R
ecently, Missouri Valley College Alumni Director, Jennifer Hiller, had the pleasure of hearing a Valley love story and memories from John Heath, son of Willard Ray Heath ‘42 and Helen Letitia Mead ‘70. Like so many others, Valley love stories tell about the bond formed between two individuals who, without Missouri Valley College, may have never had their paths cross. Here is John’s account of his parents’ time at Missouri Valley. Mom and Dad met at Missouri Valley in a history class during Mom’s first year. Once she found out that he played football, she began attending some of his games, and their love story unfolded from there. The two married on September 6, 1942 in Marshall at her family’s home. My Dad, Willard Ray Heath, grew up on a family farm in Smithville, Missouri, and was one of ten kids and the first to attend a four-year college. While at MVC, Dad was a member of Alpha Delta Kappa fraternity, was the yearbook sports editor, president of the V- Club and an all-conference football lineman, graduating with a degree in chemistry. Dad’s last game his senior year was December 6, 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor which changed the lives of many of their college friends. His coach was the legendary Volney Ashford who was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 2009 for leading a 41 game winning streak from 1941-1948. One of my memories in Marshall was seeing the movie ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ at the Marshall Cinema with Dad and Coach Ashford in the summer of 1962 when I was twelve and vacationing in Missouri with my parents and sister.
Dad enlisted in the Navy beginning at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Waukegan, Illinois, then on to Columbia University NYC Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned Lieutenant Junior Grade on the USS Conner Destroyer in the Pacific. After his Naval career, he became an award winning executive with Allstate Insurance working in the Indianapolis, Philadelphia and New York offices. Dad passed away on August 23, 1965. My Mom, Helen Letitia Mead grew up in Slater and graduated from Marshall High School. She was a member of Valkyr (local sorority), a WSGA town representative, acted in school plays and was both sophomore and junior queen. Having left MVC before finishing her degree, Mom returned to campus to complete her education and graduated Cum Laude in 1970 majoring in English. She went on to teach at my alma mater Garden City High School on Long Island for 35 years and was voted three times as Teacher of the Year (as a substitute!). Today Mom lives on Long Island with my sister Marilyn. It was important for my sister and I to return to Marshall and visit Missouri Valley College. And it was interesting to discover that there are three prominent places on campus named for our parents’ friends. The Malcolm Center for Student Life which is dedicated in honor of the father of Mom’s pal Bill Malcolm ’42, the Grover C. Redford Memorial Gymnasium named for one of Dad’s Viking football teammates and Volney C. Ashford Stadium commemorating his coach who later became a close friend. This added an extra dimension of familiarity and affection for their college. Marilyn and I wanted to see with our own eyes and experience a bit of what brought our parents together. We returned in early April this year and had the pleasure of meeting President Bonnie Humphrey and I reconnected with old friend, MVC Trustee John Pelzer ’70. We enjoyed a lovely day seeing the beautiful campus while literally walking down memory lane. Marilyn and I were both so glad we came back to this special place "where it all started."
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ANNA M. GUILANDER SCHOLARSHIP TRUST BESSIE K. CHITTWOOD CHAD AND ELLEN LANCE CHARLES AND ELIZABETH MARRS CHARLES COOPER COMMUNITY BANK MARSHALL ROBBIE FUCHS CRESCENT MOON FOUNDATION, INC DALE L. SCHULTE DAN AND NIKKI FAHNESTOCK DENNIS AND BONNIE HUMPHREY DOUGLAS T. AND SUSAN CARNEY ELMER HARE FORD SALES ETTA MAE ANDERSON TRUST FOUNDATION INC SEDALIA SCHOOL DIST GERARDO ACAY GLENN A. BERRY GORDON D. COLLINS HALLMARK CORPORATE FOUNDATION HELEN F HUSS SCHOLARSHIP JAMES AND CAROLE HELM JOHN AND BEVERLY JARCHOW JON AND KARLA SCHULTE JUSTIN AND BROOKE CRAMER LOUIS G. ESTOK M2M FRAMING, LLC MARCI B. DOWDY MARY ANN SHRADER MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH MICHAEL MCLELLAN JR NATION CHEROKEE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RODEO FOUND PATHFINDERS - SUEALA MO SAMOA PHILLIP E. MELBERG REDBIRD ROOKIES SAIGH SCHOLARSHIP RICHARD AND ELAINE VAN NOORD RICHARD AND JANE FRY SCHOLARSHIP AMERICA SEABEE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ASSOC SOUTHEAST POLK DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS SPENCER AND CARLA FRICKE STEPHEN AND CHRIS TUCK STEVEN J. ALLEN THE CLARA ABBOTT FOUND THE GUILD OF THE CHILDRENS DIABETES FOUN THOMAS G. DYER UMB BANK WILLIAM 'BILL' AND ELAINE MANION WILLIAM R. EDGAR CHARITABLE FOUND President’s Society Member Level $1,000 to $1,999 B COMMITTEE JOE W INGRAM TRUST BARBARA G. WOODS BARRY AND BRENDA RANDOLPH BRUCE BROCK CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL PEACE OFFICERS CHARITABLE FND THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF N. CENTRAL WI CONCORDIA BANK
COREY G. KERRIE CARNEY CORNERSTONE FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION DALLAS HOUSING AUTHORITY DAN C. CRABTREE DARLENE ARNETT DAVID AND JANE ROSS II DAVID T. ROGERS DEED FOUNDATION DONNA REDSKIN QUARTERBACK CLUB INC E WAYNE AND MARILYN CRAWFORD EARL REEVES ED AND SANDRA ELLIOTT ERIC AND HEATHER SAPPINGTON F DUDLEY MCGLYNN FCS FINANCIAL GERALD L. EVERETT GLORIA BLACKBURN HERVE D. FORTIN INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL RODEO ASSOC IRENE M CLARK SCHOLARSHIP JACK J ISGUR FOUNDATION JAMES AND KAREN HARGRAVE JAY BERNHARDT JOHN "SCOTTY" AND SALLY CAMPBELL JOHN AND ANN BARNES JOHN AND DIANE E. BARTHOLOMEW JOHN AND DONNA HUSTON JOHN BYRON CORBIN KANSAS CITY BLACK ACHIEVERS SOCIETY KARL CALDWELL KAY L. BOWERS KEITH AND LONA MAXEY KEN AND CONNIE ASBURY LARRY STOCKMAN LEES SUMMIT HS TIGER BOOSTER CLUB LUKE AND GWENDOLYN SCAVUZZO LUTIE R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT MARINE CORPS SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION INC MATT AND CHARLA HUSTON MEXICO SCHOOL DISTRICT MISSOURI STATE FAIR FOUND MT. WHEELER POWER INC NATIONAL FFA FOUNDATION, INC. NORTHWESTERN R-1 SCHOOL NUCOR-LMP INC O'HANLON ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS PAMELA REEDER PARK HILL HIGH SCHOOL BOYS HOOPS CLUB PRATT COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUND RAY FINLEY ROBERT L. ZAHN ROBERT,JR W. WEEKS RONALD G. HALL RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES RUTH CLEMENS SANTA ANA COLLEGE FOUNDATION SAPPINGTON SCHOOL FUND SCHOL SCHOLARSHIP ROY CREASEY SCHOOL HOLDEN PUBLIC SME ENDUCATION FOUNDATION STEVEN N. PALMER SWAN C NORBY SCHOLARSHIP FUND FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH GARY AND SUSAN CREAN
President’s Society Distinguished $100,000 or More ESTATE OF FERN ROGERS FRESH IDEAS MANAGEMENT LLC WILLIAM GORDON BUCKNER TRUST WILLIAM W. MALCOLM MARITAL TRUST WILLIAM HUSTON TESTAMENTARY TRUST President’s Society Viking Level $25,000 to $99,999 PEPSI-COLA GENERAL BOTTLERS OSCAR AND RATANA TSHIBANDA President’s Society Honored Level $15,000 to $24,999 CHARLES BACON JOHN E. ASHFORD MARJORIE FLETCHER THOMAS AND KATHY MOORE President’s Society Sustaining Level $10,000 to $14,999 CHAD AND CRYSTAL MCGRAW COMMON GOOD NATURAL LIVING, LLC GORDON AND JULIE IMLAY JAMES B.,JR. OR BEVERLY A. RHODES MITCHELL RONNIE AND MARY LOU PORTER SUSAN HOY VIRGINIA HUPP W ALAN AND JESSIE MCCOLLOUGH President’s Society Patron Level $5,000 to $9,999 ANN H. PATTEN BEDFORD KNIPSCHILD CENTRAL MISSOURI AGRI SERVICE DONOR ANONYMOUS GARY L. FORD GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION JERRY AND KATHERINE ICENOGLE MARY L. ZIEGER MFA FOUNDATION MS BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE RODEO ROBERT"ROB" AND JAN RAVENHILL ROSE A. DIESTLER SHELTER INSURANCE FOUND VIRGINIA L. SPRIGG WESLEY 'WES' AND JENNIFER WALKER President’s Society Inner Circle Level $2,000 to $4,999
MVC recognizes the thousands of loyal alumni and friends whose financial contributions to the College have an enormous impact on the lives of our students. This honor roll recognizes gifts received between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.
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