Breadcrumb
October 2025 News at UCM
By Nicole Lyons, November 7, 2025
As the University of Central Missouri (UCM) hit midterms in October and the campus community was in full swing with Homecoming celebrations, students, faculty and staff were also winning awards and competitions, hosting events and attending conferences. Check out the October news roundup to read about all the ways UCM employees and students are redefining what’s possible every day.
The UCM News Bureau publishes the news roundup, a monthly collection of newsworthy
moments from UCM’s two campuses. UCM faculty and staff members can submit items for
consideration at ucmo.edu/news/news-roundup.
Lubbers Receives Leadership Award
On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Tony Lubbers, director of Financial Aid in the Office of Student Financial Services, received the MASFAA State Leadership Award for Missouri at the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) annual conference in St. Charles, Missouri.
The State Leadership Award is presented annually to recognize the outstanding leadership
of a member from each of the nine states within MASFAA. The recipient must have made
outstanding contributions to the financial aid profession at the state and regional
levels over a sustained period of time. The individuals selected for this award must
exhibit high integrity and character, have shown creative leadership, have inspired
and encouraged others to participate actively in professional development activities,
have sustained active involvement in professional organizations, and have supported
the goals and objectives of MASFAA.
Lubbers began working in higher education in 1993 and joined UCM in 2017. He earned
his Financial Aid Certification from the National ASFAA (NASFAA) in 2020 and has 15
NASFAA credentials. Lubbers has served in leadership roles with the Missouri Association
of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP), MASFAA, Kansas ASFAA, Rocky Mountain
ASFAA and NASFAA, including president of MASFAP and KASFAA. He is also an inductee
of the KASFAA Hall of Fame.
LAE-GED Wins 24th Region III Trophy
UCM’s Lambda Alpha Epsilon-Gamma Delta (LAE-GED) Chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) brought home its 24th consecutive sweepstakes trophy in the ACJA/LAE Region III competition. UCM Criminal Justice and Criminology students competed against universities and colleges from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
UCM hosted the 2025 Region III conference Oct. 16-19.
UCM Bands Hosts Annual Festival of Champions
On Saturday, Oct. 18, UCM Bands hosted 2,300 visiting high school students for the 45th annual Festival of Champions
marching band competition.
Despite some challenging afternoon weather, bands from 24 different schools presented
spectacular field shows at Audrey J. Walton Stadium. In the Student Recreation and
Wellness Center, there was also a full slate of indoor percussion and color guard
performances. The UCM Marching Mules also gave an outstanding exhibition performance.
Pictured is the Lee's Summit North Bronco Marching Band under the direction of UCM
alumnus Grant Fischer. Their field show was entitled “Chasing Sunshine.”
Illustration Students, Faculty & Alumni Represent at Kansas City Zine Con
Several talented Illustration students, faculty and alumni showcased their work at Kansas City Zine Con on Oct.
11-12, sharing their original zines, prints and creative projects with a vibrant community
of independent artists and publishers. Events like Zine Con offer invaluable opportunities
for students to connect, collaborate and gain real-world experience in the DIY publishing
scene.
Pictured is UCM senior Sarah Quigley’s booth at the event.
Student, Professors Attend Society for the Teaching of Psychology Conference
Psychology major Tom Hale, Department of Psychological Science Chair Alan Strathman and Professor of Psychology David Kreiner attended the Society
for the Teaching of Psychology's Annual Conference on Teaching in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
on Oct. 16-18.
They presented "Consideration of Future Consequences, Self-regulation, and Timely
Submission of Assignments," which was co-authored by Psychology Instructor Nikole
Wright-Montgomery.
Kreiner also presented "Connecting the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology
Major to APA’s Speaking of Psychology Podcast Series" with Beth Schwartz (American
Psychological Association) and "APAI – Integrating APA’s Established Resources and
Guidelines with AI Literacy" with Des Robinson (Tarrant County College), Elizabeth
Yost-Hammer (Xavier University of Louisiana), Heather Schoenherr (College of Western
Idaho) and Beth Schwartz (American Psychological Association).
Mock Trial Teams Compete at Bear Brawl Classic
UCM's Mock Trial teams competed at the Bear Brawl Classic at Missouri State University
on Oct. 17-19. The Red Team (Team A) went 5-3, placing fifth out of 18 teams. The
Black Team (Team B) went 3-5 and competed well throughout the weekend.
Three students earned individual awards. Hadley Oden, a Criminal Justice major from Hermann, Missouri, earned Outstanding Attorney awards on both sides of
the case, with scores of 19 and 20. No other attorney in the entire tournament came
close to her scores. Taylor Kille, a Human Development and Family Science major from Piedmont, Oklahoma, won an Outstanding Attorney Award for the prosecution,
and Tyler Wiss, a Biology major from Blue Springs, Missouri, earned an Outstanding Witness Award for his portrayal
of Dr. Hartley.
Leadership Students Host Workshops for Warrensburg Middle School
For their midterm exam, students in the Leadership course taught by Professor of Management Eric Nelson conducted leadership workshops for Warrensburg Middle School (WMS) students.
On Tuesday, Oct. 21, six UCM students led a total of 91 seventh-graders across five
breakout rooms on campus. Nelson has partnered with WMS on the project for about 18
years, and the workshop topic varies each semester. This time, WMS teacher Ashlee
Holdren asked the UCM students to focus on “adaptability and flexibility.” From there,
students created the workshop from scratch, choosing activities and crafting discussion
questions.
The student facilitators led their groups in activities such as the Blindfolded Object
Minefield, the Changing Instructions Game, the Upside-Down Puzzle Challenge and the
Paper Airplane Innovation Challenge. After each activity, the facilitator asked questions
about teamwork, trust, adaptability, organization and staying positive.
“The WMS workshop prepares students to deliver training for a client of their choosing,”
Nelson said. “The WMS kids are a positive audience that wants to play and talk, so
for us, the outcome is that each student is exposed to an audience of roughly 16 trainees,
which is generally a larger audience than their client workshop. Students really gain
courage and confidence in the Leadership course, which is at the end of a long line
of courses where Management students deliver, design and evaluate management content.”
Student Workers Earn First Place in Graphics Competition
Garron Blair and Connor McKee, student graphic artists for the Elliott Student Union, received first place in the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Region
II graphics competition in the T-Shirt/Clothing Item category for their work on the
Union's 63rd Birthday shirt.
Both students are Graphic Design majors.
“I’m honored to have received this award,” McKee said. “Ever since I took on the role
of graphic artist for the Union, I’ve always wanted to get recognized with an award
of some kind. So, not only winning an award, but also winning first place means a
lot to me. Most importantly, I couldn’t have done it without my good friend and colleague,
Garron. He and I work well together, and our design styles complement one another
perfectly.”
“I’m very excited and honored to receive this award for the second time in my career
at the Union,” Blair said. “This award is even more special to me because I got to
work with one of my best friends and colleagues, Connor. We work great together, and
I’m looking forward to seeing what else we can accomplish this year.”
Student Activities Assistant Director Honored at Conference
At the Modern Campus Annual User Conference, one individual was honored as an exemplary
user of each product line. Christina Kerns, assistant director of Leadership and Development
in the Office of Student Activities, received the Involve Innovation and Impact Award for her dedication to increasing
student involvement and engagement through Modern Campus’ product, Involve.
Kerns, pictured far left, and other UCM employees from several campus offices attended
the conference Oct. 7-10 in Chicago.
“I was honored to receive the Involve Innovation and Impact Award,” Kerns said. “The
best part of this experience is sharing that moment with the other representatives
of the University of Central Missouri. They made it infinitely more meaningful.”
Sigma Kappa Hosts 10th Annual Sigma Kapparoni Fundraiser
On Sept. 30, Sigma Kappa Sorority hosted its 10th annual Sigma Kapparoni, which raised more than $1,500 for the Sigma
Kappa Foundation’s PULSE Fund. The event at Panhellenic Hall featured 16 different
types of macaroni and cheese made by sorority members, and nearly 190 people attended
the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Donations to the PULSE Fund provide ongoing support for philanthropic initiatives,
leadership development, educational programming, grants, scholarships and vital funding
for emerging needs and programs.
