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English Language Institute | Department of Biological and Clinical Sciences | University News | Department of Communication and Digital Media Production | Fraternity and Sorority Life | Fashion and Apparel Merchandising | School of Industrial Sciences and Technology | Department of History and Social Studies

January 2026 News at UCM

By Nicole Lyons, February 6, 2026

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As January brought a chilly start to 2026, a new semester at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) was already heating up: the Fashion program and the Talking Mules received accolades, students and faculty presented at national conferences, the Intensive English Program earned reaccreditation, and a UCM fraternity received an award nomination.


Check out the January 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.

 

 

Three people hold awards

Fashion Program Named KC Fashion Industry Education Partner of the Year


The Fashion and Apparel Merchandising program was named Education Partner of the Year at the Kansas City Fashion Industry awards gala on Jan. 16. UCM was represented by Melissa Abner, Ph.D., associate professor and program coordinator of Fashion, and Erica Spurgeon, Ph.D., associate professor of Fashion and chair of the School of Industrial Sciences and Technology.


In addition, December 2025 Fashion graduate Henry Kartsonis, of Leawood, Kansas, received the Ambassador of the Year Award.


The program was nominated based on a long record of volunteer involvement with Kansas City Fashion Week and won by receiving the most votes against other educational institutions, including Kansas State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia. 


Since 2020, two students from the UCM program have shown their collections at Kansas City Fashion Week, with another scheduled for this spring. UCM Fashion students have volunteered as ambassadors during KC Fashion Week in large numbers, and multiple alumni now work for the organization. 


Pictured, from left, are Abner, Kartsonis and Spurgeon.

 

Intensive English Program Reaccredited by CEA


The UCM English Language Institute (ELI) announced that its Intensive English Program (IEP) has been granted from the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).


UCM is one of only five institutions to receive 10-year reaccreditation during the commission’s December 2025 meeting. The ELI was initially accredited in 2010 and received reaccreditation in 2015.


The English Language Institute was created in 1992 by Ward Sample, Ph.D., professor of English, as a financially self-supporting unit at UCM. Since then, the ELI has continued to develop its main program, the IEP, as well as numerous individual short-term programs. The goal is to provide English language learners with the skills they need to be successful at the university, in their careers or in specialized language programs.


"The ELI is grateful for UCM's ongoing support of our program, and we are excited to continue expanding opportunities for our international students,” said Valerie Heming, director of the Center for Global Education, which houses the ELI.

 

UCM Researchers Present at Biology Conference


The Department of Biological and Clinical Sciences had a team of researchers from Assistant Professor of Biology Nick Bart's lab present at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon.


Barts, Ph.D., presented “Metabolic Responses to Increasing Temperature in Juvenile Lake Sturgeon.” Biology graduate student Vishwa Panda (pictured right) presented “Impacts of Hypoxia on the Physiology of Extremophile Fish.” Biology graduate student Yonah Bennett (pictured left) presented “Survey of Raccoon Roundworm Across Urban-Rural Gradients Compared to Diet.”

 

A student stands in front of their research poster

 

A student stands in front of their research poster

 

Talking Mules Perform Well at Gorlok, Director of Forensics Honored

 

Eight members of the UCM Talking Mules speech and debate teams had to make some adjustments from a face-to-face to a virtual format, but they performed admirably at the Gorlok, hosted by Webster University. The tournament ran from Jan. 23-25, entirely online, and three team members came away with tournament titles.

 

In Individual Events, Alyna Mathews, a senior from Kansas City, Missouri, and Paige Showen, a senior from Raymore, Missouri, were tournament champions in Improv Duo Pairs, and Ashley Singh, a junior from Pittsburg, Kansas, was tournament champion in Extemporaneous Commentary.

 

Showen also took home a third-place award in Improv Duo Pairs with teammate Sophie Katcher, a freshman from Moberly, Missouri. She also received an After Dinner Speaking Excellence award.


Mathews placed third in Interviewing and teamed with Caleb Dillon, a senior from Raytown, Missouri, to finish sixth in Duo Interpretation.

 

In addition, Luke Fitzsimmons, a sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri, placed fourth in Informative Speaking, sixth in Editorial Impromptu, and seventh in Interviewing; Singh was fifth in Broadcast Journalism and sixth in Interviewing; Katcher was a semi-finalist in Impromptu Speaking; and Tristian Jackson, a sophomore from Grain Valley, Missouri, received an Impromptu Speaking Excellence award.

 

In debate events, Dillon was an Open IPDA semifinalist; Mathews was a Junior IPDA quarterfinalist; Charlie Vitale, a sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri, was a Novice IPDA quarterfinalist; Showen and Singh were junior IPDA octafinalists; and Jackson was Open IPDA third-place speaker.

 

UCM Director of Forensics Jordan Compton was also honored at the tournament, as he received the Community Forensic Citizenship Award. The award is presented to a non-student member of the forensic community who advances the benefits of forensics in the broadest of terms, including but not limited to outstanding teaching/coaching and service.

 

Compton praised his team’s efforts over the weekend.

 

“While the Gorlok may be a mystical beast, the Gorlok Gala is an actual beast of a forensics tournament,” he said. “The Gorlok is always one of our favorite tournaments of the year. We wish we could have competed in person, but the coaching staff, judges and students all adapted seamlessly to the online tournament format. We're proud of the growth and learning lessons our team was able to take away from this weekend. Now we set our sights on the postseason.”

 

The Talking Mules are back in action Feb. 13-14 at the Missouri Association of Forensic Activities in St. Louis. They will be competing in IPDA, Team IPDA, and Individual Events.

 

 

Fraternity members stand with the Warrensburg Main Street director

FarmHouse Fraternity Nominated as Warrensburg Main Street Volunteer of the Year


Warrensburg Main Street recognized the FarmHouse Fraternity chapter at UCM as a nominee for the Volunteer of the Year award at its annual Evening of Excellence on Jan. 29. 


FarmHouse was named Volunteer of the Quarter last year, making the group eligible for the Volunteer of the Year category. The award recognizes those who have “devoted countless hours to helping Warrensburg Main Street without any hesitation in 2025."


“FarmHouse was nominated by our Organization Committee because of their ongoing commitment to serving the Warrensburg community,” Warrensburg Main Street wrote in an April 2025 . “Their reliability, enthusiasm, and teamwork make them a shining example of what volunteerism looks like in action.”


FarmHouse members have supported the Warrensburg community through a variety of volunteer efforts with Main Street, including helping clean up after Burg Fest, cleaning downtown Warrensburg streets, and setting up and tearing down at events such as the annual Piccadilly. Members also helped wash and prime the wall on North Washington Street in preparation for a new community mural.


Chapter President Aidan Seek said the importance of volunteering stems from the fraternity’s guiding principles: “Men elected to our membership are considered to be of good moral character, to be high in scholarship, to have the capacity for meeting and making friends, and to give promise of service to their fellow men and to the world. To be and become such may at times require a sacrifice of time, pleasures, and comforts."

 

FarmHouse members are pictured with Warrensburg Main Street Executive Director Jamie DeBacker, far right.

 

Biology Student, Associate Professor Publish Research Note


Biology graduate student Tiffany Perron and her mentor, Associate Professor of Biology Daniel Marschalek, Ph.D., had a research note published in December. 


The Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society published their research titled "Emergence traps to determine larval locations of the regal fritillary (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).”

 

Assistant Professor Serves as Chair of National Conference


Tina Ellsworth, Ph.D., assistant professor and program coordinator of Social Studies Education in the Department of History and Social Studies, is the president of the National Council for the Social Studies and served as the chair of the 2025 national conference. 


As part of her roles, Ellsworth facilitated a fireside chat with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson at the conference on Saturday, Dec. 6 in Chicago.

 

Two people pose for a photo on stage, one is holding an award

 

 

A professor gives a presentation in front of a slideshow screen

Associate Professor Attends Energy Technologies Conference in Australia


Mohammad Sadi, Ph.D., associate professor of Engineering Technology in the School of Industrial Sciences and Technology, represented UCM at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Energy Technologies for Future Grids (ETFG 2025) from Dec. 7-11 at the University of Wollongong in Wollongong, Australia.


On Dec. 10, Sadi served as session chair for two technical sessions, helping facilitate presentations and Q&A with international researchers and industry professionals.


ETFG 2025 highlighted practical solutions for future power grids and energy technologies, supporting knowledge-sharing that Sadi will bring back to UCM through teaching, student projects and industry engagement.


Associate Professor Elected Secretary of the Power & Energy Society (PES) Kansas City Section


Sadi was also recently elected secretary of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Kansas City Section.


IEEE PES is a leading global professional society focused on advancing the electric power and energy industry through technical innovation, professional development and collaboration among engineers in academia, utilities and industry. In his new role, Sadi will support the section’s executive committee by coordinating activities, documenting initiatives and helping expand engagement through technical seminars, workshops and community-connected programs across the greater Kansas City region.


Sadi has previously served the IEEE PES Kansas City Section in multiple committee capacities, contributing to event planning, member engagement and ongoing professional programming. 

 

Recent UCM Rankings


UCM is where students find exceptional value, achieve real success and make a tangible impact. Publications consistently recognize UCM among the Midwest's top public universities for academic quality, affordability, social mobility and online innovation. UCM also earns specialized recognitions that showcase distinctive strengths within individual programs and services. 


Here are just a few examples of recognition the University of Central Missouri has earned recently:

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