No Excuses University
They may only be 9 or 10 years old, but Nichole Chavez’s third-graders at Eva Baca Elementary School in Pueblo, Colorado can tell you what a Griffon is and the meaning behind it, what sports are played at Missouri Western, some of the degrees the University offers, and all about St. Joseph. Many of them will also tell you that they plan to attend college here, and it’s all thanks to a collaboration between Chavez and Missouri Western, led by Shana Meyer, vice president of student affairs.
It started with a graduate student and her mom. At about the time Pueblo native Haley Robinson applied for admission into Missouri Western’s graduate degree program in sport and fitness management, Chavez asked her classroom volunteer if she knew of any out-of-state universities that the class might partner with for a new program at the school, No Excuses University. The volunteer happened to be Robinson’s mom, Deanna, and she suggested Missouri Western.
No Excuses University, according to its website, was founded in 2004 based on the belief that every student has the right to be educated in a way that prepares them for college. Chavez had attended a conference about NEU in the spring of 2015, and her school became the first in Colorado to be approved to participate in the program in the fall.
“It all starts with a plan. We give them all the (post-high school) options and tell them to find something they really love and set goals,” she said of her third-graders. “Even though it’s years away, they can start working toward it.”
Chavez sent a letter to Missouri Western in August 2015 to see if the University would be interested in partnering, and Meyer immediately jumped on board. “I was intrigued by the opportunity because Missouri Western truly does transform lives, and that is the focus of No Excuses University,” Meyer said.
“What made me fall in love with Missouri Western was the motto, ‘Everything is Possible,’” Chavez said. 
“That’s exactly our message. And the meaning behind the Griffon (mythical guardian of the precious treasure of education) is cool, too.”
Last fall, Meyer packed a box of t-shirts, pennants, trinkets and pens, and sent it to Chavez’s class. Chavez decorated her classroom with a Missouri Western motif and created a Missouri Western reading nook. Her third-graders wear their Missouri Western t-shirts every Monday and use their pens to write in their homework planner once a day.
Meyer followed the first package with more mailings: videos, photos, Missouri Western publications, sunglasses, letters from college students, and a stuffed baby Griffon for each student at Christmastime. The vice president and a group of freshmen Skyped with Chavez’s class, and Meyer gave the third-graders a virtual campus tour. Robinson sent a photo of the golf team.
The class of 26 students, in turn, conducted research not only on Missouri Western, but on St. Joseph, and they learned the University’s fight song.
“Shana’s been everything I hoped for. We’ve been spoiled and we are grateful,” Chavez said.
“When I signed up for the program, I thought we could provide a nice service to students in another state, and that it might be a way to spread the word about Missouri Western,” Meyer said. “But the partnership has resulted in so much more. The third-graders have made us laugh; have shown us what a University looks like from a third-grader’s perspective; and asked some amazing questions. It has also instilled a sense of pride in our freshman. When children rave about your mascot, events like the foam party, or how cool the clock tower is, you are proud!”
Each classroom and the school office at the elementary school partnered with a different university this past school year, and the hallways and classrooms were adorned with college gear. Throughout the year, the older students heard guest speakers talk about their careers and what they did to prepare for them.
“The whole school culture is focused on universal achievement,” Chavez said. “We want to make sure everyone knows the opportunities out there. We believe as No Excuses University does that all students deserve and should be educated in a way that prepares them for college after high school, and it is our job as elementary educators to do just that.”
Robinson visited the class when she was home in October. “Are you really from Missouri?” one of the third-graders asked her. “Oh, my gosh, she’s a real Griffon!” others said.
The students stumped her with a lot of questions about Missouri Western and St. Joseph, but they really already knew all the answers.
“The thing that’s really neat is that they are only in third-grade,” she said. “I wish I could’ve bottled their excitement.”
“It’s been an awesome partnership because it motivates them (the third-graders) to do their best,” Chavez says. “I tell them it’s no excuses. If you set your mind to it, you can do it.”
Haley Robinson: from Pueblo to St. Joe
Graduate student Haley Robinson was the catalyst in a partnership between Missouri Western and Nichole Chavez’s third-grade class at Eva Baca Elementary, but you might wonder how Robinson came to attend graduate school at Missouri Western.
Haley Robinson with Pueblo, Colorado third-graders.
The answer lies with Golf Coach Greg Dillon, who joined Missouri Western in 2014 after coaching four years at Colorado State University-Pueblo. Robinson, who graduated from there in 2012, had played golf under him, and when he needed an assistant, he asked her if she’d consider coming to Missouri Western for graduate school.
She was accepted into the program and began her studies in the fall of 2015. Robinson serves as the assistant coach for the men’s and women’s golf programs and will graduate with her Master of Applied Science in Sport and Fitness Management in May 2017.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” she said. “These are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
She had been working as an assistant golf pro in Pueblo when Dillon called her. The graduate program, she says, is bridging the gap between her passion and the business world. When she graduates, she would like to become a golf coach for an NCAA school.
“The athletic staff at Missouri Western is top-notch. I work with great people.”