Fellow alumni,
I am truly excited to have been asked to be the president of the Missouri Western State University Alumni Association for the 2020-21 academic school year. I am a proud ’75 graduate of Missouri Western’s elementary education department, and to this day appreciate the faculty who helped me complete my degree. Those professors were certainly committed to their program and their students. My husband, Zack, is also a MWSU graduate, and we are strong believers in the Black and Gold. We are pleased to be able to give back our time and talents to an institution that provided so much to us.
The Alumni Board would like to promote a lasting relationship with Griffon graduates and increase the involvement of our alumni base. I encourage everyone to remain “Griffon Proud!” Support the university by attending events on campus, networking with graduates and students, and wearing your Griffon gear proudly. If you are not able to return to campus, please follow the successes of the university, its students and its faculty on Missouri Western’s social media feeds.
Even though we continue to face challenges presented by the coronavirus, we can still feel the excitement of fall and everything it brings with it to the MSWU campus. This time of year brings a fresh start to students and faculty. I’m sure we can all remember the enthusiasm we felt as we returned each fall for new classes, activities, sporting events, clubs and friends.
When the Griffon was chosen in 1917-18 to be the mascot for the St. Joseph Junior College, they must have realized the lasting impact that the mascot would have. Information on the university’s website states, “The Griffon was chosen because it was considered a guardian of riches, and education is viewed as a precious treasure.” Now, 103 years later, the Junior College has evolved into Missouri Western State University, and I hope that we, as alumni, will consider how we can support the treasure that is Missouri Western State University.
Mary Hausman Workman ’75
Alumni Association President