MSSU Alumni & Friends

Our fourth annual MSSU Football Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament is just around the corner!!! 🏈🦁⛳️

Join us on Saturday, April 18 at Eagle Creek Golf Course.

Signup 🔗 bit.ly/4su3yvn

We recently honored the late Paul Shipman with the naming of the Paul Shipman Financial Services Suite, located in Hearnes Hall.

Dr. Paul Shipman began working for Joplin Junior College in 1965, arriving at the most exciting time. The college had just received state appropriations to transition to a four-year institution. The conversion hinged on many moving pieces including designing campus classrooms and buildings and negotiating with the governor and state legislature.

Dr. Shipman's steadfast hand and strong work ethic played a major role in successfully establishing a sturdy foundation for Missouri Southern. Always focused on creating a college that would offer outstanding affordable degree programs, Dr. Shipman and a small group of visionary leaders set the school's trajectory toward a bright future. In a 1986 Chart article, Dr. Shipman stated, "Very few people had the opportunity that I did to come to a new institution and help in its development.”

Dr. Shipman continued working at Missouri Southern for twenty-one years, retiring as the Vice President for Business Affairs. He spent the remainder of his life with his beloved wife, Trula. They continued to be avid supporters of MSSU, attending sporting events and concerts and providing philanthropic support by establishing the Paul and Trula Shipman Family Scholarship.

Don't miss today's Give Back Sponsor, Raising Cane's! Enjoy a meal from 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. and
turn your meal into momentum for the MSSU Lion Pride Giving Challenge!

📍 1237 S. Rangeline Rd., Joplin
💻 Order online or in the app with code RCFUND96. Make sure to mention the fundraiser
❤️ Cane’s will donate 15% of net sales to support the MSSU Lion Pride Giving Challenge

It's Giving Challenge Week! Follow the link to give to your favorite teams or programs! Your support keeps our lions going!

⚾ Baseball
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/baseball-giving.php

🏈 Football
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/football-giving.php

🥎 Softball
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/softball-giving.php

⛹️ Men's Basketball
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-mens-basketball.php

⛳ Golf
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-golf.php

🏐 Volleyball
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-volleyball.php

⚽ Soccer
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-soccer.php

🏃 Track and Field and Cross Country
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/winged-foot-club.php

🏀 Women's Basketball
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/womensbasketball.php

🎼 Music
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-music.php

🎭 Theater
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-missouri-southern-theatre-green-room-challenge.php

🖌️ Art
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/art.php

🏋️ Strength & Conditioning
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-strength-conditioning.php

📣 Cheer
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-cheer.php

💃🏼 Dance
https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/giving-to-dance.php

Calling all alumni! We invite you to submit your work to bordertown 2026, the 20th Anniversary issue of Missouri Southern State University's literary magazine. As an alumnus, you are a valuable part of our publication’s history, and we welcome your unpublished creative work for this special commemorative edition.

Please email all submissions to [email protected] by February 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, plays, hybrid work, translations, and art.

Submission guidelines:
• Up to six pages of poetry (one poem per page)
• Up to 5,000 words of prose
• Do not include identifying information on your piece(s). Please include your name in the body of your email.

Don’t miss this meaningful opportunity to come full circle and contribute to a milestone issue.

We look forward to reading your work. Thank you for helping us celebrate 20 years of bordertown.

We loved the opportunity to connect with a group of our alumni now living in the Washington, D.C. area during a recent gathering. It was wonderful to hear their stories, learn about their paths since leaving Missouri Southern, and share updates from campus.

We’re grateful for the strong Lion pride that continues to thrive across the country. Thank you to those who joined us for an evening of conversation and connection.

We look forward to more opportunities to engage with our Lions community in the future!

Attention Alumni and Friends!

It’s time to clear out those closets—our annual Dress to Impress event is just one month away, and we need your help!

Dress to Impress provides free professional clothing to students and alumni, helping Lions step into job interviews with confidence.

Have gently used dress clothes, belts, shoes, or accessories? Drop them off at the Student Success Center in Hearnes Hall and make a difference today!

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the campus will be closed today.

As a graduate of Missouri Southern State University, you’re automatically part of the MSSU Alumni Association with a Free Lifetime Membership just for you. Here are just a few of the benefits you can enjoy:

- Career Services for Life: Whether you’re job hunting, changing careers, or aiming for a promotion, we’re here to support your success.

- Stay Active and Healthy: Enjoy free access to the indoor pool and racquetball courts, plus a discounted gym membership for only $15/month.

- Spiva Library Access: Check out books, DVDs, and reserve study rooms whenever you need them.

- Cheer on the Lions: Score $5 general admission tickets to home athletic events and show your Lion pride.

See all of your alumni benefits here: https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/alumni/alumni-benefits.php

Congratulations to Ella Matney on being selected as a monthly Golden Lion Scholarship recipient!

Do you know a high school senior who has made a positive impact in their community through volunteerism? Nominate them today: https://www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/goldenlion.php

Carl Junction senior Ella Matney honored with Golden Lion Award Ella Matney, a senior at Carl Junction, has been busy with athletics, volunteering, and pitching in on campus activities like Trunk or Treat and Food for America.

Missouri Southern hosted its annual 2025 Seasonal Choral Flourish at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church. The program showcased timeless Christmas carols sung by the Missouri Southern Chamber Singers and Concert Chorale.

If you weren't able to join us this year, click here to watch: https://youtu.be/OlZXetbC7xA

Did you you know MSSU used to produce yearbooks? If you graduated between 1938 -1993, you can access your yearbook online through our Spiva Library online archives!

https://libguides.mssu.edu/crossroadsyearbook

We also have physical copies of yearbooks at our Ralph L. Gray Alumni Center if you'd like to flip through one the next time you visit!

Research and Course Guides: Missouri Southern Crossroads Yearbooks: Home University Archives, AC #2.21, Yearbooks from Joplin Junior College and Missouri Southern State College from 1938 to 1993, when it was discontinued.