Wrestling

Devon Fenstermaker

Senior Devon Fenstermaker was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for Truman wrestling following the 2014-15 season. He led the Bulldogs with a 24-12 overall record while wrestling at 165 pounds. He placed in four tournaments and was second at the Knox College Open and third in the Jim May Open. Fenstermaker finished his career with 84 victories and placed in 10 total tournaments.

Helmut Rentschler was one of seven members of the squad that earned NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic honors. Rentschler was honored as a four-time recipient of the award and joined on the list by three-time honoree Will Evans. Sophomore Rafael Lopez was a second-team selection while J.J. Dorrell, Luke Knoche, Roark Whittington and Chase Wrisinger were honorable mention selections.

Lopez advanced to day two of the NCAA regional in Mankato, Minn., in February. As a team, Truman finished 5-5 in dual matches this season.

Head coach David Schutter completed his 25th season at the helm of the program.

Men’s Basketball

Seth Jackson

A second trip to the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament in as many seasons, and another 20-win season, highlighted the Truman men’s basketball year, as the Bulldogs posted 11 conference victories under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Foster.

Truman, coming off a 20-7 season a year ago, went 20-10 in the 2014-15 campaign, which included a first-round GLVC tournament win and a trip to the conference quarterfinals. The Bulldogs opened the year with a grueling travel slate, building a 3-2 record against regional opponents and capturing the Kentucky Wesleyan Thanksgiving Classic before sweeping the month of December with six victories.

After a brief stumble at home to start the 2015 calendar year, the Bulldogs rattled off seven wins in the next eight games before posting an 11-7 conference mark and a second-place mark in the GLVC West division. Truman handed longtime rival Quincy a third loss on the year in the GLVC tournament opener, but fell to nationally ranked UW-Parkside in the conference quarterfinals at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.

Senior guard Seth Jackson was named first-team All-GLVC and second-team all-region by the NABC, while fellow senior backcourt mate Reed Mells earned first-team all-conference honors as well. Sophomore Cory Myers was an all-conference defensive team award winner.

Foster’s second season as the program’s head coach will begin in November 2015.

Women’s Basketball

Allie Norton

Amy Eagan’s Bulldogs qualified for their fifth straight conference tournament, but came up on the short end in a first-round loss to Indianapolis in Pershing Arena.

Truman was 16-11 overall and 10-8 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with senior Allie Norton earning All-GLVC first-team honors.

Norton became the 10th Truman player to earn all-conference honors at least three times during her career, and led the Bulldogs in scoring at 15.1 points per game. For her career, Norton set new program standards in three-pointers made with 277, three-point field goal percentage at 41.8 percent, and tied for first in games played and started with 112. She finished fifth in career assists with 331 and eighth in points scored with 1,342.

The Bulldogs played one of the toughest schedules in Division II to start the season. They defeated Division I Alabama-Birmingham in an exhibition to start the year, then won seven of their first nine with a road win over nationally ranked Missouri Southern and losses to top-10 ranked Pittsburg State and West Texas A&M. The team hit a stumbling block with three losses in mid-January, but rebounded with four straight wins to earn the home playoff game.

Football

Garrrett White

For the second straight year, the Bulldog football team finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Truman was 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the GLVC.

Of the 10 games played during the 2014 season, six were decided by 10 points or less. The season began with a heartbreaking 13-7 overtime loss at Div. I Drake (Iowa) but the ’Dogs bounced back with four straight wins over Langston (Okla.) 17-12, Missouri S&T 27-16, Lincoln (Mo.) 29-20 and McKendree (Ill.) 30-17.

The team suffered back-to-back home losses to William Jewell (Mo.) 21-17 and league champion Indianapolis (Ind.) 23-20 before pummeling Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 52-7 behind Garrett White’s GLVC record 229 yards rushing. The team finished the season with a home win on Senior Day against Quincy (Ill.) 17-14 and a road loss to Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) 35-9.

Ten Bulldogs were selected all-conference by GLVC coaches. Seniors White and Chico Orlando were unanimous first-team selections and were joined on the first team by Brad Wellman and Jacob Lamp.

The Bulldog defense, which allowed just 17.8 points per game, the fewest by a Truman team since the 1994 season, had five members selected to the second team all-conference. Seniors Nic Abbate and Matthew Bell were joined by junior Nick Reichert, sophomores Austin Zoda and Chris Stanton on the team. Sophomore kick returner Derek Hammann was an honorable mention on the all-conference team.

University Continues to Shine in National Spotlight

Truman began the school year with impressive showings in two separate national publications.

September saw Truman run its streak at the top of the U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings to 18 consecutive years. Truman was the No. 1 public university in the Midwest Regional category, and tied for the No. 9 spot in the region among both private and public institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs. That placed the University one spot better than the previous year’s ranking and a full nine spots higher than the second-best public school on the list. Truman far outpaced the other Missouri public schools on the list, the closest of which was nearly 60 spots lower.

Truman received high praise in several supplemental categories and earned three additional No. 1 rankings. It was the No. 1 school in the Midwest region in the “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” section—the only public school from the Midwest to make the list.

Along the same lines, Truman’s research reputation landed the University a spot in the “A Focus on Student Success” section under “Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects.” That list of 32 schools, while not broken down with numerical rankings, found Truman alongside such nationally known institutions as Harvard, Yale, Duke and Stanford.

Admiration from fellow college administrators earned Truman the No. 1 spot for the Midwest on the list of “The 2015 Up-and-Comers.” Feedback from college presidents, provosts and admissions deans was used to compile this list.

In terms of affordability, Truman was the No. 1 public school, and No. 5 overall, on the “Great Schools, Great Prices” list for the Midwest region.

U.S. News & World Report bases its regional rankings on peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

Truman is also continuing to work its way closer to the top of another national college ranking. In August, the University improved to take over the No. 2 spot in the Best Master’s University category of the 2014 Washington Monthly College Rankings. Additionally, Truman was the No. 1 public school on the list and had the lowest net price in the top five.

A fixture in the top 10, this marked the third straight year Truman climbed in the rankings. It was the only Missouri school on the entire top 100 Master’s Universities list.

The Washington Monthly rankings are unique in the fact they are based primarily on civic engagement, research and social mobility. Schools receive high marks for contributing to society, enrolling low-income students, helping them graduate and keeping costs affordable.

Truman closed out the year with additional nods from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, which placed the University at No. 19 on its list of the “100 Best College Values” in the nation for 2015. Truman was the highest-rated Missouri school on the list and the only university in the state to be included in the top 50. Kiplinger’s also ranked Truman 12th in the nation for best out-of-state value.

Thomas Appointed Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Dr. Susan Thomas

Dr. Susan L. Thomas became Truman’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, effective July 21, 2014.

Following a national search, Thomas was selected for the position. She previously served as associate provost for academic planning and program development at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Thomas’ educational background includes a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She earned her Ph.D. in social psychology in 1988, after obtaining her M.B.A. in administrative management and a Master of Arts in social psychology in 1987 and 1986 respectively. Thomas graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.

Thomas has worked at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville since 1991. In addition to her most recent position there, she has also served as the assistant provost for planning, and she is a tenured member of the psychology faculty. Prior to her arrival in Edwardsville, Thomas was an assistant professor of psychology at Central College in Iowa and conducted post-doctoral research through Brown University-Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island.

Alumnus Returns for Commencement Address

Alphonso Jackson (’68, ’69)

Alphonso Jackson (’68, ’69) gave the address during winter commencement ceremonies, Dec. 13. Jackson is a former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a past vice chairman with JPMorgan Chase in New York City. He served on the University Board of Governors from 1994-2001. A total of 327 students received degrees at the winter commencement.

Professor Remembered with Tree Dedication

On the date of her first birthday since her passing, friends and family came together on campus to honor the life and contributions of Dr. Teresa Heckert with the dedication of a memorial tree.

A member of the Truman community for 20 years, Heckert was the professor and chair of the Department of Psychology when she passed away in February 2014. On Sept. 12, 2014, a white oak tree was dedicated in her honor in Red Barn Park. The idea of a memorial tree originated with Heckert’s family, and a white oak was selected due to its ties to her home state of Maryland. As part of the family’s gift to the University, granite from Maryland was also brought in to help mark the area.

Dr. Teresa Heckert

In October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Alpha Sigma Gamma service sorority used the site to host a vigil in honor of Heckert and other loved ones affected by breast cancer.

Career Center Provides Opportunities for Students and Alumni

During the Fall Career and Grad School Expo in October, more than 175 representatives of various businesses, schools and organizations were on campus to recruit Truman students. More than 700 students, representing 32 of 35 majors, participated in the event. The following day several recruiters remained on campus and conducted 166 student interviews for internships or jobs with their organizations.

Career Week is planned and coordinated each semester by the Truman Career Center. The entire week is filled with career development opportunities. In the fall, events included mock interviews, an etiquette dinner, company presentations and a volunteer fair showcasing local agency opportunities. Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Psi co-sponsored a LinkedIn consultant who offered advice for building a strong online presence on the professional networking site. Student participation in all of the activities was exceptional.

Returning alumni represented a number of the organizations that were on campus for the Career and Grad School Expo. Alumni are always welcome to join. Spring Career Week will take place Feb. 23-26, with the Career and Grad School Expo set for Feb. 25. For questions about the event, or about recruiting Truman students, contact Polly Matteson, assistant director of the Career Center at pollym@truman.edu.

Classes Work to Assist Food Bank

Karina Critten stands by her class project display outside the Student Union Building. On Family Day, Critten’s group raised $1,000 in donations for the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

In the fall semester, students in two of Truman’s nutrition courses partnered with the SERVE Center to raise money for the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

The classes divided into 14 small groups, each of which planned a fundraiser as part of a service-learning opportunity. Students began planning events, raffles and donation requests after learning the Food Bank is able to purchase 15 pounds of food for families in need with only one dollar. These student-led projects culminated during the Big Week of Giving in early October when the classes established donation tables on campus and throughout Kirksville.

The first of these fundraiser events was completed Sept. 13 when one group set up a table display outside the Student Union Building and asked visiting parents and family members to consider donating to the cause. By sharing statistics about hungry families needing help, and how a small donation can make a big impact, the team exceeded their project goal and raised $1,000.

Another fundraising project incorporated the help of University President Troy Paino. Raffle tickets were sold and the lucky winner was able to pie him in the face at the Sept. 27 football game.

There were also several fundraisers throughout the semester in conjunction with local restaurants. All of the proceeds raised in these projects were donated directly to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

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