Success Story

Join Us for Homecoming 2020 and Parents and Families Appreciation Week
Now that the fall semester at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State is in full force, we are excited to announce that two of our most anticipated traditions will be held during the month of October. (Photo from Homecoming 2019)

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Earns Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for Eighth Consecutive Year
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´â€™s commitment to maintaining a diverse and inclusive campus has received acknowledgement from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, for an eighth consecutive year. INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has selected ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State as a recipient of the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award.
Changing Families and Futures: ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Receives Five-Year Grant Renewal for TRIO Student Support Services Program
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ a $2.6 million, five-year TRIO Student Support Services program grant. The program serves students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds and students with diverse learning and physical abilities.
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Nursing Researcher Awarded $1.5 Million, Three-Year Grant to Advance Nurse Education Within Integrated Care Settings
The Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recently awarded a $1.5 million, three-year grant to ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ College of Nursing research faculty member Jim Tudhope, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC (principal investigator) and his team.

They’re Back! ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Students Move Into Residence Halls
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ students began moving into residence halls on the ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ Campus on Aug. 19, as part of a phased-in process that will continue over five days.

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State to Celebrate Its Newest Graduates With Virtual Commencement on Aug. 15
The ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ alumni family will grow by nearly 1,300 new graduates as the university holds its summer commencement. The accomplishments of the Summer Class of 2020 will be recognized with a virtual commencement recognition ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., and Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., Blazing Historical Trails at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´â€™s Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., and Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., recently entered the annals of university history. On May 1, 2020, Hylton became the first Black person in the university’s history to hold the title of vice president for student affairs. And on July 1, 2020, Drummer-Ferrell was appointed dean of students, making her the first Black woman to be named to the position.

Campus Kitchen Pivots Operations From Hot Meals to Food Pantry to Help Increasing Numbers of Food Insecure Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
The Campus Kitchen at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´, a student-run organization that reclaims food to feed the needy in the ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ area, has had to swiftly switch gears from operating a hot food kitchen to an expanded food pantry.

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State’s Design Innovation Initiative Cultivates Creative Partnerships to Battle COVID-19
Members of ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´â€™s Design Innovation Initiative are forging creative collaborations with local and regional organizations and funders as they work toward the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Captures MAC FAR Award in Women’s Sports
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ has won the Mid-American Conference’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for women’s sports award for the first time in school history.