May 14, 2026

From First-Year Fellow to Future Scientist

Story by Logan JacksonPhotos by Chris Wang An updated radiopharmaceutical chemistry textbook will be published this spring, detailing the latest advancements and clinical successes in the field. When Nora Pryor gets her copy, she already knows which page she’ll flip to first. Among the discussions of emerging cancer treatments and diagnostic technologies will be a chapter Pryor helped write as an undergraduate student at the University of Missouri. “I’m going to see the pages of the textbook and be like, ‘I wrote that,’” Pryor said. “That is going to be crazy.” For Pryor, the…

May 13, 2026

Lilley Halloran Leaves Mizzou With Global Journalism Experience and Passion for Public Radio

Story by Riley PalshawPhotos courtesy of Lilley Halloran From first visiting the University of Missouri as a prospective Stamps Scholar to reporting in Brussels for POLITICO Europe and working in nearly every corner of the Missouri School of Journalism, senior Lilley Halloran is leaving Mizzou with far more than a college degree. Halloran, a constitutional democracy and journalism double major from St. Louis, Missouri, said she quickly realized during her Stamps Scholarship interview weekend that Mizzou, and especially the Honors College, could offer opportunities beyond the classroom. “Getting to meet faculty from so many different…

May 11, 2026

Leading Across Campus: Wyatt Carlson Earns Electrical Engineering Degree

Story by Kaiya LynchPhotos courtesy of Wyatt Carlson On a warm spring day during his junior year of high school, Wyatt Carlson stood on campus without expecting to choose the University of Missouri. “I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with my dad being from Omaha and my mom growing up on the Kansas side of the state line,” Carlson said. Because of this, Carlson had family ties to other universities, but something shifted during his Mizzou visit that was harder to quantify than rankings or financial aid packages. It was the energy. The pride.

May 7, 2026

Blue Earth Course Brings Aquatic Science to Life

Story by Sophia AndersonPhotos courtesy of Sabrina Michael Two years ago, Sabrina Michael, an assistant teaching professor, launched a General Honors College course with an ambitious goal: immerse students in the hidden worlds beneath the surface of Earth’s waters. Since then, the class has evolved through small changes and new opportunities, but its mission has stayed constant — bringing together students from a wide range of majors to explore the science, ecology and conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems. In “Blue Earth: Aquatic Science Through SCUBA,” students study everything from aquatic organisms and water quality to the environmental challenges…

May 6, 2026

A Lifelong Student of the Classics: David Schenker’s Mizzou Legacy

Story by Logan Jackson Sitting among veteran University of Missouri faculty fully engaged in a passionate debate, David Schenker said he felt a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. Schenker had just arrived at Mizzou as a new faculty member in the Department of Classical Studies (now the Department of Classics, Archaeology, and Religion) and had been invited to teach in the long-running Honors College Humanities Sequence. The lively discussion was focused on the upcoming semester’s syllabus. “I was the youngest person in the room and was among academic giants, like Bill Bondeson, Ted Tarkow,…

May 4, 2026

From Students to Masters, Mizzou Program Builds Real-World Writing Tutors

Story by Riley PalshawPhotos by Logan Jackson Students in the University of Missouri Honors College are not just learning how to improve their own writing. In Theory and Practice of Tutoring Writing, they are learning how to help others do the same, continuing a tradition of support at the University of Missouri Writing Center that spans 50 years. The 15-week Honors College course prepares students to work in the MU Writing Center through a mix of writing, observation and hands-on experience. Led by MU Writing Center director Aaron Harms and assistant director…

April 29, 2026

Ashley McGarrah to Travel to England Through Fulbright UK Summer Institutes Program

Story by Logan Jackson Mizzou sophomore Ashley McGarrah will explore the field of social work this summer at the University of Bristol in England through the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes program. While there, McGarrah will enroll in courses tied to various social issues taught by historians, academics and practitioners. The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes program provides undergraduate students from the United States with little or no travel experience outside of North America the opportunity to explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. “I was unbelievably excited…

April 29, 2026

Turning Ambitions into Global Opportunities

Story by Kaiya Lynch After 20 years teaching in the Missouri School of Journalism, Amanda Hinnant still finds new ways to support student success. Hinnant, a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism and affiliate faculty in the Honors College, has served on roughly 170 graduate-student committees during her time at Mizzou. Alongside her work in the School of Journalism, she also teaches an Honors College Tutorial centered on books featured in the Unbound Book Festival, bringing students together to explore ideas through reading and discussion. Her recent work as the Honors College Faculty Fellow, however,…

April 27, 2026

Charlotte Spohr Selected for DAAD RISE Germany Research Internship

Story by Logan Jackson Mizzou junior Charlotte Spohr will have the opportunity to conduct meaningful research while studying abroad this summer through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program. The internship allows undergraduate students from North American, British and Irish universities the chance to conduct research at top German colleges and research institutions. “I have never studied abroad before, and I’ve always had hopes of living and working abroad, so this opportunity is a literal dream come true,” said Spohr, a plant sciences major who is also pursuing the Honors…

April 26, 2026

Vice Provost Champions Curiosity, Connection in Honors College

Story by Kaiya LynchPhotos by Logan Jackson For Jim Spain, education has always been about more than grades or career preparation. It is about curiosity and the responsibility that comes with learning. Spain, vice provost for undergraduate studies and professor of animal sciences at the University of Missouri, has spent decades working to shape undergraduate education. Spain’s academic background is rooted in dairy nutrition and management, but his impact at Mizzou stretches far beyond animal science. Since 2007, he has served as vice provost for undergraduate studies, supporting initiatives aimed at improving student success across campus.