I can hardly believe another semester has ended, with over 470 students earning their degree. I hope you will take time to read about a few of our graduates and their time at Mizzou as part of Senior Spotlight. One of the featured students even spoke at Commencement, Kaylee Lewis, a biochemistry graduate. Kaylee challenged graduates as they pursue their careers to not be afraid to fail as “failure does not define us; it refines us.” Thanks for sharing your reflections on your time in CAFNR and your advice for your classmates, Kaylee! Another biochemistry graduate, Sara Stiens, spoke at the Honors College ceremony. Congrats, Sara!

I wanted to share a few highlights from this past academic year. Our undergraduate enrollment was the highest it has been in nearly a decade, at 2,595. We offered scholarships to 100% of eligible incoming students, and 93% of continuing students who applied! Our retention of first-year students from fall 2022 to this spring was 97.2%. Finally, we awarded $90,000 in scholarships to students completing an undergraduate research internship or studying abroad. We are proud of the learning experience we offer in CAFNR and thank all of you who help make it great!

Please note that LATitude will take a break for the next two months. The newsletter will return in August, with the same important content highlighting our students’ experiences and their achievements.

Bryan Garton
Senior Associate Dean
Director of Academic Programs

CAFNR celebrated more than 470 graduating seniors as part of Spring Commencement Saturday, May 13. We enjoyed sharing highlights from the academic experiences of six seniors as part of our Senior Spotlight. Congratulations to all of the graduates!

• Agricultural Systems Technology: Joey Naumann
• Agriculture: Ellen Phillips
• Biochemistry: Kaylee Lewis
• Environmental Sciences: Danielle Rotert
• Hospitality Management: Kelly Gillespie
• Nutrition and Exercise Physiology: Adaora Uti

Barwick selected for national Goldwater Scholarship

Mizzou students volunteered at the 2023 NFL Draft — earning class credit and taking part in an unforgettable hands-on experience

Hannah Twenter recounts her journey from student to instructor and advisor in Animal Sciences

Two parks, recreation and sport alumni — Andrew Dean and Alex Stone — are connecting with St. Louis Cardinals fans as leaders in the team's ticket office

• Allyson Sampson, senior in animal sciences; Dylan Stover, senior in agribusiness management and plant sciences; and Feather Teghtmeyer, senior in natural resource science and management; have received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The competitive national scholarship provides $3,000-$5,000 to study or intern abroad. Teghtmeyer is using the scholarship to study abroad in Austria this summer; Stover plans to travel to New Zealand over winter break. Sampson will study in Ireland at a later date.
• Felicity Guttman and Randi Noel, both sophomores in plant sciences, have received the RISE Germany scholars award, a summer research internship that pays for students to research in Germany. Selected undergraduates are matched with doctoral students and researchers — from universities of applied sciences — whom they assist and who serve as their mentors. RISE Germany internships were first offered in 2005 to applicants from the U.S. and Canada; the program extended to the United Kingdom in 2009 and Ireland in 2018. The program’s stated objective is to promote student exchange to Germany in the fields of natural science, engineering and life sciences, and to motivate undergraduate students to learn more about Germany’s research landscape and study opportunities.
• CAFNR students took part in induction ceremonies for Mizzou honor societies April 28 as part of 2023 Tap Day. Tap Day is a tradition dating back to 1917, where small groups of students are selected (or “tapped”) by their peers to join one of MU’s six secret honorary societies. The six societies – QEBH, Mystical Seven, LSV, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Rollins Society – honor new members for service, leadership and commitment to the Mizzou community. The new initiates’ identities are kept secret until Tap Day, when they were publicly revealed. Inducted from CAFNR were:
  • Andres Mesa, doctoral student in rural sociology, Rollins Society
  • Trillion Rosborough, senior in animal sciences, and Kathryn Wenger, senior in biochemistry, Omicron Delta Kappa