The veteran coach has guided the Tritons to four of the past six NCAA Tournaments with three Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight run and now owns the program’s all-time wins record.
Stories by Steve Walentik
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UMSL volleyball team captures first-ever GLVC Tournament title
The Tritons topped Quincy 25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 25-23 in Sunday’s championship match and head into the NCAA Tournament riding a 19-match winning streak.
Caleb Evans, Diane Goodwin and Jeanne Zarucchi receive UMSL Hero Awards
The award is presented to up to three staff or faculty members each month in recognition of their efforts to transform the lives of UMSL students and the wider community.
UMSL hosts Greek community celebration of ‘KYKLOS – Circle of Glory’
The Hellenic Spirit Foundation pushed for the creation of the mural by St. Louis artist Rip Kastaris ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games, and it still hangs in the Olympic stadium in Athens.
Newly renovated University Libraries ready to support students in their quest for knowledge and career success
Friends and supporters gathered to celebrate the completion of the $12.1 million, 650,000-square-foot renovation of the Thomas Jefferson and St. Louis Mercantile Libraries.
New NextGen Leaders program aims to prepare students to become changemakers in their communities
The semester-long program was developed as a partnership between UMSL and FOCUS St. Louis, with 14 students in the inaugural cohort.
STLCyberCon explores some of the latest trends in the world of cybersecurity
More than 150 people attended the 11th annual conference, organized jointly by faculty members in the Departments of Computer Science and Information Systems and Technology.
Saroj Kafle’s training at UMSL leads to role as process chemist at API Innovation Center
Kafle and his colleagues are working to improve American national health security by bolstering the supply of market-competitive, commercial U.S.-made active pharmaceutical ingredients.
UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
The volleyball team captured its third Great Lakes Valley Conference championship in the past four years after knocking off William Jewell and Rockhurst to close out the regular season.
Whitney and Anna Harris Conservation Forum takes attendees on tour of seldom-seen cave ecosystems
About 150 people attended the 29th annual forum, which featured presentations from biologists Vona Kuczynska, Matthew Niemiller and Jut Wynne.
UMSL, FOCUS St. Louis working together to grow leaders today and in the future
The university will collaborate with the nonprofit on events such as the Start with Leadership Conference, the Youth Leadership St. Louis Program and the new NextGen Leaders program for UMSL students.
Eric Zhang pursues passion for piano while also studying supply chain management
The dual major won last year’s UMSL Young Artist Competition and was the featured performer at this year’s Founders Celebration.
UMSL partnership with MERS Goodwill will assist employees with educational opportunities to advance their careers
Employees will receive tuition assistance on degree and certificate programs in a range of disciplines as well as discounts on approved non-credit courses offered through UMSL’s Advanced Workforce Center.
Newly renovated and renamed Creative Arts Building ready to serve UMSL music and fine arts students now and for years to come
More than 100 guests visited the vibrant new space during an open house to mark its completion Tuesday evening.
Doctoral candidate Becky Hansis-O’Neill’s research helps build understanding of tarantulas
The Saint Louis Zoo and Missouri Department of Conservation have taken an interest in her work.
Alumni, current and maybe someday future students turn out for fifth annual UMSL 5K
About 300 runners and walkers registered to take part in this year’s race, which crisscrossed North Campus on Saturday morning.
UMSL Global International Fellowship helps faculty members deepen their research and enrich their teaching
Associate Teaching Professor Violaine White was one of 13 awardees this year and had an immersive experience in the French-speaking country of Senegal with the support of her grant.
UMSL Addiction Science Team’s research shows overdose deaths declining in Missouri for second straight year
The decline coincides with a record high in the distribution of the overdose reversal medication naloxone, with over 639,000 kits spread across the state in the 2025 fiscal year.
‘College Transit Challenge’ promotes benefits of public transit for area colleges
UMSL joined Saint Louis University, St. Louis Community College, Southwestern Illinois College and Washington University in the friendly competition organized by Citizens for Modern Transit.
Faculty in computer science, biology and physics receive prestigious NSF research funding
Azim Ahmadzadeh, Jalene LaMontagne, Sara Miller, Erika Gibb and Mohi Saki received four grants totaling more than $1.9 million to support their research.
UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
Iyannah Jackson and the UMSL volleyball team opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a pair of straight-sets road wins over Drury and Southwest Baptist.
UMSL honors Barbara Kohm and family with 2025 E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Medal for Philanthropy at Founders Celebration
Kohm, with the support of her family, recently established the Kohm Scholars Program to assist high-achieving, low-income students in reaching their educational goals.
History major Kathleen Jochman shares scenes from life-changing experience studying abroad in Ireland
Jochman took thousands of photgraphs during her time in Galway and has curated some of them in an exhibit on display at the University City Public Library.
Stephen Moehrle, Michael Nichols and Lee Slocum named Curators’ Distinguished Professors
It is the highest rank in the University of Missouri System and recognizes faculty members for exceptional contributions to research, education and service.
Alum Mark Loehrer helps bring St. Louis history to life through Instagram account
Loehrer, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UMSL, maintains the archcityhistory account and works as a curatorial assistant at the Missouri Historical Society.
Inaugural cohort of Scale AI employees begins UMSL geospatial certificate program
There are 19 Scale AI staff members enrolled in the program this semester, and they are taking the Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Sciences course.
New UMSL Guardian app strengthening safety across campus
The app is free to download and turns any smartphone into a personal safety device by helping users connect to police and other university support services.
State of the University Address highlights UMSL’s focus on sustainability, innovation as it prepares for bright future
Chancellor Kristin Sobolik delivered her annual address to an audience of UMSL faculty and staff members and supporters at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.
CommunityAmerica Credit Union branch opens in MSC as part of larger partnership with UMSL
The credit union also is collaborating with UMSL’s Center for Excellence in Financial Counseling and its Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center on programming to support financial literacy.
UMSL welcomes 24 new faculty members as fall semester kicks off
The new faculty took part in an orientation organized by the Office of Academic Affairs last Tuesday to help get them ready for the new academic year.
Jalene LaMontagne, colleagues win Robert P. McIntosh Award from the Vegetation Section of the Ecological Society of America for research on community synchrony in seed production
Their study found that synchrony among species is correlated with trait similarity as well as climate.
Fontbonne University archives find new home on UMSL’s campus
The university began transferring the archives to the State Historical Society of Missouri’s St. Louis Research Center after announcing it would be closing.
UMSL receives new $1.3 million grant from US Department of Education to continue delivering TRIO Student Support Services
Up to 140 students each year will receive one-on-one coaching and assistance connecting with other campus resources because of the new funding.
Air Force veteran Matt Markivee juggles demands of parenting, career while working toward degree in communication
Markivee is pursuing his degree fully online while working as a public information specialist for the Missouri House of Representatives.
Record fundraising helping prepare UMSL to meet the needs of students and region into the future
UMSL alumni, friends and partner organizations contributed $46.7 million in gifts and pledges during the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Colton Fitzjarrald finds passion for mathematics, plans to apply it to PhD in computational biology after graduation
Fitzjarrald has been working as a research assistant at NGA’s Geosciences and Artificial Intelligence Applications Lab and also assisting Professor Sonya Bahar on research in biophysics.
Nicholas Wetzel, Ryan Nelson and David Torrence receive UMSL Hero Awards
The award is presented to up to three staff or faculty members each month in recognition of their efforts to transform the lives of UMSL students and the wider community.
UMSL partnering with Nidec Motor Corporation to provide educational opportunities to employees trying to advance their careers
Employees will receive tuition discounts on degree and certificate programs in a range of disciplines as well as on approved non-credit courses offered through the Advanced Workforce Center’s Skills Lab.
Michael Cosmopoulos explores the origins of Greek epics in new book, ‘The World of Homer’
Cosmopoulos serves as the Hellenic Government-Karakas Foundation Professor of Greek Studies and a professor of archaeology at UMSL.
CLIMB concludes 11th summer helping area high school students gain hands-on scientific lab experience
The program gives participants a better understanding of what a future in science might look like and helps them see themselves in one of those careers.
Biology Professor Aimee Dunlap elected a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society
Fewer than 10% of ABS members are elected fellows, and they must be engaged in research of animal behavior for at least 10 years and have made distinguished contributions to the field.
UMSL Athletics continues to post high marks in competition, classroom during 2024-25 academic year
The Tritons finished 68th nationally in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division II standings and matched a school record with 187 Academic All-GLVC honorees.
UMSL and enroll ml announce AI-powered partnership to redefine student enrollment and retention
The partnership will explore how machine learning and both agentic and generative AI can improve the processes to attract, enroll and retain students.
Gov. Mike Kehoe awards Challenge Coin to MIMH’s Safer Homes Collaborative for its work in firearm suicide prevention
SHC was one of the organizations recognized for its contributions to Missouri Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.
Inaugural UMSL Engineering Camp helps high school students build excitement about the field
More than 30 high school students from grades 9-12, representing more than 20 area high schools, attended the weeklong camp.
New agreement with Edcor will help UMSL provide educational and career development opportunities to employees across the country
Edcor, a leading provider of education benefits administration, has a client network that includes more than 80 companies and nearly 2.2 million employees nationwide.
Political science and public policy graduate Ally Davis continuing studies in Accelerated Master’s Program while eyeing law school
Davis, an active member of the Political Science Academy and Associated Students of the University of Missouri, was named to the 2025 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll.
Physics graduate Grace Puchalski to pursue master’s in math as she eyes geospatial career
Puchalski worked as a research assistant for Professor Erika Gibb and is continuing to intern at NGA’s Geoscience and Artificial Intelligence Application Lab.
Q3D device developed at UMSL allows for earlier detection, treatment of amblyopia or ‘lazy eye’
Forus Health is licensing the device, which was invented by Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor Carl Bassi and collaborators Michael Howe and Wayne Garver in the College of Optometry.
Maggie Schopp discovers passion for Spanish, history while earning degree at UMSL
Schopp took advantage of study abroad opportunities in Spain and Costa Rica and also took part in the Missouri Round Robin in History.