Loiterstein, a member of UMSL’s first graduating class, had planned on becoming a CPA but instead developed into one of the region’s largest wholesalers of Christmas trees.
Stories by Steve Walentik
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Communication graduate Hope VanBennekom set to pursue master’s degree in security and disaster management
VanBennekom was drawn to crisis communications in the aftermath of the 2023 shooting at Michigan State University, where her daughter was then a college freshman.
McDonnell Foundation awards $8 million grant to help grow new UMSL School of Engineering
The new school will begin enrolling students next fall as it works to address the workforce demand for more trained engineers in the St. Louis region and across the state of Missouri.
Department of Biology incorporating Anatomage Table into curriculum to enhance student learning
The tables are designed to help students visualize and interact with the anatomical structures of the human body and practice procedures without the need for physical cadavers.
TRIO Student Support Services helps students navigate challenges of college life
The office was created with a $1.3 million federal grant received in 2020 and provides academic coaching, mentoring, financial literacy and other services to about 80 students, most of them first-generation college students.
Digging up the past: Michael Cosmopoulos helps students explore archaeology and culture in Greece
Cosmopoulos has spent nearly two decades leading an archaeological excavation in Iklaina, Greece, unearthing evidence of the origins of a two-tiered system of government.
UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
Savon Wykle led four UMSL players in double figures with 14 points – nine in the second half – to help the men’s basketball team secure its first win of the season in Saturday’s GLVC opener at Illinois Springfield.
Doctoral candidate Victoria Inzana examines prison arts programs and their potential to contribute to rehabilitation
Inzana is on track to defend her dissertation and graduate this spring, and she recently accepted a position as a tenure-track assistant professor at Sam Houston State University beginning next fall.
Felice McClendon aims to build a thriving Delmar corridor with no divide
McClendon, who holds a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from UMSL, was named the inaugural executive director of Delmar Main Street in May.
Holly Hull Miori to serve as UMSL’s new associate vice chancellor for development
Miori, who will assume her new role on Dec. 16, is an expert on Millennial philanthropy with vast experience working on comprehensive campaigns.
Jalene LaMontagne settling into new role as Des Lee Professor in Botanical Studies
LaMontagne is a population ecologist who has spent more than two decades conducting research on white spruce trees and other boreal conifers in the forests of North America.
Biochemistry and biotechnology major Jay King nearing graduation with plans to pursue PhD in oncologic research
King has been active on campus with the University Program Board and also got involved in undergraduate research as a scholar in the Missouri Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program.
University of Missouri–St. Louis, Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting finalize partnership to support future students
Chancellor Kristin Sobolik and Scout Executive and CEO Joe Sadewasser signed the new agreement at a ceremony Wednesday morning in the MSC.
UMSL partners with Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri to support future students with scholarships
Chancellor Kristin Sobolik joined GSEM CEO Natissia Small at a signing ceremony on Tuesday to finalize the three-year agreement.
UMSL Magazine honored for design in annual CASE competition
The biannual general interest magazine received the Best of District VI Award in the Design: Magazines & Periodicals category for the second consecutive year.
Coro Fellows Program alumni gather to celebrate 50 years of impact on the St. Louis region
The program has a proud history of developing civic-minded graduates who work and lead across government, business and nonprofit sectors throughout St. Louis and beyond.
Sadie Weiss, Tina Hyken and Cedric Carr receive UMSL Hero Award
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.
Associate Professor Rachel Winograd discusses decline in overdose deaths and what’s contributing to it with state, national news outlets
Winograd leads UMSL’s Addiction Science team, which has been playing a central role in efforts to combat the overdose crisis in Missouri.
Whitney and Anna Harris Conservation Forum spotlights 10-year-old Buffalo Treaty
Leroy Little Bear, Roxann Smith and Jonny BearCub Stiffarm discussed the treaty and the ecological and cultural significance of restoring American bison to native lands.
Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference explores artificial intelligence and its place in higher education
Author and educator José Antonio Bowen delivered the keynote address during the 23rd annual conference, held virtually with an audience of more than 900 registrants.
Annual UMSL Alumni 5K is the latest stage of a year-long race for school counseling alum Marcy Morris
Morris has been running one race each month to commemorate her 50th birthday, and she was one of more than 230 participants in Saturday morning’s event.
UMSL receives INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for the fifth straight year
The university was one of 114 institutions nationwide to receive the honor, and one of only three in Missouri.
UMSL partnering with World Wide Technology to offer educational opportunities to employees looking to move forward in their careers
Eligible World Wide Technology staff members will receive full-tuition assistance for up to 18 credit hours for undergraduate and 12 credit hours for graduate coursework per year at UMSL.
Community members gather to celebrate 30 years of Greek Studies at UMSL
More than 250 people attended the Sept. 22 event commemorating the history of the professorship and its impact preserving and promoting Greek culture and identity in the St. Louis region.
Ken and Nancy Kranzberg receive 2024 E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Medal for Philanthropy at Founders Celebration
The couple has endowed professorships and student scholarships at UMSL also supported capital projects, including the Touhill Performing Arts Center, the Public Media Commons and the renovation of University Libraries.
Cody Ding, David Kimball and Xuemin ‘Sam’ Wang 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.
University of Missouri–St. Louis remains a leader supporting social mobility in latest US News ‘Best Colleges’ rankings
UMSL also climbed to No. 135 nationally on the list of top public universities.
UMSL competes in Citizens for Modern Transit’s third ‘College Transit Challenge’
The friendly competition was meant to highlight the benefits of public transit and encourage consistent use among the region’s college students, faculty and staff.
UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
Skylar Weaver and the sixth-ranked volleyball team ran their home winning streak to 21 matches when they topped McKendree and Maryville on back-to-back days over the weekend.
UMSL partnering with API Innovation Center to help secure and strengthen the supply chain for essential pharmaceuticals in U.S.
APIIC and its partners have been awarded $14 million in federal funding to lead the development and domestic production of three critical APIs used in the treatment of asthma, diabetes and anxiety disorders.
St. Louis Anchor Action Network Director Stefani Weeden-Smith named one of St. Louis Business Journal’s Champions for Diversity and Inclusion
Weeden-Smith was honored along with 12 other individuals, one nonprofit and one for-profit company at the Business Journal’s annual awards luncheon at the Bayer Event Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
UMSL alum Lúcia G. Lohmann named next president of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Lohmann earned a PhD in biology with an emphasis in ecology, evolution and systematics from UMSL in 2003 and had support from the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology while pursuing her degree.
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center catering to guests with an array of interests from across the St. Louis region
The center hosted more than 200 events and counted more than 113,000 patrons during the 2024 fiscal year.
UMSL launching new School of Engineering to meet the workforce needs of St. Louis and the state of Missouri
The new school will begin enrolling students in the fall of 2025, operating alongside the existing joint engineering program and catering to more traditional, full-time students with classes on the UMSL campus.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky honors UMSL political science alum Luke Coffey with Order of Merit Award
Coffey, a 2002 UMSL graduate, now serves as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he provides research and analysis on national security and foreign policy.
UMSL appoints Marisa Smith to serve as new chief of police
Smith has been involved in all facets of UMSL Police Department operations while serving as deputy chief. She will begin her new position on Sept. 16.
Retiring UMSL Police Chief Dan Freet awarded Chancellor’s Medal
Freet has spent the past 11 years with the UMSL Police Department, the last seven as chief, and has been instrumental in ensuring campus safety, including with his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chancellor Kristin Sobolik highlights ways UMSL is positioning itself for the future during annual State of the University Address
Sobolik discussed the ongoing renovation of the university campus and programmatic changes, including the planned UMSL School of Engineering, while speaking at the Touhill.
Chemistry Professor Michael Nichols discusses his research on Alzheimer’s disease as part of NextGen Precision Health’s Discovery Series
Nichols has been studying how the amyloid-β protein interacts with a group of three proteins known as NLRP3 inflammasome to cause inflammation inside immune cells in the brain.
UMSL Music hosting internationally renowned pianist Ilya Shmukler for free recital on Aug. 24
Shmukler, winner of the prestigious Concours Géza Anda piano competition earlier this year, will perform music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann.
UMSL welcomes 21 new faculty members as fall semester begins
There are nine new faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences, four each in the College of Business Administration and the College of Nursing, two in the College of Optometry, one in the School of Social Work and one in UMSL Libraries.
University of Missouri–St. Louis names Holly Sheilley new executive director of athletics
Sheilley will succeed retiring Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan after spending the past 11 years as director of athletics at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
Professor Susan Brownell discusses ‘panda diplomacy’ with PBS News Hour
The Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Anthropology shared her expertise on U.S.-China relations in a news report that coincided with the arrival of two new pandas at the San Diego Zoo.
UMSL, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department partnering to provide educational opportunities to officers looking to advance their careers
Police Commissioner Robert Tracy and Chancellor Kristin Sobolik signed the educational partnership agreement on Thursday at the department’s downtown headquarters.
Decade since Ferguson unrest has brought changes for criminal justice system and those who study it
Professor Lee Slocum talked to UMSL Daily about criminal justice reforms and changes in criminal justice research that have occurred in the past 10 years.
Microbiologist Lon Chubiz part of a team of researchers studying effects of increasing drought, fire on forest recovery
The team, led by colleagues at the University of Idaho, received a six-year, $15 million grant from NSF’s Biology Integration Institutes program.
UMSL’s membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities will bring new opportunities for faculty, students
The consortium of more than 150 major colleges and universities works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest.
KSDK salutes retiring Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan
Sports Director Frank Cusumano, a 1984 UMSL alum, interviewed Flanagan for a feature story during last Wednesday’s newscast.
UMSL Athletics puts together another stellar year in competition and in classroom
UMSL sent five teams to NCAA Championships, had 10 All-Americans and set a school record with 187 student-athletes earning academic all-conference recognition.
UMSL political scientists researching pressures faced by local election officials and decisions to remain in their roles
Yuguo Liao and David Kimball are partnering on the research project with the support of a grant from the Bipartisan Policy Center.