Hello Racer Families! Welcome to Parents and Family Connection: Racer News, the electronic newsletter connecting Racer parents and families to Murray State. Great articles abound in this issue. They include: Spring 2020 Course Registration Now Open December Commencement 2019 Fall 2019 Outstanding Seniors News and Notes from Murray State Athletics And much more. Please, read further! Commencement Day Saturday, December 14, 2019 10 a.m., CFSB Center Ceremony Details Located at the CFSB Center. There will be one ceremony for December. Watch live stream online About Commencement The Commencement Exercise is a long- standing tradition at Murray State University and represents a time of dignity and decorum. The ceremony is approximately two hours and will take place in the CFSB Center. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with Murray State graduates, their families, friends, and loved ones. Special notes There will be one ceremony for December. The CFSB Center will be open for guest seating 60 minutes prior to the ceremony. All seating is general admission for each commencement ceremony. For more details, visit murraystate.edu/commencement Congratulations and Best Wishes December Grads! Murray State University Announces Fall 2019 Outstanding Seniors Murray State University has named Claire Ghent and Cole Manion as the Outstanding Seniors for fall 2019. Students recognized with this honor are known for going above and beyond what is expected of them academically and professionally. Ghent, this fall’s Outstanding Senior Woman, is the daughter of Mark and Jan Ghent of Miramar, Florida. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English education in December 2019. “A place is only as great as those who occupy it, and Murray State is truly a special place for me because of the multitude of faculty members who have dedicated their lives to the education and wellbeing of myself and so many other students,” Ghent said. “I could never be thankful enough to those professors and peers who motivated me to fall in love with literature and teaching, pushed me to be my best self, and inspired me to affect the lives of others. To me, this award represents all the hard work of the many little communities, composed of professors and students alike, in which I was involved at Murray State.” A student of the University’s Honors College, Ghent has served in leadership roles and as a member across several campus and state organizations. She serves as president of the Murray State chapter of the National Council for Teachers of English, where she was previously vice president. Ghent is also a member of the Kentucky Council for Teachers of English and Murray State Intercollegiate Hunt Seat Equestrian team as well as a moderator of the Kentucky Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference. Additionally, she served as a peer tutor for Murray State Student Disability Services for two years. Ghent studied abroad in Alicante, Spain, from January to June 2016, where she completed coursework in British and medieval literature and Spanish language/culture. She received her high school diploma equivalent at Dean Close School in Cheltenham, United Kingdom, where she earned As in English literature, psychology, philosophy and ethics and biology. Ghent is currently teaching English literature and language at Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico in San Roman, Belize, where she also hosts classroom workshops on cultural education. She has worked as a student teacher at Calloway County High School and completed the Uncommon Schools Summer Teaching Fellowship in Brooklyn, New York, over the summer. She currently serves as a writing consultant at the Racer Writing Center. Manion is the son of Tommy and Lori Manion of Clarkson, Kentucky. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in political science/pre-professional legal studies in December 2019. “It is a tremendous honor to be named as the Outstanding Senior Man for this fall’s graduating class,” Manion said. “It is sad that my time at Murray State is coming to an end, but my experience has been overwhelmingly wonderful. The people that make up this University and surrounding community have made a positive impact on me that will last for the rest of my life and I hope to be able to have that same impact on someone else after I leave. I sincerely appreciate this award and hope to live up to the legacy of those who have been given it before me.” Also the 2019 Murray State Outstanding Senior in Pre-Law and fellow member of the Honors College, Manion has been active on campus through the Racer men’s golf team — where he served as the team’s representative to the Campus Student Athlete Advisory Committee from 2017-19 — the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Student Athlete Advisory Committee and as a student member of the OVC Governance Structure. Manion is a member of three honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Sigma Alpha and Chi Alpha Sigma. Additionally, Manion has studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and served as the College of Humanities and Fine Arts academic college senator for the Murray State Student Government Association. From 2016-18, Manion worked as a Junior Tour Labor Force member with the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour in Louisville, Kentucky, where he assisted in coordinating junior golf tournaments throughout the state. Outstanding Seniors Pictured Below: Claire Ghent and Cole Manion Congratulations! Calendar Important Academic Dates. Click this button for details. News and Notes from Murray State Athletics Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Racers! Both Racer basketball teams will soon be heading into Ohio Valley Conference play. The Racers open league play Jan. 2 and 4 at home against UT Martin and Southeast Missouri. All game nights in the OVC are doubleheaders with the women’s game starting at 5 p.m. and the men’s game at 7p. After wowing fans inside the CFSB Center in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2017 and 2019, the worldwide sensation Harlem Globetrotters have announced they will return to Murray State University for a seventh time on Jan. 15, 2020 beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are now available via ticketmaster.com or at harlemglobetrotters.com. Eli Young Band & Walker Hayes will be in concert at the CFSB Center (Feb. 22). Call the CFSB Center ticket office for all basketball games and special events for tickets at 270-809-3000. All us at Murray State are excited to have had Ja Morant with the Racers’ men’s basketball team for two seasons and are excited to see what a great start he’s having with the Memphis Grizzlies. Jan. 17 is Murray State Night at The FedEx Forum in Memphis when the Grizzlies host the Cleveland Cavaliers. If you purchase tickets before the Jan. 10 deadline, you will receive a limited edition Murray State and Memphis Grizzlies co-branded hat, plus the opportunity to watch the Grizzlies during pregame warm-ups from the court. Ticket packages start at just $25. Here is the link to purchase your tickets: https://www.nba.com/grizzlies/tickets/groups/college-spirit-nights MSU Athletics celebrates the achievements of student-athletes Rachel Giustino and Miyah Watford. After tremendous fall seasons, Giustino became the all-time kills leader with MSU Volleyball and was named the OVC Player of the Year. Watford set the MSU Soccer single-season records for goals and points and was also named the OVC Player of the Year. Murray State women's soccer sophomore Abby Jones became the first in program history to be named CoSIDA Academic All-America. Jones is the 20th Racer student- athletes across all sports to represent Murray State athletics on this prestigious national stage. MSU Softball released its 2020 schedule. The Racers open the season at the Northern Iowa Dome Tournament (Feb. 7-9). MSU hosts the Racer Classic (March 13- 15) at Racer Field. The MSU Baseball opens the season at Southern Mississippi (Feb. 14-16) and has their home opener at Johnny Reagan Field (Feb. 18) vs Western Kentucky. Give Back Initiative Murray State University’s Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Student Leadership and Inclusive Excellence (OMI) will host the Give Back Initiative on Jan. 20, 2020. The Give Back Initiative is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service component of the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast celebration and is directed by OMI Executive Director Dr. SG Carthell. The community is asked to contribute a variety of essentials and non-perishable goods that will be distributed to regional nonprofit organizations in the Murray-Calloway County community, including hygiene products, snacks, school supplies, cleaning supplies, pasta, canned vegetables, art supplies, coloring books and much more. Murray State University’s Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Student Leadership and Inclusive Excellence (OMI) will host the Give Back Initiative on Jan. 20, 2020. The community is asked to donate a variety of essentials and nonperishable food for regional nonprofit organizations. Items can be dropped off at Fast Track and the Dr. Marvin D. Mills Multicultural Center at the Murray campus. “Items can also be dropped off between 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in the Curris Center Banquet Room,” said Dr. Alicia Carthell, assistant professor of English and OMI faculty liaison. “After breakfast, volunteers will sort and package donations and deliver them to nonprofit organizations.” For more information, contact Dr. SG Carthell at [email protected] or call the OMI office at 270-809-6836. Helping Students and Families The administrators and staff in the Division of Student Affairs and Student Engagement and Success are committed to helping your student succeed! Please feel free to contact us with questions or if you need further information.