News

Six Emporia State University graduates will receive Distinguished Alumni awards at the Black & Gold Gala on Oct. 27 as part of Homecoming 2023. The award is the highest honor bestowed to alumni and recognizes outstanding accomplishments in their careers.

An Emporia State alum with a lengthy career in telecommunication returns to her alma mater to present the Sam E. and Jeannene Hayes Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 26.

Emporia State University Theatre presents “Little Shop of Horrors” by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Performances are scheduled for Oct. 26, 27, and 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 2:00 p.m. in the Karl C. Bruder Theatre, in King Hall.

Three alumni have been chosen as the Outstanding Recent Graduates for 2023. To qualify, nominees must have earned a degree from Emporia State University within the past 10 years. Awards will be presented to these recipients on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Black & Gold Gala during Homecoming weekend.

The ESU Alumni Association’s University Service Citation Award honors both alumni and friends who have made unique and significant contributions to the University, its students and its staff members. This year’s recipients will be recognized during the ESU vs. Washburn football game on Oct. 14. They are:

For more than 90 years, descendants of Leona C. (Hamilton) Young have followed a path she opened to Emporia State University. Although the year is not available, Young received her teaching certificate in the late 1920s from Kansas Normal School, which, after three name changes, became Emporia State University.

Emporia State’s new, full-ride scholarship opportunity for incoming freshmen majoring in education or nursing is the most recent in a long history of collaboration with the Jones Foundation. The new Jones Premier Nursing and Education Scholarship will fund up to six students per year who attend ESU to eventually work in two fields currently facing workforce shortages.

ESU welcomes alumni, students and the Emporia community to enjoy a week full of special events. Homecoming 2023 kicks off on Friday, Oct. 20, with a baseball alumni golf tournament and concludes with the final performance of the Homecoming musical “Little Shop of Horrors” on Sunday, Oct. 29. Special reunion groups include Class of 1973 (50 Year Class), Greek Alumni, Softball and Baseball.

I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. The fall semester is off to a great start with students back and signs of progress all over campus including construction on our new Nursing + Student Wellness Center, Cybersecurity Research + Outreach Center, Esports Arena and Feltner Student Union Square.

Emporia State University’s School of Business and Technology is preparing to host several of the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts next week at CyBERCON, an on-campus event that will highlight ESU’s expanding cybersecurity academic programs and the job opportunities for graduates trained in the protection of online data and computer systems.