Missouri Western announces end to Gold Fridays
By Jazmine Knight
Students at Missouri Western State University are in for a major change to their weekly schedule.
Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy announced the end of the college’s Gold Fridays at Thursday’s Board of Governors meeting.
“The task force has unanimously recommended that Missouri Western return to a five-day class schedule at the beginning fall of ‘25,” Kennedy said.
The program started in 2020 and has students attending classes Monday through Thursday only. Kennedy said Gold Fridays served as a way for students to engage in “exceptional applied learning activities beyond those that would happen in the regular course of class.”
Gold Fridays gave students time for volunteer services, internships, practicum-focused field trips, events and more.
While Kennedy believes Gold Fridays was a promising idea, she said timing is important when considering its effectiveness.
“We were going to launch this in the fall of 2020 in the middle of a pandemic,” she said. “So it really wasn’t until the fall of ‘21 that we were fully able to implement this initiative.”
Missouri Western asked for student feedback on Gold Fridays in 2021 and 2023. This past spring, Kennedy said she instructed Dr. Joel Hyer, interim provost, to create and lead a task force to evaluate the impact of the program.
“Gold Fridays was an initiative begun with great intentions,” Kennedy said. “Although we have had some very valuable events on Gold Fridays, the unbiased review about the pros and cons have indicated to us that discontinuation is the best path forward.”
While many students are fond of Gold Fridays due to the flexibility, Kennedy said the schedule has made it more difficult to establish a sense of belonging and community that accurately represents a student-focused, vibrant and engaging campus culture.
After the unanimous decision, the Division of Academic Affairs will be reconstructing class schedules to reflect Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Registration for fall 2025 will open on March 10.
Finances, renovations also
on board agenda
The Board of Governors also discussed financials and updates on various remodeling projects at its meeting on Thursday.
Daniel Holt, vice president of finance administration, said Missouri Western received an unmodified, clean report for 2024 which is great for a higher education institution.
As for 2025, university officials would like to see higher tuition fees and higher enrollment.
“That allows us to put our expenses to achieve our mission,” Holt said.
The university is also looking to begin a remodel of the Hearnes Hall library which would implement modernized, collaborative workspaces for students.
“They were looking for something that’s perhaps a little bit more lively, allowing them to gather and work on projects,” Holt said.
Through the remodel, Missouri Western will be utilizing glass walls to make the space feel more open. Additionally, a 24/7 space will be added to provide around-the-clock access to computers and technology for students.
Construction crews will begin evaluating the space starting next week with renovations projected to start during fall break and going into the spring semester.
The Drew Brown Art Gallery, formerly known as the Potter Art Gallery, also will be undergoing renovations to implement more collaborative spaces.
“They’ll have a specific classroom that is being repurposed as a collaborative space for students. It’s a large space,” Holt said.
Students can practice digital media, production art technology and more and more in the space. Holt says these renovations will help students familiarize themselves with equipment used in the workforce.
“Those are the kind of things that are going to have a positive impact in enrollment because it’s going to create demand for Missouri Western,” he said.
