“Frankly, there’s a lot out there [to learn] . . . and my goal is to introduce people to things they otherwise might not have thought about,” explained Dr. Donald Heidenreich, talking about his aims and aspirations for his newest undertaking, a discussion-based podcast titled “Thinking Aloud.”

Lindenwood University is home to about 1,000 employees both part time and full time, serving as one of the largest employers in the St. Charles area. The university takes a holistic approach when it comes to the wellness of its employees. The approach is not just focused on physical health, but also mental, financial, emotional, social, intellectual, and environmental health as well.

Halfway through the semester is no time to slow down. Taking care to focus on learning opportunities outside the classroom is a great way to stay motivated. Students in the Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship had the exciting opportunity to see two events as part of the Global Women Entrepreneurship Week (WEW). On October 18-22, 2021, Lindenwood joined in the international celebration featuring events that highlight businesses or non-profits that have a female founder.

Every year, the best students from Lindenwood’s Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship are selected to be a part of the Regional Business Council’s (RBC) Mentor Network program. RBC is an organization made up of business leaders and companies in St. Louis and the surrounding areas.

As Missouri celebrates its bicentennial this year, people across the state are working on projects to celebrate its history and heritage. One alumna, Erin Whitson ‘08, is currently working on a project with the Missouri Humanities Council. It focuses on the Trail of Tears and its path through the state. Her passion for her work can be traced back to her coursework at Lindenwood.

Lindenwood University hosted homecoming the week of October 4-9, 2021. Two years in the making, the celebratory weekend was reimagined in 2020 due to the pandemic, which gave the planning committee an opportunity to dream big.

Homecoming is an opportunity for students, alumni, community members, friends, and parents to celebrate Lindenwood and enjoy events on campus and in the greater St. Charles city.

Despite the challenges of the past year, the Lindenwood chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) displayed excellence in their work. KDP is an International Honor Society in Education founded in 1911 to support and promote fellowship among educators. Their effort to celebrate teachers and teaching earned the Tau Phi chapter a 2020-2021 silver award from KDP International for their project, “Celebrating the Educators in Our Lives.” The chapter received both the 2020-2021 Community Service Chapter Program Award and the 2020-2021 Chapter Program Award for their Literacy Alive! program.

The 2021 competition featured 84 winners for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) and eight winners for the SBIR Catalyst competition, a new component aimed at spurring investment in underrepresented communities within the innovation economy at scale, receiving a combined total of $5.4 million in awards. Innovation-focused entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) with programs to speed the launch, growth, and scale of deep-tech small businesses across the country.

Since its inception four years ago, Lindenwood’s Masters in Art History and Visual Culture has repeatedly been ranked as one of the top programs in the subject. Most recently, Best Value Schools included it in its “Best 8 Online Master’s in Art and Art History in 2021.”