Chris Bini, an 11-year-old undergoing chemotherapy, recently signed with Lindenwood University’s wrestling program through Team IMPACT, an organization that brings children with life-threatening or chronic illnesses together with college sports programs.

Dr. Rik Hafer, professor of Economics, was quoted in an article written by David Nicklaus of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tues., January 15. The article, Proposal for 70 percent tax rate idea veers from long-held consensus, appeared on Page 1 of the Business section.

For the second straight year, Lindenwood University hosted the regional kick-off event for the FIRST Robotics competition season. More than 1,000 students, parents, and teachers representing 44 area teams gathered on Saturday morning, Jan. 5, at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts for a livestream of the video announcing this year’s challenge, which has a space exploration theme. Students also received a kit of parts, with which they will build industrial grade 170-pound robots to complete the assigned challenge. Students also had the opportunity to interact with the challenge in virtual reality in the Scheidegger Center’s Emerson Black Box Theater.

Lindenwood graduate and football standout Pierre Desir, now with the Indianapolis Colts, was the subject of a Jan. 3 feature story in the Indianapolis Star in advance of the team’s upcoming playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Brandi Rackers, who earned a master’s in studio art from Lindenwood University in 2015, was recently spotlighted as the Jefferson City News Tribune’s “featured artist” for her work in ceramics, painting, and art education.

Lindenwood University’s Robert Steffes, from the School of Education, was recognized as top professor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Best of St. Charles reader poll, the results of which were published on Dec. 13, 2018. Julie Turner, professor of nonprofit administration in the Plaster School of Business and Entrepreneurship, was runner up.

Chajuana Trawick, associate professor of fashion business and design, is the focus of a Nov. 19, 2018, feature article in the St. Louis American newspaper. The article centers on an early start fashion design program that Trawick launched with the Normandy School District.

Lindenwood University’s Sibley Hall, constructed in 1856, is included in a St. Louis Business Journal slideshow of St. Louis-area buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The building, named for Lindenwood founders Mary Easton Sibley and George Sibley, was added to the National Register in 1978.

The St. Louis Business Journal recently listed the largest 23 colleges and universities in Missouri and Southern Illinois according to student-to-faculty ratio, number of faculty with Ph.D.s, and total enrollment. Lindenwood ranked seventh in student-to-faculty ratio (18:1), fifth in number of faculty members with Ph.D.s (521), and eighth for total fall enrollment (9,479, 8,082 FTE).

Lindenwood alumna Reem Abdalazem was recently named assistant head coach for the US synchronized swimming team, as reported in Swimming World. Abdalazem was a national champion with Lindenwood’s team and later served as head coach of the program. She is also a two-time Olympian and World Championship and international competitor.