Malynn Moreland (center), pictured with Missouri Southner State University President Dr. Dean Van Galen and Mary Van Galen (Courtesy/MSSU)
Looking out at the packed house in Young Gymnasium at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, Associate Vice President for Development Kevin Greim acknowledged the true stars: The university faculty and students.
“Our faculty members instruct, prepare, and inspire,” he said. “Our students learn, serve, graduate and then become our future educators, healthcare providers, business leaders, entertainers and so much more as they make our community stronger.”
The program for Missouri Southern’s annual Scholarship Donors & Recipients Dinner featured remarks from several faculty and student representatives. But just as important was the opportunity for donors to meet the recipients of the scholarships they have helped to fund.
Liberty has partnered with the Missouri Southern Foundation for a number of years to fund annual scholarships for eight students who live in the utility’s electric service area. For sophomore Malynn Moreland, an MSSU student from Crane, Missouri, the Liberty scholarship has helped ease the financial burden that can come with being a college student.
“I pay for everything, so scholarships like this allow me to work less (at an off-campus job) and focus more on my education and make sure I can do all the things I can to prioritize growing as a person,” says Moreland, who is working toward a degree in special education.
That she chose education as her major shouldn’t be surprising – her mother works at an alternative school, while her grandmother is a school secretary. Her focus on special education is also deeply personal; she has a 9-year-old sister with Down syndrome.
Congratulations to Our 2024-25 Liberty Scholarship Recipients
Kristen Cornell
Elementary Education
Anderson, Mo.
Darin Gordon
Biochemistry
Joplin, Mo.
Kali Johnson
General Business
Seneca, Mo.
Malynn Moreland
Special Education
Crane, Mo.
Ethan Pittsenbarger
Exercise Science
Webb City, Mo.
Ruby Hurtado Salinas
Elementary Education
Rogers, Ark.
Chantelle Single
Elementary Education
Joplin, Mo.
Emma Vilela
Criminal Justice Administration
Columbus, Kan.
“It’s helped me prepare for what some of my students may face,” Moreland says. “It’s been nice to be able to work with her on things that help her grow. Special-education students deserve the same quality of education as anyone else. I want to find a job that helps me to grow as an educator, but also a job where I can help my students grow as well.”
While Moreland still has a ways to go before graduation, she has taken the opportunity to join the Southern Ambassador program and share her perspective on university life.
“I give tours for incoming freshmen and transfer students,” she says. “I get to show them around campus, tell them about my experience at MSSU, and hopefully help them consider it as one of their options as they consider where they’re going to college.”
Moreland’s commitment to her education, her future students, and her community is central to Liberty’s continued support of the scholarship fund, says Tim Wilson, Central Region President-Electric.
“Malynn’s dedication – along with that of the seven other students who received our scholarship this year – is why this scholarship was established,” he says. “We want to encourage and assist the future generation of leaders and educators who will continue to strengthen and grow our community. Liberty proudly supports Missouri Southern and its students.”
For more information on scholarships available through the Missouri Southern Foundation for the Fall 2025/Spring 2026 school year, click here.