COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ)

For some University of Missouri 2024 graduates, the ceremonies held by the university marks their first traditional graduations.

The class of 2024 was a part of the high school graduating class of 2020, whose ending to the school year was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from Education Week, roughly 55.1 million students in 124,000 public and private schools across the United States closed their schools between March 6, 2020 through May 15, 2020.

Most states in the nation recommended either ordered, or recommended closing for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, according to Education Week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also estimates 16,890 schools experienced 19,273 school closures between July 27, 2020 through June 30, 2021. This resulted in the loss of 159 million in-person school days.

Due to the rising cases of COVID-19, the CDC recommended people social distance, stick to small gatherings and wear masks. Part of those recommendations didn’t allow formal graduation ceremonies to take place for many high schools across the nation.

Emily Staples went to high school in Orlando, Florida where her school district moved ceremonies to a virtual setting. In 2024, Staples was finally able to get the celebration she had hoped for in 2020, joined alongside her parents and two uncles as she received a bachelors in health science from MU.

Though 2020 was a disappointing ending to the year, Staples said it created more excitement this time around.

“I mean, it was sad…I understood why it happened, I live in a big city so you know that was kinda gut wrenching you know, my senior year was taken from me,” Staples said. “But I’m excited to have come here and get to have a formal ceremony tonight.”

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Change is coming within the Missouri Valley Conference.

Missouri State University released a statement Friday saying it is leaving the current 12-team MVC to be part of Conference USA July 1, 2025. Bradley University and Illinois State University are among the current members of The Valley.

Missouri State has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference Monday to formally announce its transition plans.

Missouri State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since 1990.

The announcement mostly benefits MSU’s football program which will be placed in the NCAA’s exclusive Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the first time.

“This move represents a transition to a national brand and a platform that will help raise the profile of Missouri State University and the city of Springfield,” Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said in the statement. “The steps we have taken over the past 15 years to invest in a successful broad-based athletics program have prepared us for this long-awaited moment.”

Missouri State will retain its membership in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the 2024-25 season. All sports currently in the MVC will be eligible for regular season and postseason championships.

Missouri State’s invitation to Conference USA was unanimously approved by the university’s Board of Governors Thursday. MSU’s application to change Division I classifications from FCS to FBS is also subject to formal approval by the NCAA.