The Council of Graduate Students at Missouri University of Science and Technology was honored Tuesday, May 12, with the Chancellor’s Challenge Award for leadership, strategic vision and notable efforts to implement the university’s strategic plan, “Rising to the Challenge: Missouri S&T’s Strategy for Success.”

Pictured left to right: Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader, Basu Lamichhane, Xin Kang, Erica Ronchetto, Yao Cheng, Parker Freudenberger and Dr. Venkat Allada, vice provost for graduate studies at Missouri S&T.

The Council of Graduate Students, the first student group to receive the award, was chosen for its work with Ignite Rolla, an event featuring a series of brief “TED Talk-style” lectures held on Feb. 26, 2014, and Nov. 10, 2014, to showcase the ideas being generated by members of the Missouri S&T campus and the Rolla community.

“Through their work in making Ignite Rolla a reality, the Council of Graduate Students has helped to advance our goals to foster lifelong learning and inspire creativity and innovation among all members of the Missouri S&T family,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader. “These graduate students have truly risen to the challenge – in fact, they have gone above and beyond.”

Ignite Rolla topics included craft beer, disinfecting drinking water, improving bike and walking trails in Rolla, marketing and branding, being a dependent spouse, optical time machines, poverty and personal experience with cancer. Speakers included Missouri S&T faculty, staff and students and Rolla area community members.

The Council of Graduate Students is the recognized governing council for graduate students at Missouri S&T. The organization works to maximize quality of life, develop leadership skills and foster high academic standards for the graduate student community.

Missouri S&T is in the second year of implementing its strategic plan, which was completed after a comprehensive process involving thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff and other university constituents. The plan demonstrates Missouri S&T’s commitment to providing a strong return on investment to its key customer groups, including students, employers, research partners and donors.

More information about Missouri S&T’s strategic plan is available online at strategicplan.mst.edu.