“When you have your sights set on a goal, every step toward it will count,” said Ivy Yarckow-Brown, senior instructor of criminology at Missouri State University. “Ambition, motivation and determination are essential.”
Yarckow-Brown, who was recently elected to a two-year term as a national adviser for the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society, knows a thing or two about tackling a challenge head-on.
When Yarckow-Brown became the faculty adviser for the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma in 2005, the group had 75 members. Today, the organization boasts over 200 members — thanks largely in part to the guidance and determination of Yarckow-Brown.
Breathing new life into Sigma Mu Sigma
Yarckow-Brown first got involved in the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter at Missouri State because of a personal interest and passion for working with outstanding criminology students. She learned quickly, however, that the organization had been mostly silent and inactive in recent years.
She took that as a challenge.
In 2008, Yarckow-Brown wrote a grant to fund a trip for the officers of the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter to attend the national conference of Alpha Phi Sigma.
Even though it was just their first year at the conference, Missouri State students placed third in the crime scene investigation competition.
The following year, Yarckow-Brown was inspired to create the Missouri State University Criminology and Criminal Justice Conference. The annual event, hosted by the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter, draws more than 1,000 participants each year.
In addition to the larger events, members of the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter have also heard from countless speakers and participated in multiple networking events.
Education, experience and networking
Over the years, Yarckow-Brown has worked with her students to create engaging fundraising and volunteer activities.
To name a few, the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter organizes annual fundraisers for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Month, sponsors a room at Harmony House and hosts active shooter training opportunities on campus twice per year.
Kirsten Spangenberg, a sophomore criminology major and current undergraduate vice president of the Sigma Mu Sigma chapter, looks up to Yarckow-Brown as a role model.
‘She’s a real-life superwoman,” said Spangenberg. “She’s not an adviser that just sits back — she’s constantly doing the work with us. When we go to Harmony House, she’s right there painting alongside us.”
Yarckow-Brown’s passion for students has not been overlooked. This year, she was awarded the STAR Award for Outstanding Faculty Adviser of a Student Organization.
“She believed in me and inspired me to get involved in the first place,” said Spangenberg. “She makes me want to be a better person.”
For more information, contact Yarckow-Brown at (417) 836-5502.