May 5, 2022
Contact: Uriah Orland, 573-882-6212, uriah.orland@missouri.edu
The University of Missouri honored its faculty at three events during a week-long celebration, April 27 through May 4. The inaugural Faculty Excellence Week coupled several individual faculty celebrations previously held throughout the year to better recognize and commemorate the achievements made by faculty.
“Our faculty are the heartbeat of Mizzou,” said Mun Y. Choi, University of Missouri president. “Faculty Excellence Week is a chance for us to recognize what they do every day for our students, our university and our community.”
This year’s events included the Faculty Recognition Awards Reception and Ceremony, Faculty Authors at Mizzou, and the Kemper Fellows Awards Ceremony and Reception.
Faculty Recognition Awards Reception and Ceremony
During the Faculty Recognition Awards Reception and Ceremony, Choi and Provost Latha Ramchand honored 62 award recipients.
"We are so grateful for the daily contributions these honorees make to research, teaching, service, leadership, extension and outreach," Ramchand said. "They inspire us and are making an impact for the citizens of Missouri and beyond."
Faculty Authors at Mizzou
The Faculty Authors at Mizzou event highlighted 32 faculty members who published books in 2021.
“For many disciplines publishing a book is a significant hallmark for faculty members,” said Candace Kuby, associate provost for faculty success. “Books take many years to complete, especially when they involve research which could take several years before the actual writing of the book. It is important that we celebrate our amazing faculty members and the books being written to disseminate research to the broader community.”
The Ellis Library has copies of each book for interested parties to check out and read.
Kemper Fellows Awards Ceremony and Reception
The final event of the week was the William T. Kemper Fellowship Awards Ceremony and Reception, where the university recognized the five Kemper Fellows award winners. Each year, five outstanding teachers at the university are awarded the prestigious honor for teaching excellence — a peer-nominated award that includes a $15,000 check.
The award recipients were surprised in March when Choi, Ramchand, and Steve Sowers, president and CEO of the central region of Commerce Bank, arrived in their classrooms to share the announcement and present them with a check.
Information about each recipient is available here.
The William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence were established in 1991 with a $500,000 gift. Kemper, a 1926 MU graduate, was a well-known civic leader in Kansas City until his death in 1989. His 52-year career in banking included top positions at banks in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Commerce Bank manages the trust fund.
