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Welcome Todd McCubbin – Executive Director, Mizzou Alumni Association Congratulations Mun Y. Choi – President, University of Missouri Special Presentation Presentation of Faculty Awards Richard Oliver – Chair, Faculty Alumni Awards Committee 62nd Distinguished Faculty Award – Recipient Remarks Presentation of Alumni Awards Sabrina McDonnell – President, Mizzou Alumni Association 66th Distinguished Service Award – Recipient Remarks Singing of the Alma Mater
Mission Statement The Mizzou Alumni Association proudly supports the best interests and traditions of Missouri's flagship university and its alumni worldwide. Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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Sabrina McDonnell, MBA ‘15 President
John Gamble, BS Acc ‘00, M Acc ‘00 Treasurer
Jeff Vogel, BS Acc ‘90 President-Elect
Todd McCubbin, M Ed ‘95 Secretary
Robin Wenneker, BS BA ‘91 Immediate Past President
Cade Koehly AASB Student Representative
Cristin Blunt, BS Ed ‘02
Craig Moeller, BS ‘93
Renita Duncan, BS Acc ‘08, M Acc ‘08
Ellie Preslar, BS BE ‘04
Pete Ferretti, BA ‘93
Martin Rucker, BS ‘07
Matt Jenne, BS CiE ‘97, MBA ‘15
Mark Russell, BJ ‘84
Chuck Kaiser, BA, BJ ‘93
Jim Simmons, BS ‘93, MD ‘98
Derek Kessen, BS BA ‘05
Dawn Smith-Popielski, BA ‘96
Emily Kueker, BS ‘02
David Townsend, JD ‘00
Christine Mathews, BS BA ‘10, MBA ‘17
Joe Valenciano, BA ‘95
Mindy Mazur, BA ‘99
Janet Wheatley, BS HE ‘77
The Mizzou Alumni Association commends our faculty and alumni who, through their achievements and successes, have brought honor upon themselves and the University of Missouri. Congratulations to this year’s recipients and to all of our past award recipients! To view all past recipients, visit mizzou.com/faa. 2
Faculty Alumni Awards
Andrea Kay Allison-Putman, BS BA ‘85
Pamela Oberdiek, BUS, A&S ‘84
Titus Blackmon, BS Ed ‘97, M Ed ‘88
Richard Oliver, BS ‘71, M Ed ‘73, PhD ‘77 – Chair
Fritz Cropp, PhD ‘96
David Read
Christina Hammers, BJ ‘90, MPA ‘96, JD ‘03
Susan Scott, BSN ‘88, MS ‘94, DNP ‘14
Valerie Lawlor, BA ‘89
Rebecca Shyu
Sabrina McDonnell, MBA ‘15 – Ex Officio
Peter Vallentyne
Bruce McKinney, BS BA ‘74, MBA ‘75
Faculty Alumni Awards, begun in 1968 by the University of Missouri Alumni Association, recognize the achievements of faculty and alumni. Faculty are considered for distinction in their field, academic responsibilities, and their relationship with students. Alumni are considered for their accomplishments in professional life and service to their community and alma mater. Through the awards program, the Mizzou Alumni Association expresses its pride and appreciation for these individuals and their service to higher education. It focuses attention not only on these outstanding persons and their accomplishments, but also on the vital relationship between faculty and alumni in promoting the best interests of the university. Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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Botswana Toney Blackburn, BJ ‘95, M Ed ‘97 Health Sciences Associate Chair and Teaching Professor MU School of Health Professions
In 2019, Botswana Blackburn was named a William T. Kemper Fellow for Excellence in Teaching — the culmination of over a decade in service to her students, both in and outside of the classroom. She is widely regarded as an advisor, mentor and role model by her pupils, and her instructional approach highlights the real-world applications of her course material; transforming eager students into compassionate, engaged health care professionals for vulnerable populations. Rather than rely on potentially out-of-date textbooks, Blackburn was instrumental in transitioning four core Health Science courses to Open Educational Resources (OER); publicly accessible, current materials from a diverse set of authors. As a result, the average cost of course materials for these students is a mere $28.69. She was also an early adopter of the “hybrid” or “blended” learning experience, making her exceptionally prepared to transition her courses when COVID-19 affected in-seat learning. In addition to her role in the classroom, Blackburn has worked tirelessly on behalf of numerous student and campus groups. She currently serves on the Honors College Admission Committee, presents to students at Summer Welcome, and has been an advisor to a number of Freshman Interest Groups. She has served on the Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Board, in addition to chairing the Hazing Prevention and Education Committee, and was instrumental in reestablishing the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Tau Chapter, for which she continues to serve as campus advisor. In all, she has led or participated in at least 25 different university or community service activities since 2012. • Ronald E. McNair Scholar, 1994 • Member, Rollins Society, 1997 • PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Missouri–Kansas City, 2007 • Fellowship for Teaching, Wakonse Foundation, 2014
• Faculty of the Year, Department of Health Sciences, 2016 • Selected Participant, Manuel T. Pacheco Leadership Development Program, 2019 • Faculty Engagement Award, School of Health Professions, 2019
Blackburn and her husband, Joel, live in Columbia, Missouri, and have two children; Whitney and Quinton. She is a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “My philosophy of teaching is based on the belief that learning should be student-focused, with faculty and students equally involved in the learning process. I design my courses with our core values in mind: Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, and Excellence.”
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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D Cornelison
Professor of Biological Sciences and Molecular Microbiology & Immunology; Investigator Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center
A leading researcher in the field of skeletal muscle stem cells, D Cornelison has spent the last twenty years pioneering new techniques and discoveries utilized by labs around the world. In 2017, she was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a national honor bestowed by the White House; she is the first Mizzou scientist to receive this prestigious award, and only the second in Missouri. Her research has been continually funded since 2006: she has secured well over $5 million in support, including five grants from the National Institutes of Health and two grants from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. A significant number of her publications list her students as coauthors — a testament to her mentorship and guidance — and she was named the MU Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year in 2015. While Cornelison is not a native of Missouri, the majority of undergraduates and graduate students in her lab have been, and the lab has embraced Missouri traditions including an annual lab float trip on the Current River for over ten years running. Her service to MU includes significant outreach to those without a scientific background: her organization of the Saturday Morning Science program, a series of public talks directed at all ages, brings topics down to an introductory level over coffee and bagels. • BA – Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology and Psychology, University of Colorado – Boulder, 1990 • PhD – Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1998 • Purple Chalk Award for Excellence in Teaching, MU College of Arts & Science, 2011
• Organizer, FASEB Summer Research Conference on Muscle Satellite Cells and Regeneration, 2016 • Dr. Abraham Eisenstark Faculty Fellow in Biological Sciences, 2018 • Co-Organizer, Life Sciences Week, 2018 - 2019
Cornelison and her husband, Paul, live in Columbia, Missouri, and have four daughters: Ceili (BA CS ’14), Abagael (BA ’19), Aidan (BSF ’19) and Brenna, a junior at Missouri S&T. “As an advisor, my job is to provide my students with the support and encouragement to succeed on their own. I often say my function in the lab is the same as it is at home: buy the kids the stuff they say they need, and tell them everything’s going to be okay!”
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Faculty Alumni Awards
Cooper Drury
Professor of Government and Public Affairs and Interim Dean MU College of Arts and Science
An internationally recognized scholar with an outstanding publication record, Cooper Drury is a leading expert on the role of economic sanctions in foreign policy. His more than 25 scholarly articles and two books, Economic Sanctions and Presidential Decisions and Sanctions as Economic Statecraft (coauthored with Steve Chan), are widely cited among fellow academics. His mentorship was recognized by MU’s Graduate Professional Council with a Gold Chalk Award in 2006, and he has trained 25 doctoral students at Mizzou, many of whom have launched careers as fellow academics or foreign policy analysts within the US government. As of June 2021, Drury is serving as Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Science, and was previously named Senior Associate Dean in 2018. He has taught a host of both graduate and undergraduate classes in the Harry S Truman School of Government and Public Affairs since joining MU in 2002. • BA – Political Science, Michigan State University, 1990 • MA – International Relations, Michigan State University, 1992 • PhD – Political Science, Arizona State University, 1997 • Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar Award, International Studies Association – Midwest, 2013
• Ladd Hollist Service Award, International Studies Association, 2015 • Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award, International Studies Association – Midwest, 2016 • Member, University of Missouri Faculty Council, 2012 – 2016 • Foreign Policy Analysis Distinguished Scholar Award, International Studies Association, 2019
Drury and his wife, Melanie, live in Columbia, Missouri and have two children: Abraham (BA ’20) and Alexander, a junior at Mizzou. “As a leader at Mizzou, my favorite quote comes from the novel Dune, where the young prince refuses to take the shield offered by his guard; ‘Keep your shield, Duncan. Your right arm is shield enough for me.’ Like the prince, we should trust and empower the students whom we teach and people with whom we work.”
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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Noah Heringman
Curators’ Distinguished Professor of English MU College of Arts and Science
A leading author of original and interdisciplinary research, Noah Heringman has published two monographs on the question of humankind’s relationship to the environment, with his third, Deep Time: A Literary History, currently under contract with Princeton University Press and slated for publication in 2022. His work encompasses history, anthropology, archaeology, geology and environmental science, in addition to his main field of literary studies, and has had a lasting impact on the ways scholars approach interdisciplinary work. One of these projects, Vetusta Monumenta (Ancient Monuments), earned a three-year Scholarly Editions Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2017, which was extended for an additional year in 2020. Joining the Department of English in 1998 as an assistant professor, Heringman was named a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in 2020; he currently teaches courses on British Romanticism, literature and science, poetic genres and critical theory, in addition to giving lectures around the world. He has served on the dissertation committees of 32 PhD candidates — eight as chair — with his former students earning distinction as professors across the country. • • • •
BA – English, Earlham College, 1991 PhD – English, Harvard University, 1998 Best Essay, Keats-Shelley Association, 1999 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Huntington Library, 2000 – 2001 • Member/Chair, University Library Committee, 2005 - 2013 • Fellowship, National Humanities Center, 2014 – 2015
• Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research & Creative Activity, University of Missouri, 2017 • Middlebush Chair, Department of English, 2015 – 2018 • Committee Member, MU Research Council, 2016 - 2018
Heringman is married to Elizabeth Hornbeck, Assistant Teaching Professor in the MU School of Visual Studies. They live in Columbia, Missouri, with their son, Eli. “My most influential mentor was my undergraduate advisor, Paul Lacey, who said, ‘Any expression of love is graceful.’ Words to live by. I try to be there for my students in the way that my teachers were there for me.”
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Faculty Alumni Awards
Yong Volz
Associate Professor; Roger Gafke Faculty Fellow; Faculty Group Chair for Journalism Studies Missouri School of Journalism
A prolific researcher in her field, Yong Volz has studied the role of journalists in society and history — in particular, the formation of journalists as a distinctive occupational group. Her work addresses gender, race, and cross-cultural influences on the development of journalism in the context of social movements; much of that history includes the impact of Mizzou and its alumni as well. Her work, though extraordinarily in-depth, remains accessible even to those outside of academia; Herstory, an award-winning website, documents the stories of 34 prominent women journalists and their fight for gender equality. In recognition of her research, she was selected as the Roger Gafke Faculty Fellow in 2018, and has earned multiple top paper awards from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Volz has been the recipient of multiple service and mentorship awards, including the University of Missouri’s Ann K. Covington Award for Mentoring in 2021, and was named the 2018 Adviser of the Year by Kappa Tau Alpha, the honor society for scholarship in journalism and mass communication. She has served on 50 doctoral committees and 96 master’s committees, and works closely with undergraduate Discovery Fellows through the MU Honors College. • BA and MA – Journalism, Renmin University of China, 1998 • M. Phil. – Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000 • PhD – Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, 2006 • Newsletter Editor/Vice Head/Head, History Division, AEJMC, 2012-2015 • Alumnae Anniversary Faculty Award, University of Missouri, 2017
• Outstanding Service Award, Chinese Communication Association, 2017 • Fellowship – Institute for Diverse Leadership, AEJMC, 2018 – 2019 • Jordyn Hoyt Tribute to Women Award, University of Missouri, 2020 • President, Chinese Communication Association, 2021 – Current
Volz is married to Michael Volz, Associate Teaching Professor and Director of International Studies with the MU College of Arts and Science. They live in Columbia, Missouri, with their son, Theo. “I’m thankful for the trust my colleagues have placed in me. I’ve been so fortunate to work with students of all walks, and they inspire me every day to be strong, to be hardworking, and to believe in the value of education.”
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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62nd Annual Distinguished As a first-generation college student from Coffey, Missouri — population 130 — Mary Beth Marrs had a personal understanding of the challenges facing many of her students. After completing the third of her Mizzou degrees, she joined the Trulaske College of Business as a faculty member in 2000, where she would go on to develop numerous student enrichment programs — including the Heartland Scholars Academy, dedicated to supporting rural, firstgeneration students like herself. To her students, she is a “mom away from home”; her care and concern for her students extends far beyond the four years they spend in her tutelage. Her expansive alumni network is used to help connect new graduates to opportunities around the world, with many of those graduates remaining active as volunteers, donors or further mentors to her pupils, and she cites her primary objective as helping her students to recognize opportunities for growth.
Mary Beth Marrs, BS IE ‘87, MBA ‘95, PhD ‘99
Associate Teaching Professor; Director of Enrichment Programs, Cornell Leadership Program and Heartland Scholars Academy Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business
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Faculty Alumni Awards
Faculty Award • Faculty Alumni Award, Mizzou Alumni Association, 2010 • Member, Academy of Management, 1993 • Faculty Advisor, Alpha Kappa Psi, 2001 - Current • Faculty Member of the Year, Trulaske College of Business, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 • Teacher of the Year, Kansas City College of Business Alumni Association, 2004
• Honorary Tap, Mystical Seven, 2007 • O’Brien Excellence in Teaching Award, Trulaske College of Business, 2007 • Member, Trulaske Dean’s Advisory Board, 2010-Current • Hall of Fame honoree, MU Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering, 2012 • Member, Mizzou Commission on Student Success, 2014-2016
She is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the Kemper Teaching Fellowship in 2009 and the Mizzou Alumni Association’s Faculty Alumni Award in 2010. Her work has been quoted in such publications as Workwise magazine and USA Today, and she has served over 15 years with the College of Business as either assistant or associate dean. In his nomination, Trulaske School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé wrote, “She represents the best of Mizzou. She’s a passionate advocate and caring resource for our students, and spends hours behind the scenes helping navigate financial aid, recommending courses and calming interview jitters. When they come to her with a problem, her reply is always, ‘Let’s get this figured out.’” In addition to the Heartland Scholars, Marrs leads the Vasey Academy, which provides talented students from underrepresented groups with opportunities to jump-start their business careers, as well as the Cornell Leadership Program; a four-year curated honors-type experience for the College of Business’ high-performing students, including corporate trips to locations like Dallas, Denver and New York City and international locations such as Cuba, Ireland, and Chile. She and her husband Alan, BA CS ’84, live in Ashland, Missouri, and have two children — Justin (BS ’21), a current Mizzou graduate student, and Brooklyn, a Mizzou sophomore studying international business. Marrs is a member of the Jefferson Club and the Mizzou Alumni Association. “I am the product of — and an example of — the power of higher education to transform lives. Mizzou has truly given me a gift in the power to pay it forward, and that’s a responsibility I’ll never take lightly. How lucky am I to be a part of the Mizzou family?” “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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William F. Baker, BS CiE ‘75 Structural Engineering Consulting Partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
The world’s tallest building — the Burj Khalifa — stands apart for more than its height. For decades, engineering limits restricted the skyscraper to a 600-meter cap. With its “buttressed core,” the Burj Khalifa doesn’t simply surpass this limit — it shatters it, at 828 meters, and is nearly double the height of the tallest high-rise before it. William Baker’s innovative “buttressed core” design is but one of the many professional accomplishments that has brought him international recognition. With accolades from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) and the Royal Academy of Engineering, his work has also earned him honorary doctorates from the University of Stuttgart, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), HeriotWatt University, and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from his alma mater, the University of Missouri. A member of the Columns Society, Shamrock Society and the Engineering Dean’s Leadership Circle, Baker returned to Mizzou as the College of Engineering’s commencement speaker in 2018. He has guest lectured at universities around the world, and is cited in countless media sources as an enthusiastic expert on architecture, engineering and design — encouraging a new generation to build on his achievements. • Master of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 1980 • Fritz Leonhardt Prize for Achievement in Structural Engineering, Baden- Württemberg Chamber of Engineers, 2009 • Member, National Academy of Engineering, 2011
• Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Lifetime Award for Design, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2011 • Torroja Medalist, International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), 2019
Originally from Fulton, Missouri, Baker has family roots in Missouri going back to the 1820s. He and his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) have four children; Thomas, Ian, Bridget and Mary. They live in Evanston, Illinois. “I believe in simplicity and clarity. What is the essence of an idea? Describe it with words; occasionally you can distill it down to a noun and an adjective.” “Don’t Panic!” — Douglas Adam, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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Mary Sue Beck, MS ‘84 Retired Chief Nursing Officer University of Missouri Health Care
An advocate for quality care and growth in the field of nursing, Mary Beck has been a pillar of Missouri’s health care community for over 40 years. She has held chief nursing officer positions with Boone Hospital Center and the University of Missouri Health Care system, in addition to various teaching roles at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. She led Boone Hospital Center through achieving Magnet Designation for nursing service excellence three consecutive times, and initiated the journey to Magnet status at MU Health Care in 2018. In addition, she has served multiple professional organizations, including the Missouri Organization of Nurse Leaders and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. In March 2020, she was designated the co-incident commander for MU Health Care’s response to COVID-19, and held the position until her retirement in August 2021. In addition to advocating for the health and well-being of the nurses battling the pandemic, she also led COVID-19 education efforts throughout Boone County and the state, partnering with local authorities and political leaders to provide community resources, webinars and effective communication. Beck is a member of the Jefferson Club, and a founding member of the Sinclair School of Nursing’s Nightingale Society. She was granted a Citation of Merit — the Nursing Alumni Organization’s highest honor — in 2009; in light of her accomplishments as a mentor and educator, the third floor of the Galena Hall residence hall — the Mary Beck House — is named in her honor. • Diploma - St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing, Kansas City, Missouri, 1976 • Bachelor of Science – Nursing, Northwest Missouri State University, 1980 • Doctor of Nursing Practice, Rush University, 2009
• Excellence in Leadership Award, Sigma Theta Tau – Alpha Iota Chapter, 2005 • DAISY Nurse Leader Award, MU Health Care, 2020 • Fellow, American Organization for Nursing Leadership, 2021
Beck and her husband, Wallace (James) Beck, live in Columbia, Missouri. She is a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “Attending the University of Missouri opened doors for a career in nursing leadership. It’s allowed me to advance the profession of nursing — I never imagined I would be a chief nursing officer, yet the support of fellow leaders allowed me to take risks and advance to roles in nursing leadership out of my comfort zone.”
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Faculty Alumni Awards
John Walter Clark, BS ME ‘62, MBA ‘75 Retired Water Engineer, City of Columbia Retired Commander 231 Civil Engineering Flight, Missouri Air National Guard
While flying a reconnaissance mission in 1967, John Clark — an Air Force captain at the time — was shot down over North Vietnam, surviving six years as a prisoner of Hỏa Lò, later known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Upon his repatriation, the former ROTC Cadet Corps commander returned to Mizzou for his MBA before returning to flying duty. In 1980 he joined the Missouri Air National Guard, retiring as a colonel in 1992. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Purple Hearts, and has readily shared his story — the trauma, subsequent battle with PTSD, and the faith that sustained him — with generations of MU students and others. His experiences have granted many with unique, personal insights into the realities of war, and his advocacy on behalf of his fellow veterans continues to this day. In 1994, he was appointed co-chair of the USS Columbia Submarine Committee, responsible for christening and commissioning events on behalf of the newly built submarine and its crew. Thanks to his efforts, Mizzou’s Naval ROTC unit continues to host annual visits from the crew’s members, with many choosing to become Tigers themselves. • House Manager, Phi Delta Theta, 1960 • Distinguished Military Graduate, awarded Regular Commission as 2nd Lt, Air Force ROTC, 1962 • Professional Engineering Certificate, Missouri State Board of Engineers, 1982
• Director, North Central Region, American Ex-Prisoners of War, 1985-2017 • Advisory Board, Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum, 2012-Current • Member, Congresswoman Hartzler’s Military Advisory Council, 2017-Current
Clark is the son of two Mizzou alumni and a native of Columbia, Missouri, where he lives with his wife, Anne. He is a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “When I was lost, I sought God and was found. I have always valued truth, and I believe in passing down credit for unit achievements; if you selflessly take care of those within your unit, they will ensure you are cared for as well.”
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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Alexander Garza, MD ‘96 Chief Community Health Officer, SSM Health Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve
In early 2020, Alexander Garza was named Commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. Until his deployment to Kuwait with the U.S. Army Reserve in July 2021, Garza was the face of regularly livestreamed COVID-19 updates to St. Louis households and citizens, offering informative, timely information on behalf of the medical community. It was not his first experience dealing with a pandemic. In 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he led the Department’s response to the H1N1 pandemic, in addition to directing the DHS health response to the Haitian earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasters. Garza has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for over 20 years, and is the recipient of a Bronze Star, the Combat Action Badge and the Valorous Unit Citation. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and has just recently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Spartan Shield. He continues to serve as a Colonel. Currently the Chief Community Health Officer for SSM Health, his work focuses on improving access to affordable, high-quality health care in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. • Bachelor of Science – Biology, University of Missouri – Kansas City, 1990 • Master in Public Health, St. Louis University, 2003 • Young Investigator Award, American Heart Association, 2008 • Commencement Speaker, MU School of Medicine, 2011, 2014
• Board Member, Midwest Health Initiative, 2015 - 2019 • Alumni of the Year, University of Missouri – Kansas City, 2017 • Spirit of Justice Award, Saint Louis Bar Foundation, 2021
Garza and his wife, Melissa, live in St. Louis, Missouri, and have three sons; Alexander, Samuel and Daniel. “There is no one truth other than love. I believe the only reason we exist is to help those around us and those that will come after us — always in service to humankind. If not, then why are we here?”
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Faculty Alumni Awards
Sandra Whayne Gautt, BS Ed ‘65, M Ed ‘66, PhD ‘77 Retired Vice Provost and Professor Emerita University of Kansas
Despite over 30 years in Jayhawk territory, Sandra Gautt wears her black and gold with pride. First joining the University of Kansas as Assistant Vice Chancellor in the Office of Academic Affairs, she would continue to move into leadership roles, culminating in her position as Vice Provost. She would later return to a faculty role in the Department of Special Education, serving as Associate Chair and Director of Doctoral Studies. Her work has influenced the fields of special education and higher education. Her grant work, published articles and statewide needs assessments have shaped the services and interventions received by children across the Midwest and beyond, and her continued mentorship of graduate and doctoral students ensures continued growth and research in the field of special education. Within the higher education community her work and leadership have shaped the culture of a research university to reflect the synergy between research and a focus on student outcomes, and influenced the quality of higher education through institutional regional and international accreditation activities. In 1964, Gautt made history as one of the founding members of the Delta Tau chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., MU’s first Black sorority. She served over a decade as a member of the MU faculty, including as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Special Education, and was the recipient of the College of Education’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, as well as the College’s highest award, Friend of the College, in 2017. • Fellow, American Council on Education, 1984 – 1985 • Distinguished Service Award, Higher Learning Commission, 1999 • Commencement Keynote Speaker, MU College of Education and Human Development, 2015
• Vice-Chair, Lawrence Humane Society, 2019 - Current • Member, Jefferson Club Board of Trustees, 2018 - Current
In 1969, a chance meeting at the Hill Hall elevators changed her life; she and her husband, fellow student and former Mizzou football coach Prentice Gautt (PhD ’75), would be married until his death in 2005. Gautt lives in Lawrence, Kansas. In addition to her KU Alumni Association membership (“a retirement gift,” she stresses), Gautt is a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “I must listen for the truths and values at the heart of my own identity, not the standards by which I must live — but the standards by which I cannot help but live if I am living my own life.” — Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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66th Annual Distinguished For over 50 years, Lowell Mohler has influenced the field of agriculture in Missouri, with his leadership and service requested by governors, legislators and conservation agencies, as well as his alma mater, Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. His dedication to Missouri and its resources — its land, animals and waters — have made him “the voice” of agriculture in the state, and his service has made considerable impacts on the relationships between the university and our agricultural community as a whole. In his 26-year tenure at the Missouri Farm Bureau, membership nearly doubled, and his work at the Missouri Department of Conservation was recently honored with the dedication of the 2,500-acre Lowell Mohler Wetland Unit in Holt County. At the Department of Agriculture, he is credited with reinvigorating the Missouri State Fair, including enhanced student involvement and scholarship funding through Farm Family Day and the Governor’s Ham Breakfast fundraiser. For his efforts, the fairground’s Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall was dedicated in his honor in 2003.
Lowell Mohler, BS Ag ‘58
Retired Chief Administrative Officer, Missouri Farm Bureau and Affiliated Companies Former Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture
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Faculty Alumni Awards
Service Award • Faculty Alumni Award, Mizzou Alumni Association, 1990 • Citation of Merit, CAFNR Alumni Association, 1991 • Presidential Citation Award for Extension, UM Alumni Alliance, 1991 • Ag Leader of the Year, Missouri Agriculture Industries Council, 1996 • Distinguished Service to Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, 1988
• Master Conservationist, Missouri Department of Conservation, 2001 • American Farmer Degree, Future Farmers of America, 2002 • Brother of the Century, Alpha Gamma Rho, 2004 • Elected to the Academy of Missouri Squires, 2016
His work on campus includes advocating and fundraising for new campus buildings and facilities; in particular, the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building and Bond Life Sciences Center, as well as the Stringer Wing of Eckles Hall. He has served on the CAFNR Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Council and the CAFNR Foundation, as well as two CAFNR dean search committees — he was granted the Mumford Award, the college’s highest honor, in 2001, and named Alumnus of the Year by the CAFNR Alumni Association in 1997. In his nomination, Governor Mike Parson wrote, “I can think of no person that embodies the definition of public service better than Lowell does. He’s spent much of his career building bridges between conservation and agriculture, uniting the shared goals of each industry to better serve the people of Missouri... He is a Mizzou Tiger through and through.” As a student, Mohler was heavily involved; he was a member of the Block and Bridle Club, the Agriculture Club, and Alpha Gamma Rho, the professional agriculture fraternity. He joined the MU Meat Judging Team as a junior, and served as its leader his senior year. He and his wife, JoAnn, own and operate a 200-acre farm near Jefferson City, Missouri, and have three grown children — Craig, Christopher and Elizabeth (Bourneuf) — all of whom are Mizzou graduates. Mohler currently serves on the University of Missouri Flagship Council and is a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “My parents and wife have been my greatest mentors, and have guided me through the years to achieve my goals. Be honest and trustworthy, and don’t forget those who have made you successful.” “Always treat others as you want to be treated.” — the Golden Rule Mizzou Alumni Association - University of Missouri
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“Our Alma Mater - Old Missouri” Old Missouri, fair Missouri, Dear old varsity, Ours are hearts that fondly love thee, Here’s a health to thee.
(Chorus:) Proud art thou in classic beauty, Of thy noble past; With thy watchwords, Honor, Duty, Thy high fame shall last.
Every student, man and maiden, Swells the glad refrain, Till the breezes music laden, Waft it back again. (Repeat chorus...)