Faculty Honored at University of Missouri Awards Ceremony

Faculty Honored at University of Missouri Awards Ceremony

What: University of Missouri Awards Ceremony

When: 6 p.m., Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Where: Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union, University of Missouri-Columbia

The University of Missouri honored five UM faculty members for excellence. Awards were given during a reception in their honor, Wednesday, May 25, at 6:00 p.m., Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union, UM-Columbia campus. The event was hosted by MU Chancellor Brady Deaton and his wife, Anne Deaton.

From left to right: Bev Jarrett (accepting on behalf of James Olson), Jim Bogan, Bette Loiselle, Antonio Nanni, Douglas Randall, and President Floyd.

Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching

The Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching recognizes a faculty member for long-term contributions to teaching. A system wide committee of faculty evaluates nominations submitted by the four chancellors.

Dr. James Bogan

Dr. James Bogan is a curators' teaching professor of film and art history at the University of Missouri-Rolla. He earned a bachelor's degree in English, with honors, at Loyola University-Chicago, as well as a master's degree in literature and a doctorate in literature, both with honors from the University of Kansas.

During the 36 years at UMR, Bogan has taught art history, film, literature, honors and numerous team-taught courses. He has been a Fulbright Fellow in Literature at the Federal University of Para, Belem, Brazil, and has taught at Teikyo International University in the Netherlands and in the Missouri-London Program at Imperial College, where he also served as program director.

In addition to his skills as an exceptional teacher, Bogan is a writer and filmmaker. He is the author of multiple books, and his prose and poetry have been published widely in magazines and anthologies. In 1975 he initiated the UMR Film Series, which has received statewide recognition and regularly documentaries, including the award-winning Tom Benton's Missouri.

Among other honors, he is the recipient of a UMR Faculty Excellence Award in 1993 and the Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1997. He has been appointed to the Media Advisory Panel of the Missouri Arts Council six times.

C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship

This award recognizes a faculty member who personifies the creativity, vision and leadership exhibited by the late Dr. C. Brice Ratchford, president emeritus of the University of Missouri and dean of cooperative extension. Nominations are evaluated by a panel including representatives from the four campuses, off-campus faculty and Missouri citizens.

Dr. Bette Loiselle

Dr. Bette Loiselle is a professor of biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, both in biology from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Wisconsin.

Since joining the biology department at UM-St. Louis in 1990, Loiselle has played a large role in attracting international students, obtaining financial support for tropical research, and in developing a curriculum relevant to an international audience. She also coordinates the conservation internship program for students enrolled in the graduate certificate in tropical biology and conservation.

Loiselle served as the director of the International Center for Tropical Ecology from 1997 to 2003. The center provides a focal point for graduate education programs in the biology department. As director, Loiselle obtained a number of grants and raised significant funds to support international graduate students.

Loiselle has had active research programs and published papers from work done in Burundi, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Belize, Bolivia and Ecuador. Her research interests include the evolution and ecology of seed dispersal systems in the tropics and the conservation of tropical vertebrates, especially birds. She has received research support from the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation and the Fulbright Scholars Program.

Curators' Award for Scholarly Excellence

The Curators' Award for Scholarly Excellence is given annually to the author of the most outstanding book by a faculty member from any one of the four campuses and published by the University of Missouri Press. A subcommittee of the University Press Committee recommends the winner from among all the Press titles by University authors published in a given year.

Dr. James Olson

Dr. James Olson is president emeritus of the University of Missouri. He earned a master's degree and a doctorate from the University of Nebraska. Olson began his career as a historian and director of the Nebraska State Historical Society. After serving as a professor and in various administrative positions at the University of Nebraska, Olson became chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1968. He was appointed president of the University of Missouri in 1976 and served until 1984.

Olson is being honored for his book Stuart Symington: A Life, the first full-length biography of the four-term senator and one of Missouri's most influential 20th-century political leaders. Olson writes that "Symington was an effective advocate for Missouri and its people. Next to Harry Truman, he was the man from Missouri."

Olson worked on the book off and on for almost ten years. He began the biography when Symington was still alive, and the senator granted him full access to his papers. After his death, Symington's family gave Olson access to additional personal papers. He also used Symington papers deposited in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, in addition to papers in libraries throughout the U.S.

Olson is the author of The University of Missouri: An Illustration History and Serving the University of Missouri: A Memoir of Campus and System Administration, both from the University of Missouri Press. He also authored several history books and textbooks, including The Nebraska Story, J. Sterling Morton, and Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem.

Thomas Jefferson Award

This award recognizes a member of the University of Missouri who best exemplifies the principles and ideals of Thomas Jefferson and who rises above excellence to demonstrate clear distinction in teaching, research, writing, creative activities, and service to the University of Missouri and humankind.

Dr. Douglas Randall

Dr. Douglas Randall, professor of biochemistry at the University of Missouri-Columbia, earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from South Dakota State University in 1965 and a doctorate in biochemistry from Michigan State University in 1970.

Randall is internationally recognized as a leader in plant biochemistry and metabolism. As the founder and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Biochemistry-Physiology Group (IPG), he has brought great acclaim to the plant science program at UM-Columbia. Today the IPG includes 45 faculty members from seven departments and four colleges, with total competitive funding of more than $30 million. The IPG is recognized among the top half dozen research clusters of its type and its annual symposium attracts an international audience. Randall also helped develop the Food for the 21st Century program in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Randall was recently appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation. He has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Plant Physiologists and as a member of the Steering Committee for the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center in St. Louis. An active classroom teacher throughout his career, he was awarded the Gold Chalk Award in 1991. He also was the recipient of a University of Missouri Faculty-Alumni Award.

Presidential Award for Research and Creativity

The Presidential Award for Research and Creativity recognizes a faculty member with a sustained record of national and international quality research or creativity. A system wide committee of faculty evaluates nominations submitted by the four chancellors.

Dr. Antonio Nanni

Dr. Antonio Nanni holds the Vernon and Maralee Jones Professorship of Civil Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, where he is the director of three centers: the Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies, the University Transportation Center on Advanced Materials and NDT Technologies, and the NFS Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on Repair of Buildings and Bridges with Composites.

He received a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in civil engineering from the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, in 1978; a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Witwatersrand, Johnannesburg, South Africa, in 1980; and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida in 1985.

Although Nanni's contributions span many fields, his main research interest is in construction materials, their structural performance and field application. He is a leading international researcher and pioneer in the use of fiber reinforced polymers, a new construction material used to repair and strengthen structures. Nanni is a registered professional engineer in Italy, Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Oklahoma. He is a fellow in the American Concrete Institute, the American International Institute for FRP in Constitution. Among other honors, he received the 2004 Alumni Merit Award for Outstanding Accomplishments from the MSM-UMR Alumni Association.