Excellence in Community Engagement Award

Annual awards are presented to faculty and staff in recognition of their excellence in volunteer work.

This award annually recognizes up to two staff and two faculty. Recipients receive a plaque and a one-time cash award of $1,500, funded by the Missouri State Foundation.

Congratulations to the 2023 recipients!

Staff awardees

two staff recipients

  • Karen Scott
    Academic Administrative Assistant, Childhood Education and Family Studies
  • Nikki Yost
    Administrative Specialist III, Office of Dual Credit

Faculty awardees

two 2023 faculty recipients

  • Dr. Becky Swearingen
    Associate Professor, Reading Foundations and Technology
  • Dr. Ashlea Cardin
    Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

Nomination deadline is October 27, 2023.  

Nominations may be submitted at anytime during the year for both faculty and staff.  However, the selection process for this award is determined during the fall semester.    

Nomination process

Any student, employee or community member may nominate a full-time staff or faculty member for consideration. Nominations may be made at any time of the year. Early nominations will be held until the fall deadline.

To nominate, please fill out the online nomination form. Nominees will be notified of their nomination and have an opportunity to provide additional information about their volunteer work.

Nominee eligibility

At the time of nomination, faculty and staff nominees must have a minimum of three years of full-time service at the University to be eligible for the award. This award is intended to recognize employees who volunteer their time in significant ways outside of their normal university positions and work responsibilities.

Selection process

A university committee reviews all nominations and selects award recipients by committee consensus. Nominees who are not awarded will automatically be added to the next year's pool of applications, unless otherwise directed by the nominee.

Award recognition

Recipients are typically recognized during their respective annual recognition/appreciation events. Staff are recognized at the January Staff Awards Luncheon and faculty during the May Faculty Recognition Reception.