The first University of Missouri professor has been honored today as part of this year’s $50000 Kemper Fellowships program awarding staff for teaching excellence.
Journalism professor and associate dean for graduate studies, Dr Ernest Perry was the first of five to receive the $10000 cash award this week and was surprised in a meeting today by Interim Chancellor Hank Foley and Commerce Bank Chairman Jim Schatz.
Associate dean for undergraduate studies at MU, Professor Lynda Kraxberger said that Perry’s past work was something to be noted and that this had done just that. Kraxberger said “He was on the committee that brought the cross-cultural journalism class to the University of Missouri and we were the first journalism school in the country to have a cross-cultural journalism course as a required part of our undergraduate curriculum.”
Perry says many great people have contributed to the current curriculum and information that is provided. He stated he felt his role was “just a small part of that and I’m really appreciative of the faculty and the staff and everyone here because I would not be successful if it wasn’t for them.”
The Kemper fellowships begun in 1991 with a $500000 gift to honour outstanding MU Teachers and is named in honour of William T. Kemper who graduated from MU in 1926 and was a well-known civic leader throughout Kansas City until his death in 1989.
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