Celebrated since 1968, the Faculty Alumni Awards highlight the contributions of exceptional individuals to the university’s growth and core mission through their professional accomplishments, teaching and research excellence or service to the institution. At the University of Missouri, scholarship and teaching are driven by a responsibility to public service — the obligation to produce and disseminate knowledge that will improve the quality of life in Missouri and beyond.

Here are the 2022 Faculty Alumni Award recipients:

67th Annual Distinguished Service Award

• Richard A. Mendenhall, BS Ed ’70, M Ed ’72; broker and co-owner, Re/Max Boone Realty and Re/Max Jefferson City

63rd Annual Distinguished Faculty Award

Angela K. Drake; professor of law, founder and director of the MU Law Veterans Clinic

2022 Faculty Alumni Award Recipients

• Kia Breaux, BJ ’96; regional director — The Associated Press
• Marcia Chatelain, BA, BJ, ’01; professor of history and African American studies — Georgetown University
• Amanda Hinnant, MA ’99; associate professor in the MU School of Journalism
• Sharon L. Langenbeck, BS ME ’74, MS ’76, PhD ’79; manager of mechanical engineering, retired — NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Claire McCaskill, BA ’75, JD ’77; political analyst at NBC
• Lori L. Popejoy, BSN ’93, MSN ’96, PhD ’07; associate dean for innovation and partnerships, associate professor and interim dean of the MU Sinclair School of Nursing
• Chi-Ren Shyu; Paul K. and Dianne Shumaker Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the MU College of Engineering, director of the MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics
• Christina Wells; Enoch H. Crowder Professor of Law in the MU School of Law
• Stevan P. Whitt, MD ’94; senior associate dean for clinical affairs, professor in the MU School of Medicine; chief clinical officer of MU Health Care

Learn more about this year’s recipients