Two Missouri State University professors have been selected to receive the 2010 public affairs professorship. Dr. Melissa Burnett and Dr. Alexander Wait were chosen from current university faculty who are at the associate professor, professor or distinguished professor rank.

The endowed professorship was established to recognize faculty members who have excelled at enabling the university to carry out its public affairs mission. The public affairs professorship includes a stipend from the Missouri State University Foundation in the amount of $5,000 over and above the recipient’s base salary with an additional $1,000 for expenses to carry out the work of the position.

Since coming to the university in 1999, Wait, professor of biology, has focused his research, teaching and service around sustainability as part of the public affairs mission. He is a founding member and president of Ozarks New Energy (ONE), co-organizer of sustainability in the curriculum workshop and co-organizer of monthly brown bag green lunches.

In 2007 Wait became the faculty sponsor for Students for a Sustainable Future. He was responsible for Missouri State’s involvement in Focus the Nation, a national teach-in held in 2008-2009, which encouraged faculty across campus to discuss sustainability in their lectures.

He served as the provost’s Public Affairs Fellow in 2009, and he organized the sustainability themed Public Affairs Conference. Wait works to involve various non-profit groups such as Ozarks Friends of the Environment, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Springfield Public Works and Ozarks Clean Air Initiative with the campus community.

Burnett, marketing professor and director of the advertising program, has taught at Missouri State for the past 20 years. During her time at the university she has produced many award-winning advertising campaigns, many of which capture the spirit of the public affairs mission.

In 2008, Burnett’s advertising team participated in the American Transportation Association’s (APTA) “Go Green Go” national advertising competition. The campaign was recognized by APTA and the Environmental Protection Agency, and APTA is currently running the Missouri State team’s “Go Green, Go Public” campaign, which is backed by a $21 million budget.

In addition to her advertising efforts, Burnett has been recognized nationally for her marketing campaigns with government administrators. Her work in the area of advertising ethics has also been published and recognized in numerous journals.