Named in honor of Judith Enyeart Reynolds, the Judy Awards celebrate the excellence of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of Missouri State’s Reynolds College of Arts & Letters (RCOAL) through distinction. Awards cover a variety of contributions to the college, ranging from traditional awards in teaching, research, and service, to those that highlight collaboration, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and foreground the pillars of the University’s public affairs mission. Except for the dean’s awards category, all winners were nominated by their peers or self, then selected by representatives from each academic department serving on the Judy Awards Selection Committee.
“Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends shape the Reynolds College of Arts and Letters legacy.” —Dean Shawn Wahl, RCOAL
“Recognizing excellence in arts and letters education is important now more than ever,” Wahl added. “I remain grateful to the entire RCOAL community for keeping our academic programs and the success of our students as the driving force of our mission that empowers us to change lives through arts and letters education. The Judy Awards will help us celebrate educational excellence and the significance of higher education for many years to come.”
On the evening of May 12th, 2022, the RCOAL community gathered in the ballroom at the Hotel Vandivort in Springfield, Missouri, to announce the following winners of the inaugural Judy Awards and to celebrate each other and the completion of another academic year. Dean Fellows Holly Holladay and Stephen Spates planned and served as hosts of the awards ceremony.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Spirit Award
Bear Up Award
Interdisciplinary Collaboration Award
Jennifer Murvin & Cole Closser
Undergraduate Advising Award
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
Nick Waugh
Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Joshua Stegall
Graduate Mentorship Award
Teaching in the Arts Award
Teaching in the Letters Award
Research in the Arts Award
Research in the Letters Award
University Citizenship Award
Community Citizenship Award
Newcomer Award
RCOAL Diversity Council Award
DEPARTMENT AWARD
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
DEAN AWARDS
Dean’s Legacy Awards
Judy Reynolds
Dean’s Alumnus Award
Dean’s Champion Awards
Bob & Peg Carolla
Visit the Judy Awards webpage to find more information and award descriptions. Please contact Dean Fellows Holly Holladay or Stephen Spates for any questions.
All photos credit to Jesse Scheve, Missouri State University Creative Services. You may view the complete 2022 Judy Awards gallery online.
RCOAL graduate assistant Ellora Bultema assisted as blog editor.