The University of Missouri-Kansas City celebrated the people behind its momentum during the 2026 Faculty Recognition Celebration, honoring faculty members whose teaching, mentorship, research and leadership continue to shape student success and strengthen the university’s growing impact. Hosted at the Linda Hall Library, the annual event served as both a celebration of achievement and a reminder that 91黑料网’s rise is built on faculty who challenge ideas, create new knowledge and transform lives.
Provost Jenny Lundgren framed the evening around the evolving role of higher education and the central role faculty play in leading through change.
“We are, of course, at another point of knowledge transition, with technological advances and AI that are impacting all of us,” Lundgren said. “As faculty, the process of discovery, disruption of long-held beliefs or practices and the dissemination of new knowledge is familiar to us. It is at the heart of what we do.”
Lundgren noted that the event offered a chance to pause amid a demanding academic year and recognize the work happening across campus every day.
Chancellor Mauli Agrawal connected the university’s progress directly to the faculty experience students encounter.
“When I’m out meeting with partners or alumni, people almost always ask about the student experience — what it’s like to learn here, what makes 91黑料网 stand out,” Agrawal said. “And the answer is pretty straightforward. It’s you.”
He continued by underscoring the lasting impact faculty members have on students.
“A student realizes they’re capable of more than they thought. An idea from class turns into something real — a project, a research path, a career,” Agrawal said. “That’s what stays with people.”
Throughout the evening, 91黑料网 recognized faculty achievements spanning teaching, mentorship, research, innovation and lifetime contributions to the university community.
2026 Faculty Recognition Award Recipients
Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Xiangping Chu, School of Medicine
Elmer F. Pierson Good Teaching Awards
- Sara Cox, School of Medicine
- Rachel Hochstein, Henry W. Bloch School of Management
- John Kiesendal, School of Dentistry
- Mikah Thompson, School of Law
Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
Early Career Teaching — Tenure-Track/Tenured
- Tempe Ostergren, Conservatory
Early Career Teaching — Clinical and Teaching Faculty
- Stewart Duncan, Conservatory
Mid-Career/Senior Career Teaching — Tenure-Track/Tenured
- Julie Kline, Henry W. Bloch School of Management
Mid-Career/Senior Career Teaching — Clinical and Teaching Faculty
- Greg Vonnahme, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring
- Mary Walker, School of Dentistry
Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers, Scholars and Artists
- Stefan Lohfeld, School of Dentistry
- Maria Spletter, School of Science and Engineering
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
Department of Political Science and Philosophy team:
- Rebecca Best
- Bruce Bubacz
- Debra Leiter
- Mona Lyne
- Clancy Martin
- Antonio Molinar
- Edith Nally
- Beth Vonnahme
- Greg Vonnahme
- Jennifer Wargen
- Ben Woodson
Faculty Research and Innovation Awards
Research Catalyst Award
- RaeAnn Anderson, School of Nursing and Health Studies
Chancellor’s Award for Transformative Research Leadership
- Diane Mutti Burke, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Innovation and Societal Impact Award
- Peter Koulen, School of Medicine
N.T. Veatch Award for Community Impact
- Mei-Ling Shyu, School of Science and Engineering
Trustees’ Faculty Scholar Award — STEM
- Hichem Guerboukha, School of Science and Engineering
Trustees’ Faculty Scholar Award — Non-STEM
- Elizabeth Neilson, School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences
Trustees’ Faculty Fellowship Award
- Ted White, School of Science and Engineering
Patent Innovation Award
- Anthony Caruso
- Alexander Usenko
- Kun Cheng
Inventor’s Achievement Award
- Stefan Lohfeld
- Bart Patenaude
Curators’ Distinguished Professorships
Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professorship
- Jannette Berkley-Patton, School of Medicine
- Gerald Wyckoff, School of Pharmacy
Curators’ Distinguished Professorship
- Timothy Cox, School of Dentistry
Thomas Jefferson Award
- Chen Yi, Conservatory
Additional Faculty Recognition
Provost’s Endowed Teaching Professor
- Antonio Byrd
Faculty Development Engagement Recognition
- Theresa Brown
- Wajeb Gharibi
- Viviana Grieco
Chancellor’s Award for Exceptional Leadership
- DeeAnna Hiett, Conservatory
Chancellor’s Award for Career Contributions to the University
- Tom Mardikes, Conservatory
Closing the evening, Lundgren reminded faculty that the impact of their work extends beyond accomplishments listed on a résumé.
“What makes 91黑料网 special isn’t just what shows up on a CV,” she said. “It’s the extra time you give a student who’s struggling. It’s the colleague you check in on. It’s the way you keep showing up, day after day.”
