2009 Governor’s Award Recipient: Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Stoddard

UMKC Associate Professor of Physics, Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Stoddard, received the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education at a Governor’s Luncheon in Jefferson City, MO on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education is presented annually to an outstanding faculty member from each participating higher education institution in the state of Missouri. Qualifying criteria include demonstrated effective teaching and advising skills, service to the university community, a commitment to high standards of excellence, and success in nurturing student achievement.

Dr. Stoddard has distinguished herself as a truly gifted teacher who is highly deserving of this recognition. Her colleagues and students are enthusiastic in giving her very high ratings for the quality of her teaching, her innovative approaches to course design, and the enthusiasm she brings to the classroom environment. In addition to teaching, she has conducted forefront research in the field of theoretical nuclear physics and her studies have been published in prominent journals in this field. With grants totaling more than a million dollars from external funders such as the National Science Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation, she and her colleagues have developed new instructional practices for both university faculty and high school science teachers. Dr. Stoddard is deeply engaged in improving science education in the urban environment. She works with teachers and scholars in the Kansas City Missouri School District to create more effective teaching and evaluation methods for the benefit of current and future generations of students.

Dr. Stoddard’s reaction to receiving the Governor’s Award is yet another shining example of her excellence as an educator: “Because the award comes from my peers on a campus that has so many great professors whom I admire so much, I feel tremendously humbled and honored to receive it. I always feel lucky to be an educator. Working along with my colleagues here at UMKC is something I truly enjoy, and the importance of serving students and teachers better is something that motivates me every day. Most importantly, many of the achievements for which I received the award I share with my science education research collaborators, and I am grateful for this award as recognition of their efforts as well.”

The Provost Office congratulates Dr. Libby Stoddard for this outstanding achievement.

Nominations for the 2010 Governor’s Award should be submitted to the Provost Office on or before December 31, 2009. For additional information regarding the Governor’s Award, contact Beci Edmundson (edmundsonr@umkc.edu).

-Written by Dr. Ron MacQuarrie, Vice Provost Faculty Affairs

(Photo courtesy UMKC Physics website.)