Walker and Doris Allen Fellowship for Faculty Excellence Recipients Announced

 

Last week, three Truman faculty received a pleasant surprise. President Barbara Dixon, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Garry Gordon, and Vice President for University Advancement Mark Gambaiana presented three faculty with the $10,000 Walker and Doris Allen Fellowship. Janet Gooch, associate professor and department chair of communication disorders; Sara Orel, professor of art; and Fred Shaffer, professor of psychology; received the 2008 Fellowship.

Gooch joined the faculty in 1995 and assumed the responsibilities of communications disorders department chair in 2004. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in speech pathology from the University of Kansas, Master of Arts in speech pathology from Kent State University, and her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Orel has been at Truman State University since 1991. She earned her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College in classical and Near Eastern archaeology, and her M.A. and Ph.D., both from the University of Toronto, are in Egyptian archaeology.

Shaffer has been at Truman since 1975. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Claremont Men’s College and a master’s and doctorate from Oklahoma State University.

The presentation of the Fellowship was done in front of each faculty member’s class, surprising the faculty member and their students.

Alumni Walker and Doris Allen established the Fellowship seven years ago with one of the largest outright gifts ever made to the Truman State University Foundation. Walker W. Allen graduated from Truman State University (then Northeast Missouri State Teacher’s College) in 1939 with a B.S.E. degree in business education.

The $10,000 Walker and Doris Allen Fellowship recognizes outstanding faculty members who have greatly contributed to the success of the University and its students.