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Award recognizes faculty who engage in activities that foster collaboration across two or more campuses of the UM System

COLUMBIA, Mo. – �������� System Chief of Staff Zora Mulligan today awarded the President’s Award for Intercampus Collaboration to faculty members from the ��������-Columbia and the ��������-St. Louis.  The award is the third of ten presidential awards to be presented to faculty in 2015.

Mulligan announced MU School of Social Work faculty members Marjorie Sable, David Albright and Dale Fitch, as well as UMSL School of Social Work faculty members Sharon Johnson and Lois Pierce, as the recipients of the award. The award, which includes a $5,000 prize, recognizes faculty who engage in activities that foster collaboration across two or more campuses of the UM System. Collaboration may be in the areas of teaching, scholarship, research, service, creativity, outreach or economic development. The awardees have asked that the prize be split between the two Schools of Social Work.

These faculty members among the School of Social Work at MU and UMSL have long collaborated in efforts that benefit students and enhance research and training. Beginning in 2009, they developed a joint study abroad program with the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa. Students studying social work from MU, UMSL and the ��������-Kansas City – the three UM System campuses that have a School of Social Work – have participated in three study abroad tours to date.

Pictured: Dean Stephen Jorgenson, Marjorie Sable, Chief of Staff Zora Mulligan.

In order to expand course offerings for students at MU and UMSL, the faculty engaged in a course-sharing effort involving courses related to military social work and social policy. The 2013 course-sharing proposal was funded by the UM System and has led to two new courses: Military Culture, and Social Policy and Military Veterans.

“In my nearly 14 years as dean of the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, I have not witnessed a level of intercampus collaboration as noteworthy and significant as this one involving our respective social work units,” wrote nominator Stephen Jorgensen.

Collectively, they have developed numerous joint grant proposals including a collaborative, three-year $1.2 million training grant for behavioral health workforce education and training for professionals and paraprofessionals was funded in 2014 by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“Alone, neither school would have the faculty or student resources necessary to qualify for the funding. The faculties are working together to develop courses and other training materials to be taken by the approximately ten UMSL and 15 MU students who will receive scholarships each year,” wrote nominator Ronald Yasbin, dean of the UMSL College of Arts and Sciences, regarding the grant.

Moving forward, the group has planned the development of a second course-sharing proposal to add two courses on behavioral health related to the grant with one taught at each campus.

The UM System President’s Awards are presented annually to faculty members across the four campuses of the UM System who have made exceptional contributions in advancing the mission of the university. Faculty will be formally recognized by UM System President Tim Wolfe during an awards celebration to be held June 25.