Chris Josey, Associate Teaching Professor, Communication
Chris Josey, Associate Teaching Professor, Communication
Latha Ramchand, University of Missouri provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Steve Sowers, CEO Missouri Community Markets today awarded a 2023 William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence to Christopher Josey. Josey is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Science, faculty fellow for undergraduate research in the College of Arts and Science, director of undergraduate research in the Department of Communication and director of the honors program in the Department of Communication.
The William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence were established in 1991 with a $500,000 gift. Kemper, a 1926 MU graduate, was a well-known civic leader in Kansas City until his death in 1989. His 52-year career in banking included top positions at banks in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Commerce Bank manages the trust fund.
Christopher Josey has developed a reputation in the University of Missouri College of Arts and Science as an engaging, effective teacher with a strong commitment to teaching excellence in the classroom. During his time at MU, Josey has been repeatedly recognized for his excellence by students and colleagues alike as noted by his department chair, J. Brian Houston, in a letter nominating Josey for the Kemper Award.
“A review of student feedback and peer reviews illustrate that Dr. Josey is an extremely effective teacher,” Houston said. “Students rate his courses highly, and in comments they often write that Dr. Josey is energetic, engaged and organized. Peer reviewers describe Dr. Josey’s classroom and instruction as ‘thoughtful,’ ‘student-centered,’ ‘organized’ and ‘engaging.’"
In the past five years, Josey has taught a total of 3,771 students in 53 course sections, including the department’s popular general education course — Communication 2100: Media Communication in Society — which enrolls an average of 200-300 students each fall and spring semester. His passion for teaching is evidenced by the average student evaluation score he’s received over those five years — 4.69 on a 5.0 scale. That score exceeds the department’s average of 4.53 and includes eight perfect 5.0 scores.
One of Josey’s former students, Heather Gray, who took his Communication 2100 course, was so excited by Josey’s passion for instructing that she noted in her nomination letter his course was one of her first experiences at Mizzou where she felt “truly engaged.”
Dr Josey was able to achieve this through rigorous discussions about contemporary issues, meaningful instruction connecting my coursework to the larger society and a culminating project that encouraged me to interact with the material and gather a deeper understanding. As an undergraduate student, this experience renewed my excitement for the learning process and engagement with the material. – Heather Gray, student
In addition to his duties as an associate teaching professor, Josey serves as the faculty fellow for undergraduate research in the College of Arts and Science, director of undergraduate research in the Department of Communication and director of the honors program in the Department of Communication.
“It is Dr. Josey’s incredible commitment to an enriched student experience that truly sets him apart from other outstanding teachers on our campus,” said Benjamin R. Warner, associate professor and awards committee chair in the Department of Communication. “Nowhere is this more evident than his leadership in the area of undergraduate research. Participating in research with faculty and other students is one of the highest impact learning practices undergraduates can be exposed to during their time at Mizzou.”
Another one of Josey’s former students, Tanner Smith, remembers the help he received from Josey in his work as an undergraduate researcher.
“Although I walked in without any basis of knowledge, Dr. Josey designed his lab in a way that made me never feel like I didn’t know what I was doing,” Smith said. “From the beginning, there was an emphasis on teaching first-year students how to conduct research instead of just throwing us to the wolves. Whether it was instructional documents, readings to help explain the theory behind what we were doing, or even something as simple as always being open to questions, Dr. Josey helped me to gain confidence in my ability to do research.”
Smith also recalls the life skills he gained from working with Josey.
“Dr. Josey also taught me how to be confident and explore more opportunities with this research,” Smith said. “For example, coming into my first year I would have had no idea how to do a poster presentation about the effects of minority-focused news, but by the end of last year it was something I was able to accomplish.”
Josey was selected as one of two Undergraduate Research Mentors of the Year in April 2022, which is a campus-wide award, said Linda Blockus, director of undergraduate research at MU. In an excerpt provided by Blockus from one of the student nomination letters, one student writes that Josey “is a tireless advocate for his undergraduate researchers” and he “encourages us to push ourselves and is always willing to help us branch out and find research opportunities.”
Josey received a bachelor's degree in speech communication from Bradley University in 2006, as well as a master's degree and doctorate in speech communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2007 and 2015, respectively.
College of Arts & Science Dean Cooper Drury joined other administrators surprising Josey by honoring him with the fellowship, which includes a $15,000 check. Kemper Fellowships are awarded to five outstanding teachers at the University of Missouri each year.
Lee Manion, Associate Professor, English
Lee Manion, Associate Professor, English
Latha Ramchand, University of Missouri provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and Steve Sowers, CEO, Missouri Community Markets, today awarded a 2023 William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence to Lee Manion. Manion is an associate professor of medieval and early modern English and Scottish literature at MU.
College of Arts & Science Dean Cooper Drury joined other administrators surprising Manion by honoring him with the fellowship, which includes a $15,000 check. Kemper Fellowships are awarded to five outstanding teachers at the University of Missouri each year.
As an associate professor in the College of Arts and Science, Manion is regarded by colleagues as a leader in his field. He received a perfect student evaluation score of 5.0 in nine of the fourteen courses he taught in 2017-2022, the period covered by this year’s Kemper Award.
Manion focuses on presenting complex ideas, creating critical learning environments and giving students confidence and control over their learning experience. His areas of research and teaching include medieval and early modern literature, with an emphasis on political and governmental theory during the Crusades. From 2019-21, Manion served as director of Undergraduate Studies. During this time, he also developed a peer mentoring program for English majors.
I often see him meeting with students and helping them with their assignments and comprehension of the material. He asks them about how they’re doing in this course and other courses, and he shows them that he cares about their success.His students have clearly been inspired to work hard to meet his expectations. Our department and our university are fortunate to have such a dedicated, talented, gifted and caring teacher.” – Stephen Karian, the Catherine Paine Middlebush Chair of English.
Manion’s former students echo his colleagues’ sentiments. Darian Doser, who graduated from MU in 2020, credits Manion for most of his nostalgic moments at MU.
“I can say with the utmost confidence that Professor Manion is one of the most engaging and kind professors, not only in Tate Hall, but across our university,” said Doser. “He has an ability to make intellectual topics accessible, and students feel like colleagues with thoughts to share instead of just being there to listen and absorb information. I always struggled with confidence in my classes and especially during discussions, but Professor Manion has an ability to make everyone feel like they add value to the conversation, as if the classroom is a book club or a seminar, no matter the number of students or subject matter.”
After taking a course in medieval romance taught by Manion four years ago, Ethan Anderson’s academic interest “jumped seven centuries into the past.” As a first-generation, low-income college student from rural Missouri, Anderson graduated from MU in 2021 and credits Manion with motivating him to pursue a doctorate in English at the University of Notre Dame.
In 2000, Manion graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in English magna cum laude and received a doctoral degree in 2008 at the University of Virginia. Nancy West, a professor of English at MU and 2004 Kemper Fellow, said that the contribution Manion makes to the students and university as a whole make him extremely valuable.
“Over the years, I have heard many students sing Lee’s praises as a teacher, noting how he held them to very exacting standards while also making each class fun and engaging,” West said. “Lee is an amazing teacher, kind, patient, engaging, caring. But he is also demanding. He sets high standards and expects students to meet them. Reading his class materials and watching him in action has inspired me to challenge my own students more. It’s also made me realize, once again, how very, very lucky MU is to have him.”
The William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence were established in 1991 with a $500,000 gift. Kemper, a 1926 MU graduate, was a well-known civic leader in Kansas City until his death in 1989. His 52-year career in banking included top positions at banks in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Commerce Bank manages the trust fund.