• Brent Buckner, professor of biology, received the 2014 Excellence in Education Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists for his commitment to innovative teaching and high-quality mentoring, along with his engagement in funded projects that reach far beyond the University. He was commended for his impressive record of working with undergraduate students on meaningful research projects leading to mutual publications, as well as placing students into excellent graduate and professional programs.

• Robert B. Graber, professor emeritus of anthropology, served as guest editor for a special issue of the higher education journal On the Horizon. It can be found online at emeraldinsight.com.

• Jesse Krebs, associate professor of clarinet, performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 with the Kansas City Symphony (Jan. 22-26) at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.

• Chad Montgomery, associate professor of biology, has been selected as the new director of the Office of Student Research. He succeeds Michael Goggin, professor of physics, who served as the interim director during the past year. The OSR serves as a central resource for student research, scholarship and creative activities at Truman and works to promote, facilitate, highlight and assess faculty-mentored student research across all disciplines.

• Troy Paino was recognized as the “most devoted” university president by the website NerdScholar. In February, in honor of Presidents Day, the site compiled a list of personable presidents. The site is dedicated to helping students find the right school for them.

• Truman’s MLK Day of Service was recognized in the January edition of Missouri Campus Compact (Vol. 5, No. 2).