The high level of faculty accomplishments was also documented in the review process for promotion to associate professor and tenure for two of our assistant professors. The departmental tenure committee unanimously recommended to the University that Professors Nancy Shields and Chikako Usui be advanced. The review of their teaching, academic and service records revealed their high standing in the professional community which reflects most favorably on our department and its contributions to the growing reputation of the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Professor Herm Smith had barely returned from his year as distinguished Fulbright Professor to Japan when he assumed office as Presiding Officer of the UM-St. Louis Faculty Council - indeed a high honor both for the department and display of faculty confidence in him.
Congratulations are in order.
Within the larger community, alumns also continued to connect visibly with their departmental home. University of Missouri Curator Dr. Malaika B. Horn was pleased to receive the departments' Distinguished Alumn Award at a recent gathering and Alderperson Marit Clark, candidate for Mayor of the City of St. Louis, reminded your chairman that she had been a student in one of his classes. To this end, we invite you to respond to our survey. Members of the faculty represented the department at sociological meetings of the American Sociological Association, the Western Social Science Research Association, and The Midwest Sociology Society. Let me thank colleagues, students, and our wonderful staff, Alice Canavan and Tara Dahane, for their contributions to all these departmental efforts.