COLUMBIA, Mo. – Barbara Nyden, assistant professor of accounting/entrepreneurship at Missouri State University-West Plains, recently was honored by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon with the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education.
The 15 recipients of this year’s award were recognized during a luncheon in their honor on Wednesday, April 2, at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia. The annual award honors outstanding faculty from post-secondary public schools, colleges and universities within the state. The recipients were selected by their respective institutions for effective teaching, innovation in course design and delivery, effective advising, service to the institution’s community, and commitment to high standards of excellence.
“We are extremely proud of Ms. Nyden, who epitomizes the high standards expected of our faculty,” said Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett. “She and others like her are one of the reasons why we are so successful.”
In nominating Nyden for the award, her peers noted her ability to bring real world application into the classroom because of her long and diverse career in business. “She understands her subject thoroughly and can make applied practical explanations that students understand,” they said. “She consistently looks for new ways to convey understanding of a complex area. She devotes an incredible amount of time to her students and subject in incorporating new technologies and teaching techniques in her preparation and classroom instruction, as well as after class visits, tutoring sessions and work with student organizations.”
Off campus, her nominators noted she has been a force for positive change in the community. “Since her arrival, her talents have been called upon by a wide variety of community groups and civic causes. She is able to bring this new local experience to students in the classroom, student activities and organizations, helping them to realize our public affairs mission. For our students, she is the model for community engagement and ethical leadership.”
Nyden has eight years of teaching experience, all at Missouri State-West Plains, and 30 years of applied accounting experience in the business world. She received an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Programming degree from College of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill., in 1988, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration/Accounting Concentration from Mundelein College of Loyola University in Chicago, Ill., in 1992 and a Master of Business Administration – Health Services Management from Keller Graduate School of Management in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., in 1998.
For more information about the degree offerings at Missouri State University-West Plains, visit the campus’ website, wp.missouristate.edu.