Tami Davenport accepts the Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence – Trailblazer from Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling last month at a ceremony following the annual State of the University Address. On Sept. 3, the University of Missouri Board of Curators honored Davenport as an inaugural recipient of the Curators’ Outstanding Staff Awards. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
The University of Missouri–St. Louis recently recognized Tami Davenport for her outstanding contributions to the university, bestowing the Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence – Trailblazer.
Davenport, manager of community college relationships in the Office of Admissions, added another prestigious accolade to her resume last week. The University of Missouri Board of Curators honored Davenport and five other staff members from across the University of Missouri System as the inaugural recipients of the Curators’ Outstanding Staff Awards on Sept. 3.
“Today, we congratulate six staff members who exemplify the dedication, professionalism and commitment to service that make the University of Missouri thrive,” Board Chair Todd Graves said. “Their impact is felt every day in our classrooms, clinics, offices and communities by countless people across our state.”
The new award will be presented to up to six staff members annually: three from the University of Missouri-Columbia (including MU Health Care and the UM System) and one each from UMSL, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The recipients were nominated by campus leaders and selected by the Board of Curators based on their impact to their respective institutions, their commitment to customer service and for exhibiting excellence and a collaborative spirit. In recognition of their achievements, they will also receive $1,000 and a certificate presented during a Board of Curators meeting on their home campus.
Davenport’s impact in the Office of Admissions has been driven by her meaningful collaboration, strategic relationship-building and a vision for expanding educational opportunity for the region’s students. As a vital connector between multiple community college campuses and nearly every undergraduate academic program at UMSL, Davenport has strengthened partnerships that create lasting opportunities for transfer students. Her leadership has resulted in the completion of 12 articulation agreements, transforming her commitment to student advocacy into seamless pathways for academic success.
“She’s forged strong connections between academic units here at UMSL, took the lead on formulating transfer guides and articulation agreements and met with transfer students to discuss their pathways at UMSL,” one nominator wrote. “Everything Tami does has the student at the center.”
