Faculty Spotlight: Dori Waggoner

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Waggoner Named 2020 Perry Fellow Recipient Proud to Continue Tradition of Music Excellence By EMILY KESEL

Dr. Dori Waggoner, ’92, says she was surprised to learn that she had been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award at Central Methodist University. The Fine Arts Division chair and professor of music just completed her 10th year as a Central professor and sees herself as more of a team player than a standout.

“We have so many strong faculty that are really invested in education on campus,” Waggoner said. “I don’t know that I do anything that is significantly different or stronger than many of my colleagues. I was surprised, very flattered, very honored.”

Her dedication to the success and wellbeing of her students, however, has not gone overlooked by anyone, from her freshman students to the university provost.

“Dr. Waggoner has worked tirelessly this summer to support her undergraduate and graduate students [as they] continue to stay engaged and meet their educational goals,” said Dr. Rita Gulstad, CMU provost.

While Waggoner’s work in that regard has certainly had to change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, her tireless commitment Day and Music Fest – but eventually felt the to helping students meet their academic goals call to higher education. is nothing new. She’s known she wanted to “It came to a point when I was ready for be a band director ever a different challenge,” she since eighth grade, when said. another current CMU After earning her faculty member was her doctorate, Waggoner’s teacher. first teaching job was at

“Skip Vandelicht was Kansas State University, my middle school band a four-hour drive from director, and after being where the rest of her part of such a successful family still resided in program and enjoying Fayette. She taught there making music so much, I for a year, commuting just decided, ‘That’s what between the two states and I want to be when I grow living four days a week up,’” she said. in an apartment, before

And, so she did. a position opened up at Waggoner went on Central. She applied and to attend Central got the job, cutting the Methodist and receive Dr. Dori Waggoner length of her commute an undergraduate degree from four hours to four in music education, then became a middle minutes, “and that’s if I have to stop and and high school band director herself. She wait for traffic as I cross Highway 5.” enjoyed the job – especially when she was It wasn’t just Central’s proximity to her able to bring her students to CMU for Band loved ones that made returning to her alma

mater such a welcome experience, though. Waggoner cites the music education program’s long history of excellence as something that both prepared her to be successful as a teacher and something she’s proud to help carry on as a member of the faculty herself.

“I think one of the things that I bring to the table is keeping a strong sense of collaboration, a strong sense of teamwork, in the department. At a lot of universities, you can look at their music department and it’s pretty fractured because there’s some sort of perceived competition,” Waggoner said. “And that’s just not the way we do things at Central. We work really hard to work together, because every student interacts with all of the different spheres. We try to have an environment where it’s not about the professor and the wonderful things they’re doing, it’s about the students and how the professors can help the students move to the next step in their life. That has been the tradition for many, many years, and I’m just trying to continue that philosophy.”

In her role as a professor of music theory and the freshman survival skills courses, she notes that studying music can help students in crucial ways.

“I am most interested in helping students develop their critical thinking and problemsolving skills, and music is my tool to do that,” Waggoner said. “I wholeheartedly believe that music is an important part of our lives and is worth our time and investment for study. But, my number-one goal is to help young people unlock their ability to think, to thrive, and to be successful.”

That commitment to students’ individual success is shared by the entire staff of the Conservatory, where Waggoner says faculty members have the privilege of being able to teach students both in the private lesson setting and the larger classroom setting.

“We get to know our students very well,” said Waggoner, who likened the music faculty’s relationships with their students to that of the coach/player relationship in sports. “We do so many things together with all of our performances. We’re with the students in the evenings and on the weekends and in that time before and after concerts and recitals. Those are wonderful opportunities to get to know them as individuals and learn about their dreams.”

Waggoner is confident that the faculty has been able to continue that tradition of connecting on a personal level with students, even while social distancing measures and other aspects of life at CMU have been different this year. She and the other fine arts professors worked hard all summer to not only prepare themselves for being able to teach in different ways, but also preparing students to accept that things weren’t going to look the way they always have.

Under Waggoner’s leadership, they sent around an iBook outlining how the semester was expected to go and held Zoom meetings where students could ask questions and discuss different topics. They planned little adaptations and big changes. They did all they could to try to reassure students that the special experience that is a music education at Central isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re still going to make music together. We’re still going to have fun together. We’re still going to have Chicken Strip Friday,” Waggoner said before the semester, citing a favorite weekly tradition among the students. “Some things just have to be different. We will still make music; we will just do it differently.

The Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award goes annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated a genuine commitment to student experiences, growth, and achievement beyond normal teaching and mentoring engagement.

Commercial Trust Donates $100,000 Toward COVID-19 Effort

There is a symbiotic Jacobs said Central is a major relationship between the economic driver in the community Fayette community and and in “many ways the ideological Central Methodist University, and soul of Fayette was well.” it has become even more evident She said the Commercial Trust during the global pandemic. Central’s family recognizes and applauds the proactive and assertive approach efforts of the CMU administration, toward universal COVID-19 testing faculty, staff and students to continue and keeping students safe has been the educational, cultural, and social a model in the state of Missouri, and missions of the University in these it has had a positive influence on the challenging times. health and safety of the community President Roger Drake expressed in general. Central’s sincere appreciation for

That positive impact was the gift, and particularly for the recognized in November when university’s longtime partnership Commercial Trust Company with Commercial Trust. generously donated $100,000 to help “We’re so grateful that not only defray COVID-19-related expenses. Central but the entire community

Commercial Trust President Janet has such a dedicated partner in Jacobs, ’77, said CMU’s “proactive Commercial Trust,” Drake said. and protective actions…helped the “There’s a reason the word Trust is entire community feel safer in unsure prominent in their name.” times.”

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Members of the 1854 Society affect every aspect of Central and contribute directly to the experiences and success of each student.

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To learn more, contact Andrea Waner at 660-248-6260 or email 1854society@centralmethodist.edu