2021 Paul H. Gault Service Award

This award is presented annually to a retired Park University faculty or staff member who provided a minimum 15 years of distinguished service to the University.

Donna Bachmann, professor emerita of art, remembers waiting for her interview at Park University in 1986. “I was sitting in a Mackay Hall faculty lounge. A window was open to the warm summer breeze as I looked out to what was then and now, the most beautiful campus in the region. I wanted with every fiber of my being to be a part of this place.”

She never forgot her response to one of many interview questions that set the course for her future. “When asked ‘Why do you want to teach at Park?’ I responded with a truth that I hadn’t fully realized until that moment. I said I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. And for the next 27 years, I got my wish. It has been a privilege.”

As a faculty member, program coordinator and chair of Park’s Department of Art and Design, Bachmann served the University until her retirement in 2013. During her tenure, Bachmann expanded the department to include professional programs in graphic design and interior design, initiated the first online art history course and set the groundwork for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her artistic contributions to the flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus include serving as director of the Campanella Gallery and development of a multipanel campus mural depicting the history of Park by American mural artist Eric Bransby.

Bachmann, who taught drawing, painting and three-dimensional design, is a professional artist in her own right. With work ranging from oil on canvas to collage and assemblage, Bachmann has exhibited in individual and group shows throughout the Midwest.

Bachmann reflected on the many meaningful experiences with faculty members and administrators, including her award namesake, Paul Gault, ’60, MPA ’88. “Among Park administrators, he stands out for his steadfastness, ethics, versatility and kindness,” she said. “To have my much briefer service to Park compared in any way to Paul Gault’s service is humbling.”

The greatest honor, according to Bachmann, has been the opportunity to teach hundreds of Park students over the years. “It’s thrilling to continue following their art, their families, their successes and adventures,” she said.

Paul Gault, ’60, MPA ’88, and Donna Bachmann