May is Mental Health Awareness Month and reminds us that the conditions we create for one another travel farther than we think. Across UMKC, that shows up in mentoring, in community partnerships, and in the everyday ways we help each other to shine. 

The region is also preparing to welcome the world. Kansas City will host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with training sites and team base camps. You can explore the KC World Cup match schedule and learn more about the regional team base camps across the area.

Far and wide, there is a sense of scale right now. Work that begins here carries outward. What we build together holds.

2:27 min · Keywords: Academic Year Close · Faculty Recognition · Digital Accessibility · Artificial Intelligence · HLC Quality Initiative

UMKC has been named a Network Champion by FirstGen Forward, a national organization that recognizes universities that have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for first-generation students. 

The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) held its inaugural Research and Innovation Excellence Awards ceremony to recognize faculty achievements across disciplines and career stages, highlighting the breadth and impact of the university’s research mission.

The awards highlighted faculty at every stage of their careers and across disciplines, reflecting the full scope of UMKC’s research mission.

UMKC celebrated faculty excellence in teaching, research, service, and leadership at the Faculty Awards ceremony held April 27, 2026, at the Linda Hall Library. From career-spanning contributions to emerging excellence, this year’s awardees reflect the depth and range of impact across our schools and disciplines. See the full list of 2026 honorees and join us in recognizing their work.

Associate Dean of Library Services

Brenda Linares, Associate Dean of Library Services, was invited to participate in Rutgers’ inaugural Mary Hay Glass Symposium on health information, reflecting her leadership in health information literacy and past presidency of the Medical Library Association.

The symposium convened a group of experts to address critical issues in health information research, medical librarianship, and clinical health practice innovations.

Wednesday, May 6 | 5 pm
Downtown Kansas City Public Library | Mountain Gallery

You are invited to the opening reception of the student-led exhibition titled Calls from Home: Artistic Responses on Unsettled Ground, developed as part of Izabel Galliera's History of Exhibitions and Curatorial Practice course. The exhibition explores the theme of “home” and features paintings, drawings, photographs, digital art, sculptures and poems.

Recent work in artificial intelligence has explored what some researchers call historically bounded models. These systems are trained only on data from a defined period to examine how knowledge forms within constraint. One example draws on sources prior to 1930, asking what can be known without the benefit of what came later.

The idea is not prediction so much as perspective. What do we assume is obvious now that once was not. What do we take for granted as permanent that may not hold. For faculty, the question lands close to home. Our work is always shaped by what we inherit and what we choose to keep in view.

Duderstadt, Brandon, and Hayden Helm. 2025. A Model of the Language Process. Calcifer Computing. 

UMKC people are taking the national stage. Recent news coverage featuring the insights and achievements of our faculty and alumni reflect the depth of expertise and influence within our community—and how it shapes nationwide narratives.

CONSERVATORY

Michael Mermagen, Professor of Cello at the UMKC Conservatory, joined fellow members of The Frontier String Quartet in a performance to showcase a rare collection of instruments owned by the University of Saskatchewan.

BLOCH SCHOOL

Susan Opp, Schutte Professor Chair at the Bloch School, was  featured for her expertise on gentrification in an investigative report on the potential risks and benefits for low-income homeowners of the contract for deed. 

BLOCH SCHOOL

Christopher Garmon, Associate Professor of Health Administration, was featured for his expertise on health economics in an article on MU Health Care's acceleration of its financial recovery plan following a reported $56 million revenue shortfall.

ALUMNUS

Kameron Saunders — dancer for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and brother of a former Kansas City Chiefs player — received the 2026 UMKC Conservatory Alumni Achievement Award on Friday, and will return to UMKC to speak to graduates next month.

CAFE is excited to invite 10 faculty to pilot OpenScholar Research Hubs!

OS Research Hubs is a powerful new way to showcase your work, connect with collaborators, and identify funding opportunities. If you are selected as a participant, you’ll receive a personalized Research Hub webpage and a curated funding match tailored to your scholarship.

If you have a published OpenScholar site, you know you can already activate OS Match, a funding finder that is tuned to your research.  If you haven’t started with OpenScholar yet (and even if you have!), you can engage the next level with OS Research Hubs for an auto-generated page that brings together your expertise, your network, and publications with OS Match.  

It only needs to be validated by you, and only needs to be updated if you decide to make a major shift in your research focus areas.

The deadline to apply is May 18, 2026.

The Faculty Fellows program has been redesigned around a small number of clearly defined roles tied to institutional priorities. Fellows contribute to targeted initiatives with concrete deliverables and work as part of a cohort across the academic year. The work is collaborative, time-bound, and aimed at lasting impact. Apply today!  The deadline for completed applications is May 29, 2026.

CAFE is launching a brand new year-long series!  Faculty in Practice will showcase faculty whose work offers insight others can use. Each session is a structured and informal conversation focused on how work takes shape over time, including the decisions, tradeoffs, and patterns that are often learned informally or too late.

If you’ve developed an approach to your work that others could learn from, consider applying before May 20, 2026.

If a colleague comes to mind whose perspective or experience would benefit others, consider nominating them before May 20, 2026.

UMKC Staff Council is launching a car seat drive for Operation Breakthrough. Because car seats can be a significant expense, this effort is designed to make it easy for everyone to contribute in a way that works for them. There are multiple ways you can help, either on your own or by teaming up with colleagues or your department:

Questions? Email staffcouncil@umkc.edu

Your Expertise Matters! The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office is seeking staff and faculty volunteers to assist with scholarship application reviews. Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the integrity and impact of our scholarship programs. Your participation helps ensure students are supported equitably and thoughtfully, and we are grateful for your willingness to serve.

The deadline to volunteer is May 31st, 2026.

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The Faculty Affairs Newsletter is edited and published every other week by the Diane Filion Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence as a service to UMKC communities.