SPRINGFIELD, Mo., October 22, 2020 — Three Drury professors have been recognized with a statewide award for their efforts to make engaging discussion of the humanities accessible to the Springfield community.
Drs. Chris Panza, Peter Browning and Ted Vaggalis were honored by the Missouri Humanities Council as recipients of the Excellence in Education Award. The award highlights outstanding efforts in education that not only inspire students but also engage the general public.
For more than two years, the three longtime faculty members in Drury’s department of History, Philosophy and Religion have held a weekly public reading group open to all students, faculty, staff and community members about the works of some of history’s most influential philosophers. The group has dissected the works of thinkers such as Cicero, Soren Kierkegaard and Alasdair MacIntyre. The group is currently reading and discussing Nietzsche in a virtual format.
True to Drury’s interdisciplinary ethos, the group’s discussions are often wide-ranging and challenging, covering not just philosophy but thinking about what the works they read have to say about numerous facets of our lives today. In a virtual presentation of awards this week, Missouri Humanities Council Executive Director Steve Belko said the project “covers facets of classical, modern and contemporary philosophers and fosters not only joy in exchanging ideas with others but has engendered friendship, discourse and understanding.”
MHC will recognize all of the nominees and winners at its first-ever awards luncheon on March 18, 2021 at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City.
The group covers a different philosopher each semester. If you are interested in learning more about the group or joining the next session, email Dr. Chris Panza at cpanza@drury.edu.
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