By Jeff Murphy,
June 20, 2019
Linda Harris, left, designer in the ŷƵ Office of Integrated
Marketing and Communications (IMC), receives the 2019 Foster/Inglish Award for Outstanding
Achievement and Service in Public Relations from Kelly Waldram Cramer, director of
IMC.
WARRENSBURG, MO – Linda Harris, a staff member described as someone who “truly exemplifies
service to the ŷƵ, the Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) office and to students,” has received the 2019 Foster/Inglish Award for Outstanding Achievement
and Service in Public Relations.
Harris, who resides in LaMonte, Missouri, joins a growing list of individuals who
have received the award since the first presentation was made in 2001. The award was
created in 2000 to honor achievement and service by members of the university’s Office
of Public Relations, which today is named Integrated Marketing and Communications
to reflect the multi-faceted communications responsibilities shared by staff members.
John Inglish, university director emeritus of public relations, established an endowment
through the UCM Alumni Foundation the year he retired to honor his longtime friend
and mentor, Carl Foster, who retired as director emeritus of public relations in 1986
after 19 years of service to the university. Inglish devoted more than 27 years to
UCM’s public relations office before he retired.
Kelly Waldram Cramer, IMC director, made the award presentation during a staff meeting
on June 18. She pointed out that the award recognizes achievement and service of
regular, full-time members of the university’s PR (IMC) staff. Harris becomes the
17th person to receive the award since its inception.
In announcing the award recipient, Waldram Cramer said “collaborative, excellence,
initiative, integrity and problem solver” are words that describe Harris and what
makes her a highly valued member of the staff. She noted that Harris works on many
different projects that serve clients across the university, and has particularly
excelled in her efforts to help IMC with their acquisition of alumni communications.
This includes her outstanding design work and other contributions to “UCM Magazine,”
a publication that reaches thousands of university graduates.
“Linda played an integral role in the success of our alumni communications. She doesn’t
shy away from operating outside of her job description and does so with a smile on
her face,” Waldram Cramer said.
Harris is a UCM alumna who graduated summa cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine
Arts in commercial art. Prior to beginning work at UCM in November 2016, she served
Callis Integrated Marketing in Sedalia for more than 16 years in positions that included
responsibilities as a creative director.
"I'm very honored and surprised to have received this award. I have the pleasure of
working with a team of professionals who perform at a level of excellence that is
second to none,” Harris said. “They make me better simply by being a part of their
team, and I know what we do makes a difference in the lives of the students who we
serve.”
She added, “It is a privilege to return to my alma mater where the faculty and staff
have a genuine interest in each student's success. I'm thankful for the opportunity
to help promote this campus and its programs to future students so they too can realize
their dreams."
Harris and her husband, Shawn, are the parents of one son, Benjamin, 8. The Harris
family is engaged in activities that support education, their local and surrounding
communities, and their church.