Missouri State to honor Sen. Karla Eslinger for advocacy, long education career
A lawmaker who has devoted most of her career to education will be honored this year by Missouri State.
The university announced Friday that Republican state Sen. Karla Eslinger will receive the 2022 Government Excellence Award for her advocacy and support for MSU.
Eslinger, the former superintendent in Ava and West Plains, worked for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the U.S. Department of Education.
In 2020, she was elected to the Missouri Senate, where she represents a district that includes Douglas, Howell, Ozark, and Texas counties in southern Missouri.
The MSU Board of Governors voted Friday to present Eslinger with the award Dec. 16, during the fall commencement ceremony.
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In a news release, MSU said Eslinger advocated for the university and led Senate support for multiple million-dollar construction projects for the Pace Industrial Science Center and the ASCEND program on the West Plains campus.
“We are grateful for Sen. Eslinger’s continued support of the university and education,” said MSU President Clif Smart in the release. “Her passion for education and Missouri is evident in all her work and has made our state better.”
Eslinger, who has more than 30 years of experience in education, earned a master’s degree in education administration and a specialist degree in superintendency and educational system administration from Missouri State.
The Government Excellence Award is awarded to government officials who exemplify leadership, support the university and have outstanding achievements.
The university president and administrative council recommend award recipients. Executive committees of the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government Association support the nomination prior to going before the Board of Governors for approval.
The award was given to Clay Goddard, former director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, in 2021 for his leadership during the pandemic. In 2020, the award went to Mayor Ken McClure.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU to honor Sen. Karla Eslinger for advocacy, long education career
