Dr. Jean Scheller-Sampson: Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Jean Scheller-Sampson ’83 is known for the innovative “real-world activities” she incorporates into her undergraduate and graduate level management and marketing courses. She is one of approximately 100 St. Louis-area educators who received the prestigious Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011. Honorees from the kindergarten to college level are chosen for their passion for teaching, impact on student learning, knowledge and creativity.

"Her classes are highly interactive, interesting and relevant to today’s global issues,” said Dr. Christine Bahr, provost.

Before she became a college professor, Scheller-Sampson was a corporate human resource manager, and a bank and warehouse employee. Throughout her career, she has been a passionate advocate for hiring disabled workers. The 1983 McKendree graduate, a Maryville resident, has taught at the University since 2004.

"She demonstrates an unwavering commitment to incorporating active student learning and real-world activities in all of her classes,” Bahr added.

“Our students are used to getting up in front of people,” Scheller-Sampson said. She often takes them to professional conferences and the annual Intercollegiate Business Ethics Competition at Loyola Marymount University. She coordinates McKendree’s study abroad exchange program with the Paris Graduate School of Management, and advises the Phi Beta Lambda future business leaders’ organization, as well as transfer students for the School of Business. Her sports marketing students put their skills and talent to work on various campus projects.

“We have great students,” Scheller-Sampson said. “It’s important to prepare them. They need to be able to learn to fail where it’s safe, so they know it’s OK and not to be devastated. They need to know what it’s like to work in the real world.”

“In addition to her excellent teaching skills, Dr. Scheller-Sampson is widely known among students for the care and concern that she demonstrates for each of them,” Bahr noted. “Many seek her out to serve as their academic advisor or internship supervisor. They know that she will treat them fairly and help them grow academically, socially, and professionally.

“When I see a student that just ‘gets it,’ there’s no other feeling like it,” Scheller-Sampson said. The mother of five children, ages five to 15, admits she feels “very melancholy” as she watches her former students receive their diplomas during the University’s commencement ceremony.