Professor honored by UGA's African Studies Institute

The University of Georgia's African Studies Institute has honored a faculty member for her dedication to African studies.

Professor Rose Chepyator-Thomson will be awarded the Lioba Moshi Award for Service in African Studies during a banquet on April 18. The award recognizes the efforts by a faculty member at UGA who is affiliated with the African Studies Institute.

Chepyator-Thomson, who teaches in the sport management program in the College of Education's department of kinesiology, teaches diverse, globally aware courses that focus on policy and sport. And as the organizer of the annual Global Education Forum, Chepyator-Thomson brings nationally renowned speakers to the UGA campus for a day focused on global issues as they relate to sport and education.

An 11-time track and cross-country all-American as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chepyator-Thomson was once considered Africa's fastest woman in the 1500- and 3000-meter races. Her research draws from this unique worldview, focusing on Kenyan runners and their athletic performance at the Olympics.

"The African Studies Institute unifies the entire university community through a variety of activities," said Chepyator-Thomson, noting faculty-led conferences, student-led participation in the Southeast Model African Union and the Darl Snyder lecture series. "I am honored to be a part of this community. The Lioba Moshi Award represents my contributions to this community since my arrival at the University of Georgia campus in the late 1990s."

The Lioba Moshi award is given each year in honor of the African Studies Institute's longest-serving director, and was established in 2012 as part of the institute's 25th anniversary.