Altrichter Earns Horace T. Morse Award

University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) Student Based Faculty (Senior Teaching Specialist) Shanna Altrichter, M.A. is the recipient of the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. The prestigious award honors excellence in undergraduate education across the University of Minnesota. 

In UMR’s short history, eight UMR faculty members have been honored with this award. This year a total of 11 faculty members across the system received this award. 

"Shanna's impact as an instructor is tangible: she leads her students through difficult material, not only helping them ask questions and explore solutions that will change the world, but helping them discover who they are and how far they can go in their lives," shared Paul Hanstedt, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation.

Her supportive and creative approach to instruction leads to collaborations with a wide range of faculty across disciplines such as biology, civic engagement, literature, psychology and public health to teach students in new innovative ways. Her collaborative work also includes directed studies and co-developing the sociology curriculum at UMR as well as a criminology class that sponsors an internship at the medical examiner's office here in Rochester.  

Shanna’s nominators and colleagues state, “Shanna is an example of what many educators aspire to be - engaging, passionate and inspirational.”

About Shanna Altrichter, MA

Shanna Altrichter earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Concordia College and a master’s in sociology from Baylor University. Altrichter teaches sociology at UMR and specializes in cross-disciplinary course instruction while providing students with the tools to evaluate society and their place within it through multiple lenses. She is committed to developing students’ knowledge and empathy as they attain their degrees in health science and beyond. 

Her pedagogical approach is centered on building relationships with students in and outside of the classroom and facilitating deep learning. Along with her teaching role, Altrichter has been a faculty advisor for the Rochester Hmong Student Association for the past eight years. 

About the Morse Alumni Award

Each year since 1965, the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education (Morse-Alumni Award) has been given to a select group of teachers who reflect the University's emphasis on the importance of high quality undergraduate education. Other UMR Morse-Alumni award winners include Cassidy Terrell, Jered Bright, Kelsey Metzger, Jake Wright, Jessie Barnett, Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain and Robb Dunbar.