Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy has incredible superpowers. During her 28 years at MSU, she has been an inspiring mentor for generations of female faculty and students. In that capacity, she has impacted many lives, not only at the university, but also in the community and across the state and region. She is extraordinary – as a scholar, teacher, mentor and colleague. Murphy is renowned for her scholarship on gender in the American West. She is an outstanding teacher, beloved by her students, both undergraduate and graduate; has done more than her fair share of service at all levels and does so with talent, wit and the highest standards of behavior. She has mentored generations of younger scholars and students. There is a saying in academia that if you want a job done, just look for the busiest woman on campus. This saying may have been coined for Murphy, who not only gets the job done, but sets the standard. In addition, she skillfully uses her wealth of institutional knowledge to help women succeed within the university structure. She is exemplary in encouraging women faculty to be happy by finding balance in their personal lives and in the Bozeman community.

Mary Murphy has been honored with nearly every award offered by MSU because she is that RARE faculty member who does it all – works as a gifted teacher, has a passion for her research and is endowed with the skills of running an efficient meeting. When she retires – hopefully not any time soon – MSU will need to hire three people to replace her.