Department of Theatre

Suzanne Burgoyne has been teaching and directing theatre at MU since 1989. Her camaraderie with students is often praised, and a colleague calls her an “exemplary scholar of teaching and learning.” Burgoyne says she doesn’t want her students to be “clones” of her or accept her words as “final truth.” She adds, “I do encourage my students to think critically and creatively in pursuit of their own goals.”

Former students and other professors laud the enthusiasm Burgoyne brings to her work. One student says the lessons she learned from Burgoyne changed her life: “Now that I’ve been teaching, I realize that so many of my triumphs were inspired by her high expectations, commitment to social justice and the personal connection she made with me.” A colleague from another university calls her “one of the most active and highly recognized teachers in our field,” and an MU professor says: “Dr. Burgoyne is, without question, among the most passionate, vital, innovative and fully committed teachers in higher education. I cannot emphasize enough that Dr. Burgoyne has made a tremendous and lasting impact on the learning environment at the University of Missouri.”

Burgoyne received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, her master’s degree from Ohio State and her doctorate in theatre from the University of Michigan. She is a Carnegie Scholar, was named 2003 Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and has received the purple chalk award for outstanding teaching at MU.