COLUMBIA – The ɫƵ Board of Curators today announced the resignation of curator Ann K. Covington of Columbia, due to personal reasons. The resignation of curator Covington, who was appointed to the board in 2013 by Governor Jay Nixon, is effective immediately.
“It has been a great honor to serve the four campuses of the ɫƵ in the role of curator, and I am 
deeply grateful for the opportunity,” Covington said. “At the time of my appointment nearly three years ago, I did not anticipate that in the course of the last eleven months I would lose my husband Charles (McClain), have hip replacement surgery and experience my younger granddaughter’s undergoing major surgery. Given these events in my personal life, I feel I cannot summon any longer the requisite energy for the faithful service that is demanded of a UM System curator, thus must step down.”
“I am confident in the leadership at the UM System and on all four campuses, which makes this difficult decision easier,” she said.
Representing the 4th Congressional District on the board, Covington’s term was set to expire on January 1, 2019. During her time on the board, she served as chair of the finance committee, and also served on the academic, student and external affairs and compensation and human resources committees.
“Ann Covington is one of the most extraordinary people I’ve had the pleasure to know. Her passion for the ɫƵ, and higher education in general, will be greatly missed,” said current board chair Donald Cupps of Cassville. “Ann’s judgement and vision have contributed so much to the university and it is a great loss to the system that personal circumstances have necessitated her early departure from the board. We wish her the best.”
A lawyer and judge for more than 30 years, Covington made history in 1989 when she was appointed as the first female judge to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court, where she instituted a number of significant judicial administration programs. Prior to her appointment, she sat on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, practiced law in Columbia and served as an assistant attorney general under Missouri Attorney General John Ashcroft. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 1963 and a juris doctorate from the ɫƵ School of Law in 1977.
The board of curators is the governing body of the ɫƵ and consists of nine members who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Curators serve six-year terms although, any replacement for Covington will serve only the remaining portion of her term.
Ann K. Covington Photo:
Ann K. Covington Letter to Governor Nixon:
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Reviewed 2015-11-19