C. James Britton Scholarship

The C. James Britton Scholarship is available through the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation for an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree within the Department of Sociology. This scholarship is made possible by way of gifts from friends, family, and colleagues of James Britton upon his retirement from the University of Central Missouri. A student must be full-time pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree within Sociology or Social Work and have earned a minimum of 90 credit hours by the time of application. Must have earned a minimum of 9 credit hours if a graduate student with a 3.75 GPA.

Dr. James Britton is both a professional magician and an outstanding educator. He retired from the University of Central Missouri after 39 years in the profession. Dr. Britton has been described as a master teacher who could successfully cross academic divisions and audiences. Perhaps the highest compliment he ever received was that "he should teach other teachers. Dr. Britton was torn between private law practice and teaching. He loved teaching so much, in fact, that he wanted to broaden his scope as an educator and returned to school for a doctorate in sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned his undergraduate degree and a juris doctorate at the University of Iowa. Dr. Britton thought he would teach sociology for a while, then go back to the business school where he started, but sociology became his “first love.” Dr. Britton served as chair of the department of sociology at UCM from 1971 to 1982 then returned to full-time teaching in the department.

Dr. Britton’s enthusiasm for his subject matter was reflected in the many student evaluations which not only praised him for his commitment to excellence but for his efforts to nurture student achievement. Students appreciated his ability to make the material come alive, often creatively. Dr. Britton was a long-time magician before he entered the teaching field and was known to dazzle his students with card tricks and other magic feats as a way to better illustrate topics. Dr. Britton’s skill in the classroom was praised by his peers with him twice being honored with the College of Education and Human Services “Outstanding Teaching Award.”