Goucher Alumna Wins Big on Jeopardy

The category is “Prof pride.”

Here’s the clue: That pesky buzzer notwithstanding, this Rowan University professor was a three-day champion on the game show, “Jeopardy!” in March of 2023.

Answer: Who is Melissa Klapper?

A historian in Rowan’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Klapper used her vast knowledge of the arts, history, popular culture, and other topics to win $60,100 on the nationally televised quiz show March 20^th-23^rd.

Klapper’s reign as “Jeopardy!” champion ended on March 23^rd when she finished third in the game won by Alec Chao, a management and program analyst from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“This is the first time and the last time that some of my students think I’m cool,” quips Klapper, now in her 22^nd year teaching at Rowan, where she specializes in American and women’s history with a focus on the late 19^th and early 20^th century. She is also the coordinator of women’s and gender studies.

A “Jeopardy!” fan since her youth—she tried out unsuccessfully for the game show’s teen tournament in the late 1980s—Klapper completed a series of increasingly difficult online tests last June and an audition to qualify to become a contestant.

She was in the contestant pool for several months before she got the call to be on “Jeopardy!” Klapper flew to California over winter break and taped her shows on January 10. The production tapes five shows daily.

Read the full story on the Rowan Univeristy news page.