The College of Arts and Sciences celebrated outstanding faculty with awards in advising, teaching, research, outreach, and service during its annual Winter Convocation last week.
“Faculty members are the engine that drives the success of the college and its programs,” said Theresa Lee, college dean. “Once a year, we gather to thank our faculty, to celebrate their contributions and accomplishments, and to publicly recognize a few individuals who represent the collective excellence of our entire faculty.”
Carol Harden was named the 2015 College Marshal, the highest college honor bestowed upon a faculty member. Harden is a professor and the former department head of geography. She has distinguished herself as an influential researcher and internationally recognized disciplinary leader since joining UT in 1987.
As College Marshal, Harden will represent the college in the spring and fall commencements.
John Zomchick, English professor and vice provost for faculty affairs, received the Lorayne W. Lester Award, established to recognize faculty and staff who have demonstrated outstanding service to the college and its various constituencies.
Soren Sorensen, professor and former department head of physics and astronomy, received the Diversity Leadership Award for his steadfast commitment to supporting the college and university’s commitment to diversity.
Here’s a list of the other honors presented:
James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Outstanding Teaching Awards (These awards honor tenured faculty for classroom teaching.)
- Debora Baldwin, associate professor of psychology
- Luis Cano, associate professor of modern foreign languages and literatures
Excellence in Teaching Awards
- David Anderson, professor of mathematics
- Harriet Bowden, assistant professor of modern foreign languages and literatures
- Laura Hoffer, senior lecturer of English
- Vejas Liulevicius, professor of history
- Joseph Miles, assistant professor of psychology
- Kevin Sukanek, senior lecturer of mathematics
Faculty Advising Award
- Bill Hardwig, associate professor of English
- Remus Nicoara, associate professor of mathematics
Faculty Academic Outreach Awards (These awards recognize faculty who have extended their scholarship and creative activity to directly benefit the community beyond the university.)
- Chris Elledge, assistant professor of psychology
- Gilya Schmidt, professor of religious studies
- Eugene Wofford, research associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
Faculty Research and Creative Achievement Award (These awards recognize faculty at the early-career, mid-career, and senior-career levels, and also recognize a faculty member who has had a distinguished research career at UT.)
Early-Career Awards
- Vasileios Maroulas, assistant professor of mathematics
- Micheline van Riemsdijk, assistant professor of geography
Mid-Career Awards
- Emily Bivens, associate professor of art
- David Jenkins, associate professor of chemistry
- Greg Reynolds, associate professor of psychology
- Steven Wise, associate professor in mathematics
Senior-Career Awards
- Kristina Gordon, professor of psychology
- Aleydis Van de Moortel, associate professor of classics
- Thomas Papenbrock, associate professor of mathematics
- Jay Rubenstein, professor of history
- Shih-Lung Shaw, professor of geography
Distinguished Research Career at UT
- Carol Harden, professor of geography
Interdepartmental Collaboration in Scholarship and Research Award (This award highlights successful teamwork among faculty across disciplines and specialties.)
- Hoan Bui, associate professor of sociology
- Todd Moore, associate professor of psychology
New Research, Scholarly, and Creative Projects in the Arts and Humanities Award (This award provides an outstanding faculty member with financial support for advancing scholarship or creative work that will lead to significant new external professional recognition.)
- Shellen Wu, assistant professor of history
For more about the awards, visit the College of Arts and Sciences.
The College of Arts and Sciences is made up of twenty-one academic departments and schools, seven centers and institutes, and thirteen interdisciplinary programs. The college’s academic programs are served by more than 600 instructional faculty members.
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CONTACT:
Lynn Champion (865-974-2992, champion@utk.edu)