The university will recognize top student scholars, superior teachers and outstanding faculty advisers and mentors at the annual Honors Day program April 22.
The program takes place in Hugh Hodgson Hall in the Performing Arts Center at 2 p.m. Undergraduate classes scheduled for sixth, seventh and eighth periods (1:25-4:25 p.m.) will be dismissed so students and faculty can attend. The East Campus parking deck (E04) will be open without charge for public parking for the ceremony.
It will be televised live on UGA cable channel 15 and will be streamed live on the Internet.
Charles Atwood, professor of chemistry and coordinator of freshman chemistry, will be the Honors Day speaker. Atwood has been named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor for this year. He also received the 2009 University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ Teaching Excellence and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.
Several hundred students will be recognized for academic excellence. They include 25 First Honor Graduates who have maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and students who rank in the top 5 percent of their schools and colleges. Four recipients of special national scholarships also will be recognized.
Honors Day also recognizes faculty members who are receiving awards for teaching excellence; faculty and staff who are being recognized as outstanding advisers and mentors; and graduate students who are receiving awards for teaching.
In addition to Atwood, two other faculty members will be presented as Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors, UGA’s highest recognition of superior instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They are Mark Compton, poultry science, and Michael Wetzstein, agricultural and applied economics.
Recipients of the Richard B. Russell Award, which recognizes junior faculty for outstanding teaching, also will be presented. They are Gayle Andrews, elementary and social studies education; Richard Menke, English; and Lance Palmer, housing and consumer economics.
In addition, Monique Leclerc, professor of crop and soil sciences, will be recognized as a Regents Professor.
The following faculty members will be recognized as outstanding teachers in the schools, colleges and units:
• Franklin College of Arts and Sciences: Valery Alexeev, mathematics; J. P. Caillault, physics; George Contini, theatre and film studies; Jonathan Evans, English; Anna Karls, microbiology; Dwight Manning, music; Thomas McCutchen, music; Richard Neupert, theatre and film studies; Ben Reynolds, art; and Jeremy Reynolds, sociology.
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Mark Compton, poultry science; Dennis Duncan, agricultural leadership and communication; Anish Malladi, horticulture; Joseph McHugh, entomology; Robert Shewfelt, food science and technology; and Don Shurley, agricultural and applied economics.
• School of Law: J. Randy Beck, C. Ronald Ellington and Peter Rutledge.
• College of Pharmacy: Robin Southwood, clinical and administrative pharmacy.
• Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources: Dale Greene and John Maerz.
• College of Education: Kevin Ayres, communication sciences and special education; and Melissa Freeman, lifelong education, administration and policy.
• Terry College of Business: Linda Bamber, accounting; Matej Blasko, banking and finance; Bob Bostrom, management information systems; Andrew Call, accounting; Santanu Chatterjee, economics; Kevin Ellis, marketing; Roberto Friedman, marketing; Charles Lankau III, insurance, legal studies and real estate; William Lastrapes, economics; Richard Martin, risk management and insurance; Karen Napoleon, management; Craig Piercy, management information systems; and Tao Shu, banking and finance.
• Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication: Mark Johnson, journalism; Betty Jones, advertising and public relations; Bill Lee, telecommunications; and Leonard Reid, advertising and public relations.
• College of Family and Consumer Sciences: Josè Blanco, textiles, merchandising and interiors; Joan Fischer, food and nutrition; Joseph Goetz, housing and consumer economics; and Charlotte Wallinga, child and family development.
• College of Veterinary Medicine: Cherlyn Roberts, anatomy and radiology.
• School of Social Work: Tom Artelt, Michelle Carney, Rufus Larkin, Larry Nackerud and Stephanie Swann.
• College of Environment and Design: Josè Buitrago, Georgia Harrison, David Spooner and Robert Vick.
• School of Public and International Affairs: Brock Tessman, international affairs.
• College of Public Health: Jessica Muilenburg, health promotion and behavior.
• Odum School of Ecology: Ron Carroll and Whit Gibbons.
• Division of Academic Enhancement: John Riggott, mathematics.
Jan Davis Barham will be recognized as the Student Affairs Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member.
Several faculty members will be honored for teaching excellence in the Honors Program. Winners of the J. Hatten Howard Award, which recognizes faculty who exhibit special promise in teaching Honors courses during their first term as an Honors Program instructor, are Jamie Carson, political science, and Rouslan Elistratov, religion.
The Lothar Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award is given to Honors faculty based on course evaluations. This year’s recipients are Scott Belville, art; Melenie Lankau, management; Richard Morrison, chemistry; and Fran Teague, English.
Virginia Nazarea, professor of anthropology, will be recognized as recipient of the Scholarship of Engagement Award.
Winners of the university’s annual award to a faculty and a staff member for excellence in academic advising and mentoring are Rebecca Baggett, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Wendy Dustman, microbiology.
The university recognizes outstanding efforts to involve undergraduate students in research with the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. This year’s winners are Brian Cummings, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences; Anna Karls, microbiology; and Dawn Robinson, sociology.
The Graduate School also recognizes faculty members with the Graduate School Outstanding Mentoring Award. The recipients are Joseph McHugh, entomology, and Andrew Zawacki, English.
Graduate teaching assistants are recognized for outstanding teaching performance with the Graduate School Excellence in Teaching Award. The winners are Daniel Bulger, geology; Caran Cagle, microbiology; Daleah Goodwin, women’s studies; Cara Gormally, plant biology; and Steven Nash, history.
Students who have received special national scholarships this year are Christina Faust, George Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship; Muktha Natrajan, Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Ashley Dronenburg and Mark Milby, Morris Udall Scholarship.
UGA began recognizing First Honor Graduates in 1978, instead of designating a graduating senior as valedictorian.
This year’ First Honor Graduates and their majors are:
Christopher T. Adams, Spanish; George F. Akers, theatre; Carrie A. Anderson, accounting; Tracy C. Bialis, psychology; Kevin P. Carpenter, social studies education; Kevin K. Chang, biology and religion; Andrew C. Clark, Latin; Amy K. Conway, landscape architecture; Elizabeth J. Daigle, Spanish and foreign language education; Daniel I. Hanna, economics and English; Morai Helfen, landscape architecture; Chandler P. Holbrook, international affairs and history; John H. Jennings, finance; Samantha K. Knoll, linguistics; Alexander B. Mayberry, accounting; Ryan J. Mullins, biology; Tulsi Patel, genetics; Neil T. Pfister, biochemistry and molecular biology, and genetics; Mary M. Powers, art/art history and theatre; Mark A. Rabideau, religion; Mary F. Reagin, middle school education; Robert M. Reed, finance; Selena M. Robinson, public relations; Julia B. Sauer, psychology; and Julia R. Schuchard, psychology.
