Athens, Ga. – The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia awarded honors for excellence in teaching, research and advising at its annual faculty awards luncheon on May 1.
“The faculty of the Franklin College are some of the most outstanding, hard-working and productive members of the University of Georgia community,” said Dean Garnett S. Stokes. “I’m happy to call them colleagues and delighted to be able to recognize their accomplishments and contributions to UGA.”
The Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship was awarded to Clinton McCrory (mathematics). This award is for faculty members who have demonstrated that they are gifted, dedicated and superior teachers. McCrory will receive $7,850 a year for three years.
Also awarded were the Sandy Beaver Awards for Excellence in Teaching to Michael Hussey (theatre and film studies), William Kazez (mathematics), Patricia Richards (sociology), Isabelle Wallace (Lamar Dodd School of Art), and Zheng-Hua Ye (plant biology). Each winner receives a cash award of $2,800.
The Sandy Beaver professorship and awards were established in 1978 by trustees of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville. The endowment honors Gen. Sandy Beaver, a 1903 UGA graduate who was president of Riverside for 56 years. The awards annually honor faculty members in arts and sciences who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to high-quality instruction. Faculty members of all ranks, but particularly those engaged in undergraduate teaching, are eligible.
The M.G. Michael Award, which is given to stimulate and promote research in the arts and sciences, was given to Kristin Kundert-Gibbs (theatre and film studies), Nicole Lazar (statistics), and Martijn van Wagtendonk (Lamar Dodd School of Art).
The Michael Award was established in 1944 by LeRoy Michael of Athens to stimulate new initiatives in scholarship in all areas of the arts and sciences. Its primary purpose is to encourage the development of a new idea or project during the year following the award. While the award is not given in recognition of previous research accomplishments, it does require that recipients be proficient researchers. The awardees received $3,000 each.
Franklin College Outstanding Advisor Awards were also given at the luncheon to Roxanne Eberle (English), faculty advisor, and Jane Mann (Franklin College Office of Advising), professional advisor. The award was established in 1989 by the dean’s office to recognize outstanding academic advising in the college. Students nominate their advisor in one of two categories, faculty advisor or professional advisor. The nominations are read by a subcommittee of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board, which then chooses a recipient from each category.
Inaugural First-year Outstanding Instructor Awards were given to Betty Jean Craige (comparative literature and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts), Mark Farmer (cellular biology), Robert Shewfelt (food science and technology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), and Juergen Wiegel (microbiology).
The Franklin College and the Honors Program offer awards each year to outstanding first-year seminar instructors on the basis of participation in the program, quality and innovativeness of the seminars, and evaluations, if available. The awardees receive a $1,000 support account for research and travel.
Also recognized were Franklin College faculty members who received University-level awards. They include:
Levon Ambartsumian (Hugh Hodgson School of Music; Albert Christ-Janer Award); Steven Beach ( psychology; Distinguished Research Professor); Jason Cantarella (mathematics; Russell Teaching Award); William Dennis (physics and astronomy; Graduate School Outstanding Mentoring Award); Michael Duncan (chemistry; Regents Professor); Timothy Hoover (microbiology; Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor); Bob Ivarie (genetics; Inventor’s Award); Richard Meagher (genetics; Distinguished Research Professor); Jennifer Monahan (speech communication; Creative Research Medal); Lioba Moshi (comparative literature and African Studies Institute; University Professor); Daniel Nakano (mathematics; Creative Research Medal); Virginia Nazarea (anthropology; William A. Owens Award); Linda Renzulli (sociology; Russell Teaching Award); Boris Striepen (cellular biology; Creative Research Medal); and David Williams( religion and Honors Program; Meigs Professor).
Faculty members named to endowed professorships during FY2007 were honored as well. They are Valery Alexeev (mathematics; David C. Barrow Professor of Mathematics); Frederick Burchinal (Hugh Hodgson School of Music; Wyatt and Margaret Anderson Professor in the Arts); Richard Friedman (religion; Ann and Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies); Richard Neupert (theatre and film studies; Charles H. Wheatley Professor in the Arts); and Max Reinhart (Germanic and Slavic languages; A.G. Steer Professor in Goethe Studies).
Endowed professorships in the Franklin College provide crucial support for the work of outstanding faculty members across disciplines. Some of these positions were established generations ago and have a long tradition of distinguished holders, while others are newly created with the generous support of current donors to the college. In all cases, the Franklin College is grateful – both to those donors whose providence created the positions and to the faculty who hold these named positions, whose work makes the donors and the college proud.
Faculty members who have played an important role in the Franklin College’s efforts to connect with alumni and friends and build private support for the people and programs throughout the college were recognized also. Those members include Douglas Anderson (English), James C. Cobb (history), Claudio Saunt (history), and Isabelle Wallace (Lamar Dodd School of Art).
Faculty members can speak first hand about the excitement of the classroom and the laboratory, and provide potential donors with a glimpse of the intellectual vitality of the college. While many faculty members have provided outstanding assistance in reaching out to donors to their departments and programs, several have gone above and beyond, to represent the Franklin College as a whole to a broad spectrum of alumni and friends.
The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA is the oldest and largest college on campus. With more than 630 faculty members and 16,000 students – and 30 departments and 20 programs and centers – the Franklin College spans disciplines from anthropology to women’s studies, and includes the Lamar Dodd School of Art and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. The Franklin College reaches nearly all UGA students, whether through such core classes as English and mathematics; advanced courses such as music theory and simulation physics; study abroad opportunities throughout the world; or through the advising office. The generosity of alumni and friends has established important endowment support for students, faculty members and programs throughout the Franklin College. For more information, visit www.franklin.uga.edu.