College Kudos

College Convocation Awards

Every academic year, we recognize our faculty’s dedication and service to the college in a reception culminating the fall semester. The event is a celebration of the faculty, and awards are presented for excellence in teaching, research, advising, and outreach.

The Faculty Advising Service Awards recognize excellence in undergraduate advising to a faculty member in his or her department and to faculty advisors serving in the Arts and Sciences Advising Services.

The 2010 Departmental Advising Award recipient

• Dr. Gregory Kaplan, professor of Spanish

The 2010 Advising Services Advising Award recipients

• Dr. Jochen Denzler, associate professor of mathematics
• Dr. Ben H. Feldmeyer, assistant professor of sociology
• Dr. Kate Jones, assistant professor of physics and astronomy

The Faculty Research and Creative Achievement Awards recognize the achievements of individual faculty members in creative activity, scholarship, and research.

The 2010 Junior Faculty Research/Creative Achievement Award recipients

• Dr. Dawn A. Duke, associate professor of modern foreign languages and literatures
• Dr. Steven M. Wise, assistant professor of mathematics

The 2010 Senior Faculty Research/Creative Achievement Award recipients

• Dr. Xiaobing H. Feng, professor of mathematics
• Dr. Asafa Jalata, professor of sociology and interim director of Africana Studies

The Faculty Academic Outreach Award recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in academic outreach scholarship by full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty. These awards acknowledge the college’s commitment to community engagement through its missions of teaching, research, creative activity, and service.

• Dr. Stuart B. Elston, professor of physics and astronomy
• Dr. Lawrence A. Taylor, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences

The Faculty Teaching Award recognizes outstanding classroom teaching of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty. These awards display the college’s commitment to supporting professional development and promoting excellence in the classroom.

The 2010 Junior Faculty Teaching Award recipient

• Dr. Gladys M. Alexandre, associate professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology

The 2010 Senior Faculty Teaching Award recipient

• Dr. Daniel M. Roberts, professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology

The James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Outstanding Teaching Award was established in 1998 to honor tenured faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences who demonstrate outstanding classroom teaching. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham both attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

• Dr. Marilyn Kallet, professor of English

The Diversity Leadership Award was established to recognize the extraordinary efforts of a staff or faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences to support the commitment to diversity of the college and the university.

• Dr. Dawn M. Szymanski, associate professor of psychology

The Lorayne W. Lester Award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the University of Tennessee, the College of Arts and Sciences, and any of the various constituencies reached locally, statewide, or nationally. The award was established in 2002 by the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors to honor Dr. Lester for her dedicated service and leadership as dean from 1996 to 2002.

• Dr. John O. Hodges, associate professor of religious studies

The Outstanding Service Award was established to recognize extraordinary service to advancing the mission and goals of the College of Arts and Sciences.

• Dr. Don Richard Cox, professor of English and associate dean for academic programs

The College Marshal is the highest honor the college bestows on a faculty member. This award recognizes a senior faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the college and to the University of Tennessee. The College Marshal represents the college at Winter Convocation and at the fall and spring commencement ceremonies.

• Dr. Susan E. Riechert, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

Chancellor’s Honors Banquet Recipients

On April 11, Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek hosted the annual Chancellor’s Honors Banquet to recognize students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University of Tennessee for their extraordinary achievements. The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to claim the majority of this year’s honorees.

Macebearer is the highest faculty honor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, symbolic of the faculty’s commitment of service to students, to scholarship, and to society.

• Susan E. Riechert, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and co-director of the university’s VolsTeach program.

Jefferson Prize was established to honor a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in research and creative activity.

• Dawn Szymanski, associate professor of psychology

Excellence In Advising

• Luis Cano, associate professor of Spanish in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Betsy Sutherland, associate professor of Classics

Excellence in Academic Outreach

The land-grant mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, directs us to use our intellectual capital to benefit the state’s citizens. The Excellence in Academic Outreach Award goes to a faculty member who exemplifies this part of the university’s mission.

• Jeffrey Kovac, professor of chemistry

Ready For The World Award is given to those who have worked to enhance intercultural and international awareness for students and the campus community.

• Flavia Brizio, professor of Italian in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Tricia Hepner, assistant professor of anthropology

Excellence In Teaching

• Jed Diamond, associate professor in the Department of Theatre
• Michael Handelsman, professor of Spanish in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Mary McAlpin, associate professor of French in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures

Research and Creative Achievement

• Stefan Richter, professor of mathematics
• Ben Xue, professor of chemistry

Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement

• Christine Shepardson, associate professor of religious studies

Outstanding Teacher Awards

The UT Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award is one of the most treasured honors given to faculty, symbolizing excellence in the classroom.

• Michael Keene, professor of English
• Jon Shefner, professor of sociology

Public Service Award

This year’s UT Alumni Association Public Service Award goes to

• Larry Taylor, distinguished professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and director of the Tennessee Space Consortium

Extraordinary Service to the University

• Tom Cervone, managing director for the Clarence Brown Theatre

Extraordinary Campus Leadership & Service

• Will Brewer, a senior in English and political science from Knoxville
• Amie Misaiphon, a senior in psychology from Smyrna

Extraordinary Community Service

• Sara Malley, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology from Narragansett, Rhode Island
• Karlescia Perkins, a senior in sociology with a criminal justice concentration from Memphis
• Alicia White, a senior in microbiology from Morristown

Gene Mitchell Gray Pioneer Award recognizes a student for promoting cultural diversity and cultural enrichment on campus.

• Janay Bryant, a senior in psychology and Africana Studies

Graduate Teaching Award goes to graduate student teachers who do a superb job in the classroom while honing their skills to become the next generation of college and university faculty.

• Tricia George, a Ph.D. candidate in English who teaches English 101 and 102

Torchbearers

• Jenny Bledsoe, a native of Selmer, is a Chancellor’s Honors student with a specialty in medieval Christianity who has received perfect marks in her majors of religious studies and English literature, as well as her minors in Latin and history.
• Anne Buckle, a senior from Fayetteville, Georgia, is a College Scholar and is finishing degrees in music education and international relations.
• Elliott Devore is a senior in psychology and has been an active campus leader, serving as an orientation leader, resident assistant, and SGA senator.
• Carey Smith is a Chancellor’s Honors student from Kingsport majoring in political science. She has served on Mayor Bill Haslam’s Student Advisory Board, the Provost’s Student Advisory Council, and the Commission for Women.

Chancellor’s Professors

On, April 19, Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek announced five faculty members who have been named Chancellor’s Professors, three of whom are in the College of Arts and Sciences. Appointment as a Chancellor’s Professor is the highest lifetime honor that can be given to a member of the UT Knoxville faculty.

• Jeffrey M. Becker, professor and head of the Department of Microbiology
• Suzanne Lenhart, professor of mathematics
• Beauvais Lyons, a James R. Cox Professor of Art

Tennessee Science Olympiad State Tournament Service Award

Each year the Tennessee Science Olympiad Board of Directors presents an award to individuals who have made significant contributions to the success of Science Olympiad in Tennessee.

• Rai-Lynne Broach Alexander was honored with the 2011 Service Award for her contributions to the Tennessee Science Olympiad State Tournament for the past 10 years.