MSU announces annual faculty, staff academic award recipients
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜s another academic year concludes at Mississippi 大象APP, the university is honoring a select group of faculty and staff members for their commitment and service to the Bulldog family.
Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw鈥檚 office co-sponsors the annual awards program with the university鈥檚 Alumni Association, led by Executive Director Jeff Davis. Shaw, Davis, and Peter Ryan, executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, are among university leaders who typically extend personal congratulations to each award recipient during a campus ceremony. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated cancellation of this year鈥檚 in-person celebration, but the university is honoring award recipients鈥 efforts with this public announcement.
鈥淭his academic year will go down as one of the most challenging times in our 142-year history, but throughout the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19, our faculty and staff have been truly extraordinary,鈥 Shaw said. 鈥淭hey have remained committed to their students and to our larger 大象APP family. I thank all of them for their many contributions, and I especially want to congratulate this year鈥檚 winners of our annual faculty and staff awards.鈥
Sarah B. Lee, associate clinical professor in MSU鈥檚 Bagley College of Engineering, joined a select group of role models and mentors for campus colleagues with her acceptance of the John Grisham Master Teacher Award. In addition to teaching, Lee serves as the Department of Computer Science and Engineering鈥檚 assistant department head and director of undergraduate studies.
First presented in 1993, the Grisham Master Teacher honor is a tribute to classroom and instructional excellence that is named for the MSU accounting alumnus and internationally recognized best-selling author who provided funds to endow the award.
MSU鈥檚 newest William L. Giles Distinguished Professors are James Fowler of the Bagley College of Engineering and Daniel Peterson of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Fowler holds the Billie J. Ball Professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, of which he also serves as interim department head. Peterson teaches in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and serves as director of MSU鈥檚 Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology.
Based on distinguished scholarship demonstrated by a record of outstanding performance in research, teaching and service, the Giles honor is conferred on faculty members who have attained national or international status as verified by external reviewers in the candidates鈥 specific fields.
Other honorees include:
鈥擝eth Baker, assistant extension professor in the College of Forest Resources鈥 Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, recipient of the Graduate School Advisor of the Year Award.
鈥擱euben Burch, assistant professor in the Bagley College of Engineering鈥檚 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association鈥檚 Graduate Teaching Excellence Award.
鈥擠onna Gordon, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 Department of Biological Sciences, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association鈥檚 Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award.
鈥擟arley Morrison, assistant professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences鈥 School of Human Sciences, faculty recipient of the Wesley A. Ammon Outstanding New Academic Advisor Award.
鈥擥inger Pizer, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 Department of English, faculty recipient of the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award.
鈥擧olli Seitz, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 Department of Communication, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association鈥檚 Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award.
鈥擡mily Shaw, director of undergraduate and graduate academic advising in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, staff recipient of the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award.
University leaders also are expressing appreciation for other faculty contributions throughout the Division of Academic Affairs, University Libraries and individual colleges.
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