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Recognition at college, campus, department levels
WSU College of Education announces faculty, staff awards
Thursday, May 10, 2012
By Julie Titone, College of Education
PULLMAN, Wash. - A researcher who is determined to educate the homeless and a program coordinator who has helped hundreds of teachers reach the top of their profession are among winners of the Washington State University College of Education excellence awards for 2012.
Winners were chosen from nominees in two departments and on four campuses. Announced by Dean A.G. Rud, they are:
* Associate Professor Susan Finley, Faculty Excellence in Research Award. Nominators praised her for "having both the wisdom of a seasoned scholar and the commitment of those who battle for rights, particularly those of children.” She founded the At Home At School program in 2002 to provide educational support for under-served students and their families. She is the author or co-author of 35 referred articles and has received $1 million in grants and gifts.
* Debra Pastore, Faculty Excellence in Service Award. She is coordinator of the ProTeach Support Program and director of the university's National Board for Professional Teaching Standards program, which she started in 2001. She also is a Ph.D. candidate at WSU.
Her nominators said Pastore is passionate about helping teachers. She provides her personal cell phone number so teachers in the program can call for help or encouragement at any time, they wrote: "As an ambassador for the College of Education, she fosters these relationships far beyond the time the teachers spend” in the program.
* Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Ward, Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. Ward, who teaches literacy, was praised for modeling "best practices” for education students and encouraging them to have healthy, honest discourse.Nominators included letters of support from students, including one who wrote that Ward "loves you and you know it. She gives you the same sense of community that she taught us about having in our own classrooms.”
* Nedra Murray, Staff Excellence Award. Murray, program coordinator for the Office of Student Services, was described as friendly, efficient, organized and always working to improve office procedures.
"Tackling any job without complaint, she excels at every turn and can perform so many tasks while being constantly interrupted,” a nominator wrote.
Other College of Education award winners for 2012:
Campus awards for collaboration and networking: Clinical Associate Professor Joan Kingrey, Spokane; Associate Professor Jennifer Beller, Pullman; Instructor and Field Supervisor Kay Stern, Vancouver; Assistant Professor Eric Johnson, Tri-Cities.
Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology awards: External funding, Professor Tim Church; service to the profession, Associate Professor Lali McCubbin; mentoring, collaboration and networking, Associate Professor Jennifer Beller; mentoring, Clinical Associate Professor Gay Selby.
Department of Teaching and Learning awards: Service to the profession, Professor Tariq Akmal; mentoring, Professor Gisela Ernst-Slavit; external funding, Associate Professor Tamara Nelson; collaboration and networking, Instructor and Field Supervisor Kay Stern.
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