The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) celebrated the excellence of faculty, staff and students at its 2008-9 awards ceremony April 9 at the Lewis Alumni Centre.
“At this second annual event, we heard descriptions of the work of many exceptional people in several programs – from peer tutors to faculty mentors, and from academic advisers to leaders in teaching, learning and assessment,” said Mary F. Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education.
“These prestigious awards publicly recognize some of the most innovative and outstanding members of the WSU undergraduate academic community,” she said. “I am quite proud of, and inspired by, the accomplishments of these extraordinary people.”
Of the 14 types of awards presented, five were new this year. Recipients were from disciplines across campus; some traveled from WSU Vancouver and WSU Tri-Cities to accept their awards. Presenters included the six OUE units (the Writing Program, General Education, Learning Communities/Freshman Focus, the Honors College, the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and Undergraduate Research) plus new presenters: the Emeritus Society, the Academic Advising Association (ACADA) and the Teaching Academy.
Pamela Lee, an instructor in fine arts and the Honors College, received the Harold and Jeanne Rounds Olsen Award for Exemplary Writing in the Major Course for her Modern Theories of Art course. Lee incorporated an impressive variety of inventive assignments into her fine arts course, and her syllabus demonstrated well-articulated evaluation criteria and incorporated e-learning.
The Harold and Jeanne Rounds Olsen Writing in the Disciplines Faculty Service Awards are given to faculty members who had the highest number of students submit papers for their Junior Writing Portfolios. Faculty members who received this award are:
Mark Mumford, lecturer, accounting
Charlotte Omoto, professor, biological sciences
Jeff Sellen, instructor, general education
Richard Taflinger, clinical assistant professor, communication
Marie Glynn, assistant professor in general education, received the World Civilizations Faculty Excellence Award for her extraordinary service in instruction and devotion to student needs and to furthering their academic progress.
The Eric W. Bell Learning Community Excellence Award was presented to Freshman Focus faculty for engaging extensively with freshmen beyond their classrooms:
Julie Meloni, teaching assistant, English
Jack McNassar, teaching assistant, anthropology
The Common Reading Excellence Award went to three staff and faculty members for taking creative and exceptional measures to make WSU’s annual fall Common Reading Program a success:
Kate Gannon, residential education director
Frank Hill, instructor in general education
Nominated by their Honors students, the following faculty earned the Honors College Faculty Thesis Advisor of the Year Award:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Krzysztof Czaja, assistant professor, VCAPP
Rebecca Craft, professor, psychology
Regents Professor Guy Palmer, director, School for Global Animal Health
Each innovation and leadership award was presented to a colleague who provided a new way to think about the roles and responsibilities of educators for building communities of practice, engaging authentic and pressing challenges, and doing so in ways that demonstrate a commitment to high standards of accountability.
The new Faculty Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Innovation Awards went to faculty members who “stand out for their eagerness to try new methods and to inspire others to do the same:”
 |
 |
 |
Patrick D. Pedrow, associate professor, electrical engineering and computer science
Margo Tamez, teaching assistant, American studies
For partnering in research with undergraduate students who have published their work to a regional or national audience, the WSU Undergraduate Research Excellence Mentor Award went to:
 |
 |
Regents Professor Brian Lamb, above right, Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, civil and environmental engineering
Colin Grier, assistant professor, anthropology
The WSU Emeritus Society recognized three undergraduates with the new Emeritus Society Award for Undergraduate Achievement in Research and Scholarship for their exceptional work in the Arts and Humanities, Biosciences, Physical Sciences, and the Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences. Faculty complimented for mentoring students receiving these awards are:
 |
|
Regents Professor Tom Dickinson, above left, physics
Krzysztof Czaja, above right, assistant professor, VCAPP
For the first time, the WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA) presented Outstanding Academic Advising Award plaques in four categories. Recipients are:
Anna Chow, adviser, general studies (primary role)
William D. Davis, associate professor and associate director of undergraduate programs, School of Molecular Biosciences (faculty)
The new WSU Distinguished Teaching Award presented by the WSU Teaching Academy recognizes non-tenure track instructors at WSU who have displayed exceptional commitment to teaching. The first recipients of this award are:
