PULLMAN, Wash. The Washington State University Office of Undergraduate Education celebrated the excellence of faculty, staff, and students at its 2008-09 awards ceremony at the Lewis Alumni Centre.
“These prestigious awards publicly recognize some of the most innovative and outstanding members of the WSU undergraduate academic community,” said Mary F. Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education. “At this second annual event, we heard descriptions of the work of many exceptional people in several programsfrom peer tutors to faculty mentors, and from academic advisors to leaders in teaching, learning, and assessment.”
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.
Ten students received Harold and Jeanne Rounds Olsen awards for Undergraduate Excellence in Writing: Holly Barker, elementary education major at WSU Vancouver; Joseph Dieter, communications-public relations major; Carolyn Green, English major; Amy Huseby, English major at WSU Vancouver; Peter Klosterman, mathematics major and a student in the Honors College; Ingrid Kraig, elementary education major and a student in the Honors College; Julie McFarland, nursing major from WSU Tri-Cities; Jacob Mills, computer science major; McKenzie Mohler, English major and student in the Honors College; and Elizabeth Wollstein, music major and student in the Honors College.
Kendall Campbell, instructor in anthropology; Mark Mumford, lecturer in accounting; Charlotte Omoto, professor in biological sciences; Jeff Sellen, instructor in general education; and Richard Taflinger, clinical assistant professor in communication, received Harold and Jeanne Rounds Olsen Writing in the Disciplines Faculty Service awards honoring those faculty members who have the highest number of students submit papers for their Junior Writing Portfolios.
Amy Dole, theatre arts and English major and Honors College student, and Jillian Vandehey, communication-advertising major, received the gold and silver Stanley P. Williams Award for Writing Center Tutor Excellence, respectively.
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.
Freshman Focus faculty and teaching assistants Toria Johnson (English), Julie Meloni (English) and Jack McNassar (anthropology) received Eric W. Bell Learning Community Excellence awards for engaging extensively with freshmen beyond their classrooms.
The Common Reading Excellence awards went to Sara Agostinelli, residential education director; Kate Gannon, residential education director; and Frank Hill, instructor in general education, for taking creative and exceptional measures to make WSU’s annual fall Common Reading Program a success.
The Honors College Faculty Thesis Advisor of the Year awards were presented to Judy Meuth, clinical associate professor in women’s studies who was nominated by Honors student Renee Walker; Krzysztof Czaja, assistant professor in VCAPP who was nominated by Honors student Bo Herzog; Rebecca Craft, professor in psychology who was nominated by Honors student Brittany Navarre; and Guy Palmer, director of the School for Global Animal Health and Regents Professor, who was nominated by Honors student Matt Grimes.
Robert G. Olsen, professor and associate dean for undergraduate education in the College of Engineering and Architecture, was presented the new Leadership in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Award.
The recipients of the new Faculty Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Innovation awards are Meriem Chida, assistant professor in apparel, merchandising, design, and textiles; Patrick D. Pedrow, associate professor in electrical engineering and computer science; and Margo Tamez, teaching assistant, American studies.
Three students and their mentors received WSU Undergraduate Research Excellence awards, for outstanding research results that are disseminated to a regional or national audience: Brandon Kvamme, chemistry major, and Aurora Clark, assistant professor of chemistry; Riley Stuart, civil engineering major, and Regents Professor Brian Lamb, of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Research and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Corrie Ahrens, anthropology major, and Colin Grier, assistant professor of anthropology.
Amy Huseby, English major at WSU Vancouver; Gunnar Skulason, physics and astronomy major; and Jatinder Jassal, neuroscience major, received Emeritus Society Awards 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.
Sheila Converse, clinical assistant professor in music and the Honors College, and Fred Gittes, clinical associate professor in physics and the Honors College, were the first recipients of the new WSU Distinguished Teaching awards presented by the WSU Teaching Academy to non-tenure track instructors at WSU who have displayed exceptional commitment to teaching.
