2016 CAAH Awards for Faculty and Staff

May 11, 2016

Warm congratulations to all winners of this year’s faculty and staff awards!

Lightsey Fellows Program: Lee Wilson, Department of History, and Elizabeth Jemison, Department of Philosophy and Religion

Established by Dr. and Mrs. Harry M. Lightsey with an original pledge of $100,000, the endowment provides support for junior faculty members in the humanities for summer research projects that will advance their scholarship. A peer review committee of faculty has judged these proposals.

John B. and Thelma A. Gentry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities: Lucian Ghita, Department of English

Established by Frank and Sarah Gentry to honor Mr. Gentry’s parents, John and Thelma Gentry, this peer-reviewed award recognizes an outstanding humanities faculty member and provides an annual competitive fund to support projects, materials and activities that will improve and enrich teaching in the humanities.

Dean’s Awards for Faculty
The annual dean’s awards are peer-reviewed by the college faculty awards committee. Each award comes with a plaque of recognition, placement on the list of awardees in the dean’s office and a cash award.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Gabriela Stoicea, assistant professor of German in the Department of Languages

As one nominator commented, “[Her] classes rank among the very best that the university has to offer.  … I found them to be incredibly intellectually stimulating, and other students and I often mulled over ideas from class discussions long after class had ended.”

Another wrote, “She always upheld a certain atmosphere in her classroom that encouraged productive and thought-provoking conversation. She led us as we powerfully worked through seemingly difficult topics, such as societal oppression on the individual or the complexities of moral standards.”

And, from her own teaching statement, Professor Stoicea reminds us all of this very important message: “Contributing to my students’ intellectual formation is a privilege I never take for granted, but one that I work hard to earn every single day.”

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Vernon Burton, professor of history in the Department of History

As one nominator stated, “His influence stems directly from his research activity in multiple areas: from the traditional (books, journal essays, reviews) to the cutting edge (digital history and computing) to the civic (as a popular speaker, a public intellectual, and even as an expert witness in legal matters, including especially civil rights cases.)

Another nominator commented that, “Vernon Burton is the most prominent scholar alive today specializing in the history of the American South and one of the most productive researchers on our campus. … When national and state politicians and the national and international media want historical context and insight into the South’s unique and often troubled past, as well as other issues in American history, they turn to Vernon Burton.”

Dean’s Awards for Staff
The Dean’s Awards for Staff are peer-reviewed, with an outside representative serving on the selection committee. Each award comes with a plaque of recognition, placement on the list of awardees in the dean’s office and a cash award.

Dean’s Team Player Award: Sarah Edison, administrative assistant in the Department of Performing Arts

In one letter of nomination, the author wrote, “Sarah is a highly productive collaborative member of our team, is collegial, professional and always ensures that our department and our university look good.  … Because our department deals with live performances and events, there are often a variety of crises that must be managed so that audience members and patrons remain unaware. Sarah is a calm and confident “behind-the-scenes” player in these situations. When the Brooks Center is in need of additional labor, she often stays late, comes in early and works over weekends to ensure that things are done to her high standards.”

Another wrote, “Within the Department of Performing Arts, Sarah works with each ensemble director to craft programs and posters for their concerts. She carefully tailors each piece to the request of faculty members from across the theatre and music disciplines and is incredibly accurate and efficient at doing so.”

And finally, “Sarah’s contributions extend far beyond the Brooks Center.  … This year, as a member of the STEAM Task Force, she took minutes, coordinated meeting times, and helped organize the job responsibilities of the members.”

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Outstanding Customer Service: Emily Clarke, administrative assistant in the Department of English

The ASAP/7 Organizing Committee nominated Emily Clarke for her “extraordinary work as a co-organizer of the ASAP/7 conference hosted by Clemson University on September 24-25, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville. … The conference took over two years of planning and brought over 300 leading scholars, artists and writers to Greenville.  … The conference required an enormous amount of skill and initiative: we had to coordinate and assist the international association as well as the hundreds of organizations, businesses and individual participants involved. Emily voluntarily went above and beyond…continuing all her regular staff duties with good cheer, even as she helped us on weeknights and weekends, especially in the months leading up to the event. She designed the ASAP/7 logo and website and adapted that design for some of the most handsome conference t-shirts and tote bags we have ever seen. She was the lead contact for our plenary speakers and for tech support at the Hyatt.”

CAAH Student Choice Awards:

Each year, the CAAH Student Ambassadors coordinate two awards for faculty in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. The Ambassadors call for nominations and, as a committee, they recognize two members of the faculty for outstanding teaching and advising. This year’s winners were announced at the annual Honors and Awards Day for students in April.

Advisor of the Year: Matt Powers of the Department of Landscape Architecture

Teacher of the Year: Garry Bertholf of the Department of English