2017 CAAH Awards for Faculty and Staff

June 6, 2017

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

Lightsey Fellows Program: Tiffany Dawn Creegan Miller, assistant professor of Spanish, for her work on (Re)negotiating the Politics of Orality and Ethnography in Performances of Kaqchikel Children’s Songs and Poetry

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, and a summer stipend is attached to the award.

John B. and Thelma A. Gentry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities: Yanming An, professor of Chinese and philosophy

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. A peer-review committee of faculty has judged these proposals and a summer stipend is attached to the award.

Dean’s Awards for Faculty and Staff
The annual dean’s awards are peer-reviewed by the college awards committees. 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: Raquel Anido, assistant professor of Spanish

Her nominators write glowingly of her excellence in the classroom.  One wrote, “[she] imparted a wealth of knowledge on her other students and me about Spanish language and culture, but she also imparted the necessity for passion in whatever one is doing. She encourages her students to pursue their passions, to never settle and to challenge beliefs.”

Another said, “Anything less than the best is not enough for [her].  I truly admire this desire in her. She challenges all of her students to be the very best they can be. In return, she brings her best, every day, to the classroom. Her standards are high but not impossible, and I truly appreciate that she cares enough about her students to educate them to the best of her ability, push them beyond their comfort zone and help them to discover their strengths and passions in the process.”

And, from her own teaching statement, Professor Anido reminds us all of this very important message – “Teaching is a passion for communicating knowledge, for sharing and giving back what you have learned from the most inspiring readings, travels, life experiences and teachers you have had.”

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Michael LeMahieu, associate professor of English

As one nominator stated, “His considerable portfolio of published journal articles and book chapters testifies to a range of interests – particularly in the effect of the Civil War on 20th century culture – that will surely define a career of continuing productivity at the highest level. Few beginning scholars merit the recognition he has already received simply by having his first two books published by first the Oxford University Press and second, the University of Chicago Press.”

Another wrote, “[He] is an outstanding scholar whose achievements in the past three years have been stunning.”

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service: Eric Touya, associate professor of French

One nominator wrote, “He has served as the Language and International Trade advisor for French majors since 2008 and L&IT interim director for the past three years. Since he began teaching at Clemson in 2008, he directed the work of 35 B.A. final projects in the area of French and international trade, and 24 independent studies and honors projects. Over the years, [he] worked for the continued success of the L&IT program which attracted many talented students to Clemson University. Under his leadership, there has been a growing number of majors and the program achieved a high retention rate.”

Another wrote, “[He] played a large role in my decision to come to Clemson: torn between two different universities, my meeting with [him] during my senior year of high school demonstrated both his passion for the language and international trade program and his genuine desire to get to know each of his students on a personal level.”

Dean’s Team Player Award: Jeannette Carter, administrative specialist in the Department of History

In one letter of nomination, the author wrote, “I’ve never seen [her] have a bad day or even a bad moment. Her smile and cheerfulness are relentless. Whatever you bring her, she’s on it as soon as she can, whether she tackles the matter directly or gives it to the work study student, whose supervision is also part of her duties. No one has ever been as efficient at getting travel reimbursements and other financial matters moving.”

And finally, “She is not just a team player, but the kind of person sometimes called a “glue person” – the team member who pulls everyone else together.”

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Outstanding Customer Service: Karen Parker, IT consultant for AAH support in CCIT

One nominator wrote, “In the past eleven years, I have worked at three universities in five positions and I can say, without hesitation, that [she] is the most consistent and reliable co-worker I have worked with.”

The nominator summed it up by saying, “What is most impressive about her, and what truly qualifies her for this award, is her demeanor. She is busy, as clearly seen by her swift pace when she walks across campus, but when she is in your office, working on the issue, she is focused completely on the task at hand, and with a smile.”

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.

Advisor of the Year: Christopher Grau, associate professor of philosophy

Teacher of the Year: Walt Hunter, assistant professor of English