Auburn University honors faculty members with highest annual awards

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Auburn University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Boosinger recognized faculty members with the university's highest honors at the 2015-16 Faculty Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

Elaine S. Coleman, associate professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Jeffrey S. Katz, professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts, received the Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching. The awards honor two full-time, tenured faculty members who have demonstrated effective and innovative teaching methods and a continuing commitment to student success through advising and mentoring both inside and outside the classroom.

Mario R. Eden, the Joe T. and Billie Carole McMillan Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, and Donald R. Wehrs, professor in the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts, received the Creative Research & Scholarship Awards, which honor the research achievements and contributions of faculty who have distinguished themselves through research, scholarly works and creative contributions to their fields.

Virginia A. Davis, alumni professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, received the Award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach, which recognizes the engagement of exemplary faculty members and demonstrates the tremendous impact outreach has on the community, state and nation.

Recipients of this year's Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards are Wallace Denver Berry Jr., associate professor in the Department of Poultry in the College of Agriculture, and Tiffany A. Sippial, associate professor in the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts. The awards are presented on the basis of outstanding teaching of undergraduates from nominations made by department heads, deans, alumni and students. Honorees are selected by a committee of retired faculty.

Geoffrey E. Hill, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, received the Research Advisory Board Advancement of Research and Scholarship Achievement Award, which recognizes high quality, competitive research and scholarly activity that exemplifies and advances Auburn's research and scholarship mission.

The 2015-16 Alumni Professors are Professor Oladiran Fasina and Associate Professor Sushil Adhikari, both in the Department of Biosystems Engineering in the College of Agriculture and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The awards are five-year, nonrenewable professorships sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association with funds endowed from Auburn Annual Giving and are presented on the basis of research, publishing and teaching.

Barry R. Burkhart, professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts, is the recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectureship. The award is jointly sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association and the Auburn University Graduate School. The recipients of the award are nominated by deans, department heads and others and are chosen by the Graduate Faculty Council on the basis of excellence in research.

Leonardo De La Fuente, associate professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology in the College of Agriculture, and Elizabeth A. Lipke, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, earned the Provost Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship.

Associate Professor Chuck Hemard, Assistant Professor Jessye McDowell and Associate Professor Emeritus Gary Wagoner, in the Department of Art and Art History in the College of Liberal Arts, received of the Gary Brown ePortfolio Project Faculty Cohort Award.

The President's Outstanding Collaborative Units Award recognized the Working Labs Office Initiative. Collaborators include Paula Peek, the W. Allen and Martha Reimer Reed Associate Professor and coordinator of interior design in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences in the College of Human Sciences, and Anna Ruth Gatlin, interior designer in the Office of Facilities Management.

The Department of Biosystems in the College of Agriculture and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering was recognized with the Auburn University Departmental Award for Excellence in Education.

For more information, go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/faculty_awards/.

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Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.