Friday, September 13, 2019

In addition to a record-breaking start to the school year with soaring enrollment numbers and climbing in national rankings, UNCW celebrated the excellence of one of its greatest assets: its teachers.

Faculty members were honored for their achievements in teaching, research and scholarship at the annual fall faculty meeting on Sept. 12. After welcoming remarks from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli, Provost Marilyn Sheerer announced the award recipients.

Associate professor in the Watson College of Education Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy, and Special Education Amy Taylor received the Board of Trustees Teaching Excellence Award, the most prestigious award conferred at UNCW. She was also one of two recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Professorship Award, from which the BOT Teaching Excellence Award winner is selected. Brian Arbogast, professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, was the second honoree.

Karl Ricanek Jr., professor in the Department of Computer Science, received the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award. The award was presented by Faculty Senate President Nathan Grove.

Stephanie Turrise, assistant professor of nursing, was presented with the J. Marshall Crews Distinguished Faculty Award by Kimberly McNeill ’86, ’97M, chair of the Alumni Association Awards and Scholarship Committee. The award honors a faculty member who exhibits leadership through service and student support, in honor of the late UNCW faculty member and administrator Crews.

The following awards were also presented:

Lecturers of the Year

• Elizabeth Creath, Mathematics and Statistics
• Carolina Priester, Biology and Marine Biology
• Elizabeth Walters, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Graduate Mentor Award

• Stephen Kinsey, Biology and Marine Biology

Excellence in e-Learning Award

• Ashlee Balena, World Languages and Cultures

UNCW Distinguished Scholarly Engagement and Public Service Award

• Martin Posey, Biology and Marine Biology
• Sabrina Cherry, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences

Also recognized at the faculty meeting were recipients of the 2018-19 Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award:

College of Arts and Sciences
Amanda Boomershine, World Languages and Cultures
Sarah Hallenbeck, English
Jeremy Morgan, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Cameron School of Business 
Allison Evans, Accountancy

Watson College of Education
James DeVita, Educational Leadership

College of Health and Human Services
Lisa Sprod, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences

Herbert Berg, professor in the Department of International Studies and Philosophy and Religion, was also recognized as the winner of the 2018-19 Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition, full-time faculty members who have been at UNCW for five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years were honored for their years of service. 

Maintaining excellence in teaching and research as they contribute to the quality of the student learning experience are core values of the university’s Strategic Plan.

-- Caroline Cropp

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