Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Writer/contact: Kim Cretors, 706/542-1168, kcretors@franklin.uga.edu

UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences honors faculty and staff for teaching, research and advising

Athens, Ga. – The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia awarded honors for excellence in teaching, research and advising at a luncheon on May 2.

“I’m delighted to recognize the hard-working and outstanding faculty and staff in the Franklin College,” said Dean Garnett S. Stokes.  “With more than 630 faculty and more than 30 advisors, these individuals truly represent the college’s finest.”

Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorships were awarded to Freda Scott Giles (theatre and film studies) and Adam Parkes (English). This award is for faculty members who have demonstrated that they are gifted, dedicated and superior teachers. Each faculty member receives $7,850 a year for three years.

Also awarded were the Sandy Beaver Awards for Excellence in Teaching to Norris Armstrong (genetics; biological sciences division); Andrew Cole (English); Steven P. Lewis (physics and astronomy); Linda Renzulli (sociology); and Susan Thomas (Hugh Hodgson School of Music). Each winner receives a cash award of $2,800.

The Sandy Beaver professorships and awards were established in 1978 by trustees of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville. The endowment honors Gen. Sandy Beaver, a 1903 UGA graduate who was president of Riverside for 56 years. The awards annually honor faculty in arts and sciences who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to high-quality instruction. Faculty of all ranks, but particularly those engaged in undergraduate teaching, are eligible.

The M.G. Michael Award, which is given to stimulate and promote research in the arts and sciences, was given to George Contini (theatre and film studies); Frances van Keuren (Lamar Dodd School of Art); and Lance Wells (a scientist at UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center with a faculty appointment in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology).

The Michael Award was established in 1944 by LeRoy Michael of Athens to stimulate new initiatives in scholarship in all areas of the arts and sciences. Its primary purpose is to encourage the development of a new idea or project during the coming year. While the award is not given in recognition of previous research accomplishments, it does require that recipients are proficient researchers. The awardees received $3,000 each.

Franklin Fellows Teaching Excellence Awards were presented to Craig Wiegert (physics and astronomy) and Patrick Williams (sociology).  The Franklin Fellows Teaching Award was designed to honor Franklin Fellows who have demonstrated instructional excellence and have documented their use of teaching techniques to engage students in active learning and critical thinking. Applicants for the award must submit a teaching portfolio that is then evaluated by three faculty members appointed by the dean.  The recipients of the award receive a monetary stipend from the dean and a professional development stipend from UGA’s Institute of Higher Education.

Franklin College Outstanding Advisor Awards were also given at the luncheon to Barry Palevitz (plant biology) faculty advisory and to Francine Palevitz (biological sciences division) as professional advisor.  The award was established in 1989 by the dean’s office to recognize outstanding academic advising in the college. Students nominate their advisor in one of two categories, tenure/ tenure track professor or professional advisor. The nominations are read by a subcommittee of the Dean's Student Advisory Board, which then chooses a recipient from each category.

The Franklin College serves more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year through the teaching and research of more than 630 faculty members as well as through the resources of 30 academic departments and more than 20 centers and programs. UGA students also are supported by the Franklin College through its Office of Academic Advising, where 30 advisors counsel thousands of undergraduates each year on course selection and academic major declarations. For more information, visit www.franklin.uga.edu.

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