CSU Stanislaus Provost James T. Strong recently announced the recipients of the Outstanding Professor Awards for the 2013-14 academic year:
- Outstanding Professor: Nancy Burroughs
- Outstanding Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Professor: Jesse Wolfe
- Outstanding Community Service Professor: Donna Andrews
- Outstanding Service in Faculty Governance Award: Betsy Eudey
- Elizabeth Anne B. Papageorge Faculty Development Award: Choong-Min Kang and Donna Andrews (dual recipients)
Outstanding Professor: Nancy Burroughs
Nancy Burroughs, Professor of Communication Studies, has been selected as the Outstanding Professor. Numerous letters and IDEA comments from current and former students celebrate her excellence in teaching and the meaningful impact she makes on our students. She inspires and encourages students with empathy, patience, and support for their success. Similar themes appeared in each letter, including students’ appreciation of Dr. Burroughs’ varied teaching methods; development of their critical thinking skills; her patience and understanding, particularly when students faced personal and professional challenges; academic rigor; and inspiration to utilize their newfound communication skills in their careers. Dr. Burroughs’ colleagues similarly applaud her accomplishments, noting her scholarly efforts to remain current in her field and maintain the department’s “connection to the larger world of Communication Studies.” She is well respected by her colleagues, who praise her leadership as department chair and commend her commitment to serving the campus and the local community.
Outstanding Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Professor: Jesse Wolfe
Jesse Wolfe, Associate Professor of English, has been selected as the Outstanding Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Professor. Dr. Wolfe has established himself as a distinguished scholar, particularly regarding his contributions to the field of Bloomsbury studies. Among his many accomplishments are his book (“Bloomsbury, Modernism, and the Reinvention of Intimacy,” published in 2011) and the sequel underway and supported by a prestigious grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Wolfe has published and presented numerous significant scholarly articles and papers, and his professional colleagues submitted impressive letters of support, indicating their profound respect for his work. As one colleague said: “If this award is to recognize, to quote from the guidelines, ‘those activities of an intellectual or professional nature which extend knowledge, understanding or appreciation of work within one’s discipline or across disciplines,’ one could find no better candidate than Professor Wolfe, whose impressive scholarly output has made him a luminary in the interdisciplinary field of modernist studies and the recently emerging field of New Modernisms.”
Outstanding Community Service Professor: Donna Andrews
Donna Andrews, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, has been selected as the Outstanding Community Service Professor. Dr. Andrews’ enthusiasm and dedication to our students and local community is commendable. She has a diverse list of accomplishments, ranging from devising service learning projects for our students to actively working with local organizations to promote childhood literacy. Her colleagues applaud her efforts to build meaningful community partnerships with the Salvation Army and the Hope House, a recovery center for women struggling with substance abuse. Dr. Andrews incorporates her compassion and innovative work into the classroom, which allows her students to develop critical thinking skills and forge a sense of responsibility for our local community. Her colleagues and community partners provided heartfelt letters of support that expounded on the impacts of her contributions. One local high school principal wrote: “I can think of no greater service to a school and community than changing the educational trajectory of youth who were once on track toward failure, but whose opportunity is reborn due to the selfless interest of someone willing to give so much of themselves.”
Outstanding Service in Faculty Governance Award: Betsy Eudey
Betsy Eudey, Professor of Gender Studies, has been selected as the Outstanding Service in Faculty Governance Professor. Dr. Eudey has a distinguished record of active participation in faculty governance, and the numerous nomination letters from her colleagues convey their respect for her tireless advocacy and professional integrity. Her extensive participation in faculty governance dates back to her appointment on campus in 2003, ranging from college committees to national associations. Her remarkable history of faculty governance membership includes, but is not limited to, service on the CSU State-Wide Academic Senate; Director of the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning; chair of a WASC Self-Study Inquiry Circle; chair and member of the Faculty Development Committee; and secretary and Executive Committee and Governing Council member of the National Women’s Studies Association. Dr. Eudey’s list of service is significant and commendable, but the quality of her service is even more noteworthy. All of her colleagues’ nomination letters carried the same theme: praise for her integrity, effectiveness, enthusiasm, professionalism, and ability to communicate and consider opposing perspectives.
Elizabeth Anne B. Papageorge Faculty Development Award: Choong-Min Kang
Choong-Min Kang, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, has been selected as a dual recipient of the Elizabeth Anne B. Papageorge Faculty Development Award. By all accounts, Dr. Kang is an exemplary teacher-scholar. His scholarship is outstanding, and his colleagues applaud his continued advancements in his field as well as his inclusion of students in his research activities. Several colleagues wrote with admiration about his ability to manage a full teaching load while managing a lab with graduate and undergraduate research students, a visiting scientist and a postdoctoral fellow. As evidenced by his IDEA evaluations and student comments, Dr. Kang’s students appreciate his depth of knowledge and academic rigor. One colleague wrote that Dr. Kang emphasizes critical thinking in his courses, not just memorization of facts, and students benefit from his enthusiasm and effective instruction. In addition to their acquisition of scientific information, students leave Dr. Kang’s classroom with an enhanced philosophy of life. In addition to his teaching and research accolades, Dr. Kang leads his students in meaningful work with community partners and for scholarly publication.
Elizabeth Anne B. Papageorge Faculty Development Award: Donna Andrews
Donna Andrews, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, has been selected as a dual recipient of the Elizabeth Anne B. Papageorge Faculty Development Award. Students appreciate her enthusiastic engagement and considerable encouragement toward their success. Dr. Andrews demonstrates a passion for teaching and connecting classroom experiences to field work and, ultimately, students’ realization of their abilities as future high school teachers. Her excellent teaching is informed by ongoing research, and she incorporates her scholarly activities into lesson simulations and includes students in her research. Her IDEA evaluations illustrate student engagement and intellectual achievements, and student comments reflect many important themes, such as: enthusiasm and support of student success, academic rigor, students’ professional growth, inspirational leadership and many others. Dr. Andrews demonstrates sincere interest in her students’ education, as evidenced by student comments. One wrote that “Dr. Andrews communicates very well with us” and “does care for us all and really wants us to do our best.” Her colleagues regard her work as meaningful and inspiring.