Alexandria, LA (3/29/2023) –Â Louisiana State University of Alexandria held its annual Employee Recognition Dinner on Tuesday, March 28 to celebrate the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff.
The most prestigious recognition awarded each year is the Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence. Established in 1989, the estate of Mrs. James C. Bolton provides funds to the University for an award to recognize excellence in teaching at LSUA.
The Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence is presented annually to the full-time faculty member who best exemplifies the University’s commitment to teaching, service, and professional development. The recipient of this honor is recognized with a cash award and a plaque for outstanding contributions to the University.
The Bolton Award recipient for 2022-2023 is Carol Corbat, Professor of Biological Sciences. Corbat grew up on a family farm in northeast Indiana, where she developed a passion for the outdoors that lead her to pursue a B.S. in Wildlife Science at Purdue University and an M.S. in Wildlife Management at Penn State. She earned a doctorate in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. Corbat has served LSUA in the classroom and in various administrative roles for 32 years.
LSUA also recognizes the recipients of nine endowed professorships. The professorships are established through private donations to the LSUA Foundation and matched through the Board of Regents Support Fund to establish a $100,000 professorship endowment.
The recipients of this year’s endowed professorships are:
The Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #2 shall be awarded to a faculty member at LSUA in any discipline, determined according to university need – Cole Franklin, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies.
The Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #2 shall be awarded to a faculty member at LSUA in any discipline, determined according to university need -Skyler Braswell, Assistant Professor of Nursing.
The Capital One Endowed Professorship in Business is awarded to a faculty member of the Business Department – Adena Lejeune, Associate Professor of Accounting.
The Roy O. Martin, Jr. Endowed Professorship in Business is open specifically to faculty members engaged in Business Administration and Computer Information Services who actively incorporate the study of business best practices into the curricula – Long Li, Associate Professor of CMIS.
The Cliffe E. Laborde, Sr. Endowed Professorship in Education shall be awarded to a faculty member who teaches in current or future education programs – Susan Myrick, Associate Professor of Education.
The Jack and Sue Ellen Jackson Endowed Professorship in Education shall be awarded to a faculty member who teaches in a program within the Education Department – Emily Weeks, Assistant Professor of Education.
The Richard Bryan Gwartney Endowed Professorship shall be awarded to a faculty member who teaches a theater or arts program within the College of Liberal Arts – Patrick Hunter, Assistant Professor of Theatre.
The Rapides Regional Medical Center Endowed Professorship in Radiologic Technology shall be awarded to a faculty member in the Allied Health Department who teaches radiologic technology courses – Elizabeth Azua, Instructor of Radiologic Technology.
The Huie Dellmon Trust Endowed Professorship in Science shall be awarded to a faculty member who teaches in the LSUA Division of Science – Cheryl Bardales, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences.
Endowed professors receive a salary stipend as well as additional funds for professional development or travel activities. Professorships are usually awarded for a two-year term.
The Staff Senate Boss of the Year award is given by direct reports to a manager who demonstrates excellence in personnel management, leadership, responsibility, and professionalism. This year’s winner is Elizabeth Beard, Interim Provost and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
The Staff Senate Scholarship is awarded to two full-time staff members to defray the costs of achieving a degree or continuing their education. This year’s scholarship recipients are Marty Brown, LSUA Police Sergeant, and Takerya Wagner, Educational Technology Specialist.
Student Choice Awards are included in this year’s program. Current LSUA students nominate the awardees. The winners are:
Life Changing Class – Aime Starks, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Clinical
Outstanding Staff Service – Tyler Unsicker, Director of Athletics
The Teaching Innovation Award and Grant are given to showcase and reward innovative teaching in the classroom. The winners are:
Teaching Innovation Award – Shonu Nangia, Professor of Foreign Languages
Teaching Innovation Grant – Purujit Gurjar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Sona Kumar, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Medical Laboratory Science
The Outstanding Staff Service Award program began in the 1970-71 academic year as a means of recognizing and rewarding superior performance and outstanding contributions to the University by non-teaching employees. The recipient of this honor receives a plaque and cash award for his or her service to LSUA.
This year’s recipients of the Staff Outstanding Service Award are Kristie Jacobs (classified) and Haley Bryant (unclassified).
The Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship is given to a faculty member who exemplifies outstanding research and scholarship. This year’s winner is Christof Stumpf, Professor of Biological Sciences.
The Faculty Award for Outstanding Service recipient is Brenda Ellington, Associate Professor of English.
The Outstanding Adjunct Award recipient is Zebulon Winstead, Adjunct Instructor of Business.
The Service Above Self Award is given to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout the past year to ensure the well-being of LSUA students. The award is presented by LSUA Chancellor Paul Coreil. This year’s recipient is Chad Gauthier, Safety & Risk Manager and Interim Director of Facilities.
Four new awards were added this year to the slate of honors given to LSUA’s outstanding faculty and staff.
The Rising Star Award will be presented annually to a staff member who has worked at LSUA for fewer than five years and who has made outstanding, novel contributions to campus life, culture, and/or programming. This year, the award goes to Caleb Funderburk, Coordinator of Intramurals and Wellness.
The Four-Star Service Award will be presented annually to a staff member who has worked at LSUA for more than ten years and who has made long-lasting contributions to the institution’s operations, student success, and/or campus culture. This year, the award goes to Teresa Seymour, Director of Distance Learning.
The Diversity Champion Award will be presented annually to full-time university staff and faculty who have exhibited excellence in attention to diversity. This award honors individuals who have embedded diversity, equity, and inclusion into their work or teaching pedagogy, promoted social justice, and removed barriers for underrepresented populations.
This year’s Diversity Champion Staff Award goes to Mechelle Williams, LSUA Police Officer.
This year’s Diversity Champion Faculty Award goes to Jessica Ringo, Chair of Chemistry and Physics.
LSUA also honors Service Learning employees, those who have retired in the past year, as well as all employees who have 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service to LSUA. Brenda Ellington was specially recognized for her dedication to 35 years of teaching at LSUA.
Written by Adam Lord
Photo credit – Nathan Parish | LSUA Strategic Communications
