Skip navigation

Office of the Provost

2025 Award Winners

Page Content

2025 Award Winners Collage

SOUTHERN MISS NOMINEE, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES AWARD

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer stipend provides faculty with the opportunity to pursue research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge and to the public’s understanding of the humanities. One faculty member was selected to represent The in the 2024-25 NEH competition.

  • Courtney Luckhardt, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Humanities

PROVOST FACULTY FELLOWS

This initiative is designed to provide faculty members an opportunity to participate in the broader activities of Academic Affairs and provide a faculty voice in helping the Office of the Provost address major issues being discussed in Academic Affairs.

  • Leslie Oglesby, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Health Professions
    Identifying Graduate Pathways for Honors College Students (Summer 2024)
  • Carsten Schmidtke, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Leadership
    Lifelong Learning and Alternative Pathways for Earning Credit (Summer 2024)
  • Masha Krsmanovic, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
    Enhancing Faculty Mentorship (Fall 2024)
  • Wei Wang, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing
    Supporting Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and Campus Community Partnerships (Fall 2024)
  • Timothy Tesh, D.M.A.
    Associate Professor, School of Music
    Career Guidance and Readiness for Students (Spring 2025)
  • Stephanie McCoy Smith, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology and Nutrition
    Career Guidance and Readiness for Students (Spring 2025)

SABBATICALS

Upon review of proposed projects by a university-level committee and the Offices of the Provost and the President, sabbaticals are awarded to enhance professional development and scholarly reputation.

  • Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Health Professions
    Fall 2025
  • Fengwei Bai, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
    Fall 2025
  • Joshua Bernstein, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Humanities
    Spring 2026
  • Brad Dufrene, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Psychology
    Fall 2025
  • Sukriye Filiz, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Social Science and Global Studies
    Fall 2025
  • Westley Follet, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Humanities
    Fall 2025
  • Xiaodan Gu, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Polymer Science and Engineering
    Fall 2025
  • Brian LaPierre, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Humanities
    Spring 2026
  • Stephanie Smith, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Psychology
    Spring 2026
  • Donald Yee, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
    Spring 2026

AUBREY KEITH LUCAS AND ELLA GINN LUCAS ENDOWMENT FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARD

This endowment was established in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Aubrey K. Lucas to support and reward faculty excellence in instruction and research. The review committee selected the following faculty members as recipients of the Lucas Endowment for Faculty Excellence Award.

  • Kaitlin Baudier, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
    and
  • Kayla Stan, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
    “Revealing How Social Insects Create Living Structures Using Advanced Scanning Technology and Artificial Intelligence”
  • Diana Bernstein, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
    “The Role of Land-Sea Breeze Circulation and Its Effects on Air-Sea Fluxes”
  • Alyson Brink, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
    “Wet Sieving as a Method to Increase the Number of Late Cretaceous Mammal Teeth from Mississippi”
  • Song Guo, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    “Co3O4-ZIF for Photocatalytic Degradation of PFAS in Water”
  • Alexander Kaeppler, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Child and Family Sciences
    “The Effect of Social Stress on the Physiological Responses and Psychosocial Functioning of Adolescents”
  • Hsiaopei Lee, D.M.A.
    Professor, School of Music
    “Echoes of Elegance: The Lost Mastery of Marcelle Soulage’s Viola Sonata”
  • Chao Meng, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Marketing
    “Examining the Barriers and Opportunities in Adopting Electric Semi-Trucks in Mississippi’s Timber Industry
  • Leslie Oglesby, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Health Professions
    and
  • Felix Twum, Dr.P.H.
    Assistant Professor, School of Health Professions
    “Burnout and Suicidal Ideation in Athletic Trainers”
  • Leah Parker, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
    “Disability Epistemologies”
  • Tanner Thorsen, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology and Nutrition
    “Improving the Automaticity of Human Gait”
  • Karl Wallace, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    “Synthesizing a New Family of Zinc-Containing Fire Retardants”
  • Wei Wang, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing
    “Reducing Waste, Fighting Hunger: Best Practices for Optimizing Food Ordering and Leftover Use in Hospitality”
  • Kimberly Ward, Au.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Speech and Hearing Sciences
    and
  • Hasan Saleh, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Speech and Hearing Sciences
    “Development of the SPAAH: School-Language Pat

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

The Southern Miss Fund for Academic Excellence provides support to enhance or originate faculty development programs in research, teaching and scholarly professional development.

FACULTY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FELLOWS 2025

The Faculty Leadership Institute Fellows are awarded to faculty who are invested as leaders in their professional disciplines and the interdisciplinary community and committed to ongoing leadership development.

  • Rabab Abdelfattah, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering
  • Katie Angus, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Social Science and Global Studies
  • Julia Bradley, M.P.A.
    Instructor, School of Accountancy
  • Melissa Brooks, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, University Libraries
  • Maria Brown, D.N.P.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Professional Nursing Practice
  • Holly Foster, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Education
  • Robert Leaf, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Marion Patti, D.N.P.
    Assistant Professor, School of Professional Nursing Practice
  • Mariann Taylor, Ph.D.
    Associate Teaching Professor, School of Child and Family Sciences
  • Anna Wan, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Reginald Wilson, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Accountancy

SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING FELLOWS

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Faculty Fellows Program is a year-long initiative aimed at involving faculty members in the study of how to enhance the efficacy of their teaching methods. Throughout the program, participants collaborate and communicate with fellow faculty members who possess expertise in research to support the mission of the SoTL Faculty Fellows’ projects. Upon completion of the program, faculty members present their findings from their SoTL projects and produce a publication suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed SoTL journal.

  • Mary Jane Collins, D.H.A.
    Associate Professor, School of Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
  • Melissa Gutierrez, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Laura Clark Hunt, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science
  • Kalyn Lamey, M.S.
    Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Marlene Naquin, M.S.T.
    Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Andrew Pace, Ph.D.
    DPAA Research Partner Fellow, School of Humanities

INNOVATIVE TEACHING MINI-GRANTS

  • Nicholas Ciraldo, D.M.A.
    Professor, School of Music
  • Allison Downing, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Moshen Foroughi-Sabzevar, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Construction and Design
  • Timothy Gutmann, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Xuyang He, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science and Security
  • Jessica Matthews, M.S.M.
    Instructor, School of Health Professions
  • Jeffrey Parr, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Health Professions
  • Candice Salyers, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Performing and Visual

SUMMER GRANTS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF INSTRUCTION

The Summer Grants for Improvement of Instruction are awarded to faculty members who are committed to the ongoing development of new and innovative teaching strategies or techniques that ultimately result in the improvement or assessment of student learning.

  • Jennifer Brewington, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Humanities
  • Aaron Fath, Ph.D.
    Associate Teaching Professor, School of Psychology
  • Abubaker Haddud, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Leadership
  • Shohreh Hemmati, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Katharine Howie, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Marketing
  • Hyunmin Kim, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Health Professions
  • Melinda McLelland, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing
  • Chad Miller, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Finance
  • Nick Rahimi, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering
  • Mya Rome, M.S.

    Instructor, School of Child and Family Sciences

  • Alexis Stoner, M.B.A.
    Instructor, School of Marketing

  • Mariann Taylor, Ph.D.
    Associate Teaching Professor, School of Child and Family Sciences
  • Yuanyuan Zhang, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Leadership
  • Zikai Zhou, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Leadership

EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE TEACHING AWARD

The 2024-25 Excellence in Online Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who has exemplified excellence in online course design, innovation in pedagogy, and exceptional engagement of students within a challenging online course experience.

  • K. Chiméne Gecewicz, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Social Science and Global Studies

OUTSTANDING SERVICE-LEARNING FACULTY AWARD

The for Community Engagement works with numerous Southern Miss faculty who dedicate their time to innovative teaching methods that combine service and learning for a powerful impact on both students and our community. The Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award recognizes a Southern Miss faculty member who demonstrates teaching excellence through student learning experiences that address critical community needs.

  • Linh Nguyen, M.F.A.
    Associate Professor, School of Performing and Visual

GRADUATE MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Graduate Mentor of the Year Award is presented to a faculty member with a minimum of five years of experience at Southern Miss who demonstrates a commitment to fostering the intellectual, scholarly and professional development of his/her graduate students. The recipient is nominated by a current or former graduate student and is valued for his/her accessibility to students, willingness to assist as students learn to teach and perform research, assistance in developing professional networks, and providing opportunities to attend professional conferences and disseminate research findings, and high expectations for excellence.

Donald Sacco, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Psychology

HONORS COLLEGE MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

  • Craig Carey, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Humanities
  • Wei Wang, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing

DRAPEAU CENTER FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

  • Joanne Tran, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing

ASSOCIATION FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATORS FACULTY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (ACUE)

Since fall 2016, The has selected Faculty and Staff Fellows to participate in the Association for College and University Educators (ACUE) Faculty Development Institute, which is housed in the for Faculty Development. The Institute provides several options for faculty and staff to engage in teaching development that supports students both inside and outside of the classroom. We are proud of the community the Institute continues to build and the national recognition this program has gained for its record completion rates, its impact on student retention and success rates, and our exceptional faculty and staff.

ACUE PROMOTING ENGAGED AND ACTIVE LEARNING MICROCREDENTIAL

  • Michael Aderibigbe, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Samson Ayo, M.S.
    Graduate Student, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Diana Bernstein, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Micayla Cochran
    Graduate Student, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Jennifer Courts, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Performing and Visual
  • Benjamin Damoah, Ph.D.
    Researcher, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Mohsen Foroughi-Sabzeva, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Construction and Design
  • Rachael Fowler, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Humanities
  • Emily Goldsmith, M.F.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Humanities
  • Kaeli Gretter, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Library and Information Science
  • Timothy Gutmann, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Andrew Huebert, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Psychology
  • Mirsalar Kamari, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Construction and Design
  • Rachel Lahasky, M.S.W.
    Lecturer, School of Social Work
  • Hannah Madonna, M.S.W.
    Assistant Professor, University Libraries
  • Matt Martin, M.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Media and Communication
  • Katya Maslakowski, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Jessica Matthews, M.S.M.
    Instructor, School of Health Professions
  • Kathryn McKenzie, M.F.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Humanities
  • Tiffany Ridgeway, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Education
  • Karen Robles Lopez, M.S.
    Graduate Student, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Shiza Shahid, M.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Psychology
  • Ery Shin, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Rhonda Smith, D.S.W.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Social Work
  • Paul Strait, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Media and Communication
  • Patricia Thomasio Quinelato Garcia, M.A.
    Visiting Instructor, School of Social Science and Global Studies
  • Claire Villarreal
    Graduate Student, Student Affairs Administration
  • Rubaiya Zannat, M.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Media and Communication
  • Clayton Ziemke
    Graduate Student, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences

ACUE DISTINGUISHED TEACHING SCHOLARS

The ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholars completed three microcredentials in the ACUE Faculty Development Institute: 1) Promoting Engaged and Active Learning, 2) Fostering Lifelong Learning, and 3) Designing Learner-ed and Inclusive Courses. The faculty fellows listed below earned the Certificate in Effective College Instruction, endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE), and the designation as an ACUE Credentialed Educator.

  • Jacob Chapman, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Melody Davisson, M.S.W.
    Instructor, School of Social Work
  • Allison Downing, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Ian Dunkle, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Humanities
  • Alison Fridley, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Marketing
  • Gretchen Goode, D.Ed.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
  • Andrew Gutkowski, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development
  • Calvin Martin, M.S.
    Instructor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Nathan Mullins, M.F.A.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Performing and Visual
  • Jacob Namias, M.A.
    Graduate Student, School of Psychology
  • Gero Nootz, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Chelsea Pederson, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering
  • Kaity Prieto Godoy, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
  • Sabrina Reed, Ph.D.
    Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Marketing
  • Diana Smith, M.S.W.
    Instructor, School of Social Work
  • Stephanie McCoy Smith, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology and Nutrition
  • Zach Taylor, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
  • Leonard Troughton, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
  • Sunny Wells, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Education
  • Sharon Young, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Social Science and Global Studies

ACUE ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN EFFECTIVE COLLEGE INSTRUCTION

The Advanced Certificate in Effective College Instruction, endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE), is earned by completing both the Effective Teaching Practices and the Effective Online Teaching Practices within the ACUE Faculty Development Institute.

  • Stephanie McCoy Smith, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology and Nutrition

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS AWARDS

JOE PAUL RISING STAR AWARD

Dr. Joe Paul quickly made his mark in 1976 when he began in his first role as assistant director for the R.C. Cook Student Union and was quickly promoted to roles including dean of students and vice president for Student Affairs. The Joe Paul Rising Star Award recognizes new employees who, like the award’s namesake, have also hit the ground running by displaying exemplary efforts toward advancing the division’s mission and vision through our values of civility, education, engagement, integrity and wellness.

  • Cydney Landreau
    Outreach Coordinator, Student Counseling Services

PETER DURKEE SUPERSTAR AWARD

Dr. Durkee served as the division’s senior officer for 25 years, and during that time, his support for student services—such as career development and student wellness—made a significant impact on the university. This support and many additional actions have contributed to the success of thousands of Southern Miss students. The Peter Durkee Superstar Award recognizes an employee or ensemble within the Division of Student Affairs for significant contributions to the mission and realization of the vision. 

  • Casey Taylor
    Assistant Director for Southern Miss Events, Union

STUDENT AFFAIRS CHAMPION

This commendation celebrates excellent work and dedication from the division’s office administrators, technicians, facility maintenance and housekeeping personnel. In addition to demonstrating outstanding customer service, efficiency and consistency in their work, those nominated for this award will contribute to positive environments for colleagues and students with whom they interact. In short, these individuals help make Southern Miss a place people want to be.

  • Clarence Nemmers
    Plumbing Lead, Housing and Residence Life

DISTINGUISHED FRIEND OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Student Affairs interacts with partners across the university, as well as in local, regional and national communities. A Distinguished Friend of Student Affairs is a partner whose dedication or contribution to divisional or departmental missions is especially significant and deserving of recognition.

  • Ryan Lee
    Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Athletics

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INNOVATION AWARDS

These awards celebrate the outstanding scholarly careers of our most productive and influential faculty. Research Innovation Awards are open to tenured and non-tenured faculty, staff, graduate students and external entities and will include a medallion to be worn at Commencement.

ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP AWARD

The Academic Partnership Award honors a faculty member who has pioneered or sustained innovative partnerships between The  and other institutions or groups (including, but not necessarily limited to, businesses, state and federal agencies, professional associations, community groups or nonprofit organizations). Awardees demonstrate the primacy of their role in establishing and maintaining academic partnerships for the university.

  • Kristy McRaney, Ph.D.
    Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Psychology

APPLIED RESEARCH AWARD

The Applied Research Award honors a faculty member who has employed the results of basic research to solve specific scientific or social problems or to serve pragmatic purposes, such as the practical implementation of research, or to suggest system or policy changes in his/her research area. Awardees demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

  • Wei Wu, Ph.D.
    Professor, School of Ocean Science and Engineering

BASIC RESEARCH AWARD

The Basic Research Award honors faculty who have conducted systematic research to advance general knowledge, understand phenomena, or build theories through their research and build the rubric of their research. Awardees demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

  • Yuanyuan Zhang, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Leadership

GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD

The Graduate Student Award recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated exemplary scholarly or creative achievements.

  • Anthony Griffin
    Graduate Student, School of Polymer Science and Engineering
  • Shiza Shahid
    Graduate Student, School of Psychology

MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AWARD

The Multidisciplinary Research Award honors a faculty member who is a pioneer in cross-disciplinary research collaboration to identify innovative solutions or intellectual accomplishments that extend beyond their field. Awardees demonstrate high levels of external recognition.

  • Wei Wang, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Marketing

RESEARCH ADVOCATE AWARD

The Research Advocate Award honors an administrator or staff member who has made significant contributions to fostering research at The .

  • Tiffany Landry
    Director of Research Support Services, College of Education and Human Sciences

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RESEARCH AWARD

The Lifetime Achievement Research Award honors a senior faculty member whose scholarly or creative career has made an extraordinary and significant impact on their discipline, as perceived not only by our university’s faculty community but also by other members of that profession. Awardees demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

  • Sarah E. Morgan, Ph.D.
    Bennett Distinguished Professor, School of Polymer Science and Engineering

UNIVERSITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Staff Excellence Awards recognize staff members who exhibit exemplary commitment and dedication to their positions and The University of Southern Mississippi. The recipients demonstrate integrity, a positive attitude, interpersonal skills, a willingness to learn new skills, flexibility and reliability as colleagues that distinguishes them among their peers. Winners are selected within each employment classification. Further, the Jessie H. Morrison Award recipient must also have at least 20 consecutive years of employment.

SERVICE MAINTENANCE/SKILLED CRAFT TECHNICAL AWARD

  • Mary Melissa Rawson
    Desktop Technician II, iTech Administration
  • Barry Smith
    Utilities, Maintenance and Facilities, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

OFFICE PERSONNEL

  • Eunice Tart
    Logistics Manager, Gulf Park Event Services

PROFESSIONAL

  • David Magola
    Veterans Affairs Benefits Coordinator, for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families
  • Daniel Barton
    Senior Planned Gifts Officer, Foundation

JESSIE H. MORRISON AWARD

This endowment was named after Ms. Jessie Morrison, who was a long-time Southern Miss staff member in the President’s Office. Miss Jessie was the administrative assistant to three university presidents, including Dr. McLemore, Dr. McCain and Dr. Lucas. Upon her retirement, Miss Jessie was instrumental in securing funds to create this endowment. These award winners honor Ms. Jessie’s legacy to the University.

  • Ruby Drieling, 31 years
    Budget and Personnel Coordinator, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
  • Regina McCarty, 21 years
    Assistant to the Dean for Finance and Administration, College of Education and Human Sciences

FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The University Faculty Excellence Awards recognize faculty members’ outstanding efforts and achievements. Both the Suggs Endowed Professorship and the Outstanding Junior Faculty Awards were established to recognize early career faculty who have demonstrated excellence and solid trajectory of future promise. The Faculty Senate also recognizes overall faculty excellence from within any rank. All recipients honored were selected by their peers based on the strength of their record and support of their students and colleagues.

NINA BELL SUGGS ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP

The Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professorship recognizes junior faculty members (untenured, tenure-track assistant professors) for outstanding accomplishments and professional promise. Each recipient will use the title “Nina Bell Suggs Professor” until they are promoted to associate professor.

  • Nicole Camlin, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
  • Ian Cicco, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Music

JUNIOR FACULTY OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD

  • Austin Graybeal, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology and Nutrition

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

  • Linh Nguyen, M.F.A.
    Associate Professor, School of Performing and Visual

EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE

  • Fan Zhang, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, School of Construction and Design

2024 Winners

Contact Us

Office of the Provost
Lucas Administration Building

Hattiesburg Campus

Campus Map

Email
provostFREEMississippi

Phone
601.266.5002