Arkansas Alumni Association Announces Faculty Award Recipients

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Since 1961, the Arkansas Alumni Association has proudly recognized the exemplary achievements of University of Arkansas faculty through the Arkansas Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards among three categories of accomplishment: teaching, research and public service. Additionally, the University of Arkansas honors a faculty member with the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award.

The 2011 recipients:

• Research – Alan Mantooth

• Service – Marty Matlock

• Teaching – Robert Stapp

• Baum Faculty Teaching Award – John Pijanowski

For the first time, the Baum Award winner also will be honored at the Alumni Awards Celebration during Homecoming this fall.

Alan Mantooth, Research

Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and the Twenty-First Century Chair in Mixed-Signal IC Design and CAD in the College of Engineering, is the recipient for research. Mantooth is recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading engineers in the development of modeling and simulation software specifically for use in power electronics circuit design, and the first to develop many of the models and techniques in commercial use today. A holder of multiple patents, he has led the start-up of two companies – Lynguent Inc. and Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. Together, these companies employ more than 35 engineers in Fayetteville as well as sales and administrative staff in the United States, Korea and Japan.

He has spearheaded teams leading to the formation of three research centers, two of them sponsored by the National Science Foundation and private companies like Texas Instruments and Toyota Technology Research Center. He also helped establish the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmissions at the university in 2005 and serves as its director. In addition to earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Arkansas, Mantooth received a doctoral degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1990.

Marty Matlock, Service

Marty Matlock, professor of biological and agricultural engineering in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and in the College of Engineering, is the recipient for service. Matlock has dedicated the past 10 years to developing an internationally recognized program in ecological engineering at the University of Arkansas. In the past four years, he has worked with the Sustainability Consortium in the Sam M. Walton College of Business to develop a global platform for science-based, outcome-driven, transparent metrics for sustainable production across the food, beverage and agriculture supply chain. The consortium is now the leading academic research-based organization for development of metrics for in supply-chain sustainability in the world. 

He has been engaged in shaping the international discourse on sustainable agriculture during the past five years. Matlock has worked with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center for seven years to develop novel solutions to complex challenges in sustainable community design. As a member of the Cherokee Nation, based at Tahlequah, Okla., he has been engaged in tribal management of natural resources for more than 10 years and now serves as chairman of the Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission. Matlock has three academic degrees from Oklahoma State University – a bachelor’s degree in soil chemistry, a master’s degree in plant physiology and a doctoral degree in biosystems engineering.

Robert Stapp, Teaching

Robert Stapp, associate professor of economics in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, is the recipient of the faculty award for teaching. During 2010, Stapp taught six distinct course preparations from sophomore to upper-level classes, including honors courses.

“Anyone who’s had Dr. Stapp as a teacher will readily tell you of his genuine concern for students. Not only does he make time to listen to his students’ concerns and ideas, but he is always ready to guide with sage advice whenever needed,” former student Daniel Hazman wrote in his nomination letter.

Stapp also leads a group of students to Japan each summer for an intense study abroad program, which includes visits with the chief executive officers of top Japanese firms and government officials, cultural events and home stays. Among his teaching awards, he has been named the Walton College of Business Outstanding Teacher of the Year four times, the 2010 Beta Gamma Sigma Outstanding Teacher, Outstanding Mentor 2010 and the 2010 Walton College of Business Team Service Award along with the Charles and Nadine Baum Teaching Award in 2004. He earned bachelor’s degrees in history and economics at Oklahoma City University and master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Oklahoma State University.

John Pijanowski, Baum Faculty Teaching Award

John Pijanowski, associate professor of educational leadership in the College of Education and Health Professions, is the recipient of the university’s teaching honor, the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award for 2010.

A doctoral student who wrote a letter in support of his nomination said Pijanowski didn't reform technology for use in the classroom, he re-invented it. Many other students in their evaluations of his classes also praised the hybrid format that Pijanowski created with a wide variety of technology to allow for effective in-class and online work.

“John Pijanowski is extremely deserving of this award," said Tom Smith, dean of the college. "His innovative teaching style serves his students, most of whom are working professionals, in a way they may not be able to find anywhere else, and he delivers quality instruction that will result in better schools in Arkansas and elsewhere.”

As an associate professor and program coordinator of educational leadership at the University of Arkansas, Pijanowski works with master’s and doctoral students who are preparing to serve as researchers and educational leaders. He teaches graduate courses in ethics, leadership and law and has designed several new courses recently, including The Moral Mind in Action, Moral Courage, Teaching Character and Leadership Ethics. Pijanowski has more than 30 publications and 25 presentations in the fields of leadership and ethics. In 2010, he was honored with the college’s top faculty award for outstanding service, teaching, advising and research. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brown University and master’s and doctoral degrees in educational leadership from Cornell University.