Graduate School Announces 2012 Collis R. Geren Awards

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Dean Todd Shields, right, and Ribby the Razorback present the Collis R. Geren Award for Graduate Faculty to Rick Ulrich.

The Graduate School and International Education hosted the second annual Graduate School cookout on Tuesday, April 24, in appreciation of the efforts of university partners in graduate education throughout the year.

At the awards ceremony, Dean Todd G. Shields awarded the 2012 Collis R. Geren awards for excellence in graduate education. The awards were initiated in honor of Collis R. Geren, who retired as dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research in 2010.

For their commitment to graduate education, the following faculty and staff were honored:

• Rick Ulrich, professor of chemical engineering, university faculty award
• Joda Parent of the crop, soil and environmental sciences program, university staff award
• Susan Byram, assistant director of graduate and international admissions, Graduate School staff award.

In recognizing this year’s awardees, Shields noted their unceasing work on behalf of graduate students, and expressed the appreciation of all the Graduate School staff for the awardees’ commitment to graduate education. About 200 faculty, staff and graduate students enjoyed the cookout fare.