The U of A's College of Education and Health Professions recently named 2020-21 outstanding faculty award winners.

Each year, the college's Faculty Council and Honors Council review applications for a variety of awards, targeting important aspects of professorial life and work. Each of these recipients have made exceptional contributions to their fields, the college and to the U of A, said Dean Brian Primack.

This year's winners are:

David D. Christian, assistant professor of counselor education and supervision

Outstanding Mentoring and Advising Award

Christian earned this award based on his ability and willingness to establish meaningful, long-lasting mentoring relationships with students. He served as chair of 21 master's student advisory committees and seven doctoral student committees for the counseling program in 2020. He mentored students and recent alumni through four publications in prominent journals, two presentations at conferences and a variety of successful job searches. One of his Ph.D. mentees successfully defended her dissertation while two other doctoral students continued their progress with his support. Christian also serves on two additional dissertation committees for the counseling program. One nomination letter noted, "I cannot imagine having a more encouraging, challenging and dedicated mentor."

Janet Forbess, instructor of physical education

Faculty Career Award in Recognition of a Career that Exemplifies Outstanding Performance

Forbess earned the Faculty Career Award "for her dedication and impactful contributions to the University of Arkansas during her impressive career," council members noted. A faculty member since 1978, she has taught teacher education courses as part of the physical education program and served in multiple capacities on campus. Her dedication to teacher education has been instrumental in developing generations of teachers.

Forbess' dedication to students has netted her a variety of awards over the past several decades. She has won the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation's outstanding teaching award five times, the department's advising award three times and the college's outstanding teaching award. She's a longtime fellow of the prestigious U of A Teaching Academy. Her service contributions are equally impressive. Forbess served as the director for the National Youth Sports program for 27 years and for 30 years has served as faculty adviser for the Kinesiology Club, providing majors with opportunities to learn from local leaders, develop/participate in community volunteer experiences, connect with the U of A community and engage with state and national organizations.

"Dr. Janet is loved and appreciated by all those who have had the privilege to work and learn with her," a nomination letter stated.

Kimberly Frazier, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders

Outstanding Teaching Award

Frazier was lauded by council members for her dedication and innovation in adapting courses like phonology to remote learning during the pandemic. Phonology is foundational to the field of speech-language pathology because students learn how to transcribe speech samples using the International Phonetic Alphabet and diacritic markings to accurately describe how speech sounds are produced. Due to its application-based nature, the course content was difficult to present in an online-only format. However, Frazier developed an innovative summative assessment to provide opportunities for students to apply content knowledge while also critically thinking about transcription. This required many hours of feedback to students and Frazier received overwhelmingly positive reviews from them for her efforts. Students reported that Frazier's innovative thinking not only reduced their stress levels, but also increased their understanding of the material.   

Nicholas P. Greene, associate professor of exercise science and director of the Cachexia Research Laboratory

George Denny STAR Award

The faculty council was impressed by Greene's excellence in areas of research, teaching and service as well as his ability to bring a love for research into his teaching. Since Greene began his faculty career at the U of A in 2013, he has mentored students who have received multiple awards at departmental and international levels, directly worked with four previous doctoral students who have gone on to prestigious postdoctoral fellowships and worked in research with students who have now first authored 23 peer-reviewed publications in some of the highest ranked journals in his field.

This collaborative effort has led Greene and his team to receive two National Institutes of Health grants, including their first R01 award this past summer. Greene, whose teaching scores are repeatedly strong and positive from students, recently developed a formal grant writing course and  teaches in the research laboratory.

Greene is active in service at the professional, university and community levels. He's currently an editorial board member for two journals, including the prestigious Journal of Applied Physiology, and has been recognized several years in a row as one of the more active reviewers for the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. He's also a reviewer for many other journals and serves in grants review for the NIH. At the U of A, Greene serves as vice chair of the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee and has chaired multiple faculty searches, among other leadership opportunities. In the community, Greene serves as a regular member of the Ozark Off-Road Cyclists Trail Crew, spending many weekend mornings building and maintaining local soft surface trails.

Fran Hagstrom, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders

Outstanding Honors Faculty Award

Having previously served as the director of the college's Honors Program, mentored over 50 undergraduate honors theses and served on countless honors thesis committees during her time at the U of A, Hagstrom has left a long-lasting mark on honors education in the college.

Many Honors alumni could share stories of how Hagstrom supported them through the intensive process of conducting an original undergraduate research project, often while they faced the added pressure of applying to graduate programs. Hagstrom's support of students doesn't stop outside the classroom door. In a nomination letter, one student noted that Hagstrom went the extra mile to support her on a personal level during the COVID-19 pandemic. By taking such a holistic approach to supporting students on their academic and personal journeys, Hagstrom has set a new standard for honors faculty at the U of A.

Tingting Liu, assistant professor of nursing

Significant Research Award

Liu earned the Significant Research Award based on contributions to her field. Her research is focused on cognitive dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes patients, and council members said they were impressed with her industrious scholarship, quality of publications, efforts to disseminate her work and ability to acquire competitive funding to continue this important line of research.

During 2020 Liu published four articles, three of these as first author, in journals that are considered top tier in nursing research with high impact factors. She delivered two presentations about her research at international and national conferences. Liu was also recognized by her peers, earning the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Scholarship Award and the Pi Theta Chapter Research Award. She earned NIH funding in the 2020 cycle with an R15 Research Enhancement Award.

Leslie Jo Shelton, assistant professor of higher education

Superior Service Award

Shelton's dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion has guided her impactful service both to the university and the community. She continued to coordinate the Higher Education master's program in 2020 and served on the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's Faculty Diversity Champion Team. She also received her department's Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2020.

Shelton has consistently championed diversity and has led the Higher Education master's program to national prominence in recent years. She has coordinated comprehensive exams, served on two editorial boards and on two dissertation-of-the-year committees in her field. Additionally, she chaired the ACPA Commission for Professional Preparation, the premier outlet for student affairs faculty for preparing professionals. Shelton published two journal articles, submitted grant applications and taught nearly 100 graduate students across six classes.

"Dr. Shelton's service to students, faculty, the program, department and college was outstanding in 2020," council members stated.

Jonathan Wai, assistant professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy

Rising STAR Award

Council members stated they were impressed by Wai's stellar performance in all areas of research, teaching and service and the ability to make his research policy-relevant by reaching a broader audience. Since joining the U of A in 2018, Wai has reached national and international prominence in research. He has also been lauded for his excellent and highly effective teaching and productive service to the Department of Education Reform, the college, the profession and the public. In his third year as an assistant professor, Wai is already a major figure in the fields of intelligence, gifted education and cognitive differences, the council stated. "He is a pioneer in studying the identification of gifted students to increase classification rates of those disadvantaged students who might have been overlooked with traditional identification approaches," they wrote.

In 2020, Wai's research was published in multiple prestigious journals in his field; he published one book chapter and has five more in press. He is also a frequent contributor to Forbes Science, Times Educational Supplement, The Conversation, Fordham Institute and Psychology Today, so his research has a broad impact.

Wai earns high marks as a classroom teacher and doctoral student adviser with students commenting that his courses have challenged them to think differently or introduced them to new topics. Wai also participates in leadership positions, in professional committees and on editorial boards. He publicly advocates for gifted children.