An award recognizing Paul Cronan, a co-founder of the Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center, was recently created. The award, "The Paul Cronan Technology Teaching Excellence Award," will be awarded in 2022 with the winner recognized at the Fall 2022 Annual Teaching Awards Reception.

Faculty, staff and students will be able to nominate faculty members who have excelled in using technology to enhance their teaching. A call for nominations is forthcoming. Cronan, along with Wally Cordes and Ro DiBrezzo, founded the center in 1992 as an interactive resource for faculty who strive to enhance teaching and learning. He has served the center twice in the capacity of co-director in 1992-1994 and 2011-2014.

Carole Shook, TFSC co-director, said, "Dr. Cronan has aided thousands of professors to shine in the classroom at the University of Arkansas, which has led to enhanced student learning and success. He is a mentor to many across campus and has often allowed opportunities to new professors to gain recognition of their teaching. This award will recognize his efforts now and into the future by combining his love of teaching and technology."

Cronan is a professor, holding the M.D. Matthews Chair in the Information Systems Department of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He is the director of the Information Systems graduate programs and the executive director of Walton Enterprise Systems. Besides founding the TFSC, he founded the Walton College Center for Teaching Effectiveness, the Blockchain Center of Excellence, and is a former vice-chair of the Information Systems Department.

He is an active member of the Association for Information Systems, the Decision Sciences Institute and the Association for Computing Machinery. He was recently recognized by the Decision Sciences Institute with the Lifetime Distinguished Educator Award. He has served as regional vice president and on the Board of Directors of the Decision Sciences Institute and as president of the Southwest Region of the Institute. In addition, he has served as associate editor for MIS Quarterly. He has won numerous awards at the college and university level for teaching, research and service.