The Office of the Provost and the Office for Faculty Affairs recently recognized faculty for teaching excellence, providing outstanding mentorship to their colleagues and for completing professional development programs at the Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception held on April 9 during Faculty Appreciation Week.

"I was honored to present this year's awards and recognitions to our incredible faculty," said Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Anna Zajicek.  "Our faculty's commitment to teaching excellence and providing quality mentorship to each other and our students is the cornerstone of our land-grant mission. I'm constantly amazed at the profound impact they have on our campus and our community through their teaching, mentorship, research and scholarship."

Teaching and mentorship awards that were presented include the Daniel E. Ferritor Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching, Provost Award for Departmental Excellence in Faculty Mentoring, Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards, Faculty Applause Awards and certification in effective college teaching through Association of Colleges and University Educators (ACUE). 

Professional development recognitions that were presented to faculty include the Bridge Program Completion Badges, Beginning Investigator Research Development Support (BIRDS) Completion Badges and Mentoring Graduate Students Workshop Completion Certificates.

In addition, the 2025 SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient for the U of A, Distinguished Professor of Science Education William F. McComas, was recognized at the ceremony. Each year, the SEC recognizes a faculty member at each of the conference's 16 institutions with a SEC Faculty Achievement Award for their outstanding record in research and scholarship. This award was announced in Arkansas News earlier this spring.

Daniel E. Ferritor Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching 
This annual award is funded by the Office of the Chancellor and given to the department or academic unit on campus that best displays excellence in teaching, faculty development and student success. The award includes $10,000 and a trophy. 

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences received the 2025 Daniel E. Ferritor Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching. 

Provost Award for Departmental Excellence in Faculty Mentoring
This annual award is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office for Faculty Affairs. The award is given to the department or academic unit on campus that best displays excellence in onboarding and mentoring of early-career and mid-career faculty, including tenure track and non-tenure track faculty. The winning department receives $8,000 and a trophy.

This year's award was given to University Libraries.

Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards
The Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award is sponsored by the Provost's Office and given to faculty who were nominated by their peers and colleagues for serving as an outstanding mentor to other U of A faculty. The following faculty received a 2025 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award:

• Ed Clausen, Department of Chemical Engineering
• Ingrid Fritsch, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
• Ben Runkle, Department of Biological Engineering
• Carl Smith, Department of Landscape Architecture
• Annie Smith, School of Law

Faculty Applause Awards
The Faculty Applause Award is co-sponsored by the Associated Student Government and the Office for Faculty Affairs. This award gives students the opportunity to recognize a professor who has made a lasting impact on them during their time at the U of A.

Faculty who received this award include:

• Mostafa Elsaadany, Department of Biomedical Engineering 
• Rupesh Kariyat, Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology
• Reba McDermott, Department of Accounting
• Melinda Schroeder, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Mandel Samuels, Department of Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods

ACUE Certification in Effective College Teaching 
Faculty are awarded certification in effective college instruction through the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and the American Counsel on Education after completing course requirements. Through this certification, faculty further their commitment to educational excellence.    

This year, the following faculty received this certification:

• Trish Amason, Department of Communications
• Ginger Blackstone, School of Journalism & Strategic Media
• Dave Bostwick, School of Journalism & Strategic Media
• Hilary Bowling, School of Nursing
• Kevin Brabha, Department of Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods
• Eric Button, Department of Political Science
• Sarah Denison, director of Career Initiatives, Humanities & Social Sciences
• Matt Gerner, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
• Joshua Girshner, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Phil Harrington, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Rebecca Leach, Department of Communication
• Rodica Lisnic, Department of Sociology & Criminology
• John Wayne Morris, Department of Communication
• Weston Perrine, Department of Biological Sciences
• Rocio Ritter, Department of Sociology & Criminology
• James Roddy, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Robert Saunders, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Karl Schubert, Department of Industrial Engineering
• Deanna Shields, Department of Physics
• Kasey Walker, Department of Communication

Bridge Program Completion Badges
The Bridge Program is sponsored by the Office for Faculty Affairs and the U of A ADVANCE ENGAGE grant. This program provides mentorship and onboarding resources to new faculty through an innovative and comprehensive teams-based approach. The Bridge Program also allows new faculty to network with other faculty across departments and schools. 

The following faculty members received the Bridge Program Completion Badge:

• Marco Dehnert, Department of Communication
• Samira Feyzi, Department of Food Science
• James Sinclair, Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Bridge Program and Beginning Investigator Research Development Support (BIRDS) Program Completion Badges
The Bridge Program is offered in the fall semester and transitions into the Beginning Investigator Research Development Support Program (BIRDS) in the spring semester. The BIRDS Program, offered by the Division of Research and Innovation, focuses on peer networking, finding funding and general grantsmanship training. Participants learn about the services that Research Development offers investigators on campus and work with the Research Development team to create personalized research and funding plans.

The following faculty completed both the Bridge Program and the BIRDS Program:

• Kariah Brust, University Libraries
• Candace Cunningham, Department of History
• Sun Ferreira, Department of Food Science
• Cody Hackett, University Libraries
• Hannah King, University Libraries
• Zachary Lookenbill, Department of Music
• Reetam Majumder, Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Megan York, University Libraries

The following faculty completed the BIRDS Program:

• Morgan Broberg, Department of Civil Engineering
• Alejandro Martin Gomez, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
• Aranyak Goswami, Department of Animal Science

Mentoring Graduate Students Workshop Completion
This workshop provides faculty with the opportunity to learn best practices in mentoring to inspire, direct and professionally develop graduate mentees. The workshop also helps faculty develop a mentoring philosophy, experiment with various mentoring methods and discuss mentoring challenges and successes with peers.

The following faculty members completed the workshop this year:

• Christine Rickabaugh, University Libraries
• Tim Evans, Department of Biological Sciences
• Sun Ferreira, Department of Food Science
• Timothy Kral, Department of Biological Sciences
• Christian Tipsmark, Department of Biological Sciences
• Hannah Wright, Department of Horticulture Cooperative Extension Service
• Megan York, University Libraries

The next Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception will be held in April 2026 to coincide with Faculty Appreciation Week, which occurs the second week of April each year. The Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Faculty Affairs and the U of A ADVANCE ENGAGE grant.

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About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.