Deborah Korth, senior associate vice provost for student success and academic excellence and teaching professor in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, received the 2025 Ro Di Brezzo Service to Teaching Award. Korth will be recognized at the Faculty Awards Reception on Sept. 25 and will receive a recognition plaque and a $500 teaching enhancement grant.

The Ro Di Brezzo Service to Teaching Award, named in honor of former Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Ro Di Brezzo, recognizes an individual who has provided outstanding service to campus teaching through programs conducted by the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center.

"Deb's service to campus teaching through TFSC programming is remarkable," said Richard Cassady, co-director of the TFSC and University Professor of industrial engineering. "She regularly serves as a facilitator for TFSC workshops, and she is a past recipient of TFSC's Cordes Chair. Beyond that, Deb works behind the scenes to encourage and coordinate teams of faculty to create workshops for TFSC events; she encourages faculty to participate in TFSC events, and she herself is a regular participant in TFSC events. Furthermore, her knowledge of campus teaching issues and her familiarity with the campus faculty make her a great resource for the TFSC co-directors in identifying topics and facilitators for future TFSC programming. Finally, her leadership with ACUE, GELO and the Teaching Academy makes her a natural partner for the TFSC leadership team."

Korth has made many contributions to the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and to advancing teaching excellence at the university. She serves as the faculty liaison to the Association of College and University Educators to support faculty across the university in obtaining certification in effective college teaching. Under her leadership, over 500 ACUE microcertificates have been earned by U of A faculty, and 78 faculty members received full certification in effective college teaching. She oversees the General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment Project, a duty she has held since 2022. Furthermore, she is the chair of the General Education and Core Curriculum Committee, a co-director of the U of A Teaching Academy, a trained peer mentor observer with the TFSC, a co-chair of the High Impact Practices Collaborative, a member of the Faculty Senate's Executive Committee and a member of Campus Council.

"I'd like to congratulate Deb on receiving the Ro Di Brezzo Award," said Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Anna Zajicek. "This is a truly deserved honor that recognizes Deb's extraordinary dedication to faculty development and her unwavering support of the TFSC. She has been a tireless champion for teaching excellence and student success. Her efforts to promote ACUE certification and other impactful initiatives have empowered faculty to grow professionally and thrive in their academic careers. Deb exemplifies the spirit of this award through her vision, service and enduring commitment to our faculty community."

In her current role as senior associate vice provost, Korth oversees the academic support programs offered for students and faculty at the Student Success Center, located in the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence. She also works with academic units across campus to implement campus-wide student success initiatives and programs.

"This award is especially meaningful to me because Ro Di Brezzo not only helped advance teaching on this campus, but she was also one of my mentors," Korth said. "Both Ro and Wally had a significant impact on my career and helped shape my own approach to teaching and service. I am honored to receive this award to carry on their legacy of teaching excellence at the U of A."

More About Korth

Prior to joining the Student Success Center, Korth was the assistant dean of student success in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She led several Fulbright College student success initiatives, including the creation of Professional Agility and Career Essentials Micro and Instructor Coach Program.

Korth is also a non-tenure track teaching professor, and she is known by most students as the professor of Destination Arkansas Blackboard Activities. Since fall 2018, Korth has led the campus-wide team responsible for creating and implementing DABA, an onboarding course for all new students at the university.  

Since joining the U of A in 2000, Korth has served in a variety of leadership and teaching roles. She was the director of Fulbright Student Success, an instructor and then clinical associate professor in mathematical sciences, the director of the Math Resource and Teaching Center, the vice chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, director of the Enhanced Learning Center and special assistant to the dean of students. She has also served as a member of the Arkansas Math Pathways Taskforce and a member of the Arkansas Course Transfer System Review Committee with the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.

Her research focuses on student persistence, student success, general education curriculum assessment and mathematics education. She has given over 40 presentations on campus and throughout the nation on these topics, and she has worked on many grant proposals that have secured scholarship funds for students.

Korth has received many honors for her service and teaching. She received credentials in effective college teaching from ACUE and was inducted into the U of A Teaching Academy in 2020. She received the Golden Tusk Award from Student Affairs, became an Adopted Professor of Yocum Hall in 2017, received the Outstanding TA Supervisor Award in 2015 and received the Student Customer Service Award for her service in the Math Resource and Teaching Center, among others. She was also recognized by the National Guard in 2011 for the support she provided to guardsmen who were also U of A students.

Prior to joining the U of A, Korth was an academic adviser, program coordinator and faculty member at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. She also taught mathematics and computer science to middle school students in Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Korth earned an Ed.D. in higher education administration and college teaching from the U of A. She earned a master's degree in secondary mathematics education from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's degree in mathematics teaching from the University of Nebraska.

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About the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center: The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center was founded in 1992 by Wally Cordes, Ro Di Brezzo and Paul Cronan. TFSC invests in faculty excellence, promotes innovation in teaching and learning, and supports programs to advance student success. The center provides educational opportunities for faculty such as teaching and learning workshops, teaching symposia, and new faculty orientation. TFSC offers competitive teaching and learning grants for faculty, celebrates effective teaching with several awards and an awards reception, and promotes faculty-to-faculty mentoring through classroom observation. More information about TFSC can be found on their website or by following them on LinkedIn.

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