The Tennessee Higher Education Commission announces Dr. Zibin Guo is a faculty recipient of a 2009 Love Award.  Guo, a medical anthropologist and head of the UT Chattanooga Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography, was honored at a reception in Nashville.

Guo actively developed and taught wheelchair Tai Chi. Tai Chi is one of the ancient Chinese martial arts, a noncompetitive self-paced system of gentle physical exercise that Guo has adapted for wheelchair-dependent individuals in the U.S. and China.  He said “it was such a wonderful surprise” to learn of his award.

“Any university is only as good as her faculty.  Dr. Guo represents the very best in that regard.  He is not only an excellent classroom teacher and scholar, but also committed to serving the broader community and especially those least able to help themselves.  His unselfish vision to connect his own professional interests in medical sociology with his favorite pastime, Tai Chi, provides a healthy outlet for many disabled individuals. Dr. Guo is an excellent choice for the 2009 Love Award,” said Dr. Phil Oldham, UTC Provost.

Community service recognition programs for higher education faculty/staff and students at the campus level were created in Tennessee through legislation enacted by the General Assembly in 1991. In 1997, the awards were named for the late Representative Harold Love, who was instrumental in passing the enabling legislation.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was given the charge to develop rules and regulations by which to implement these programs for public and private two and four-year institutions. A taskforce of institutional and board representatives is convened each year to review each proposal submitted by the campuses and to select the five faculty/staff and five student and recipients. Each recipient receives a $1000 cash prize.

Representative Harold Love, Sr., elected to the General Assembly in 1968, was known for his compassion and good humor. With the welfare of his community as his primary concern, Love would go to any lengths to help a constituent in need, even if it meant giving from his own pocket. That is why, whenever he was present during a session of the House of Representatives, it was said, “Love is in the House.”