At the 2019 Faculty Awards banquet, Provost George Hynd, left, and Chancellor Steve Angle, right, stand with Sheena Monds, Megan Watson (daughter of the late Paul Watson,) Hunter Holzhauer, Jackie Watson (wife of the late Paul Watson,) Lisa Burke-Smalley, Chris Smith and Nicholas Lambert on Tuesday, April 16.
Nine members of the UTC faculty were honored at the university’s annual Faculty Awards banquet on Tuesday, April 17, recognizing their service and dedication.
The Outstanding University Service Award was given to Hunter Holzhauer, associate professor of Finance and Economics and the advisor for the SMILE Fund, a student-run investment firm in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.
The Outstanding Faculty Advising Award went to Jessica Hackathorne, a clinical lab assistant in Occupational Therapy who spends hours mentoring and teaching students in the program.
The Outstanding Faculty Research and Creative Achievement Award went to Ethan Mills, assistant professor in philosophy and religion whose first book, Three Pillars of Skepticism in Classical India: Nāgārjuna, Jayarāsi, and Śrī Harşa, was recently published.
The Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award was given to Gary Wilkerson, professor for Graduate Athletic Training, Health and Human Performance, whose work has helped prevent injuries to the U.S. Olympic teams and others athletes.
The Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award was given to Lisa Burke-Smalley, a Guerry professor of Management whose students refer to as “absolutely amazing.”
The Outstanding Lecturer or Adjunct Teaching Award went to Nicholas Lambert, renowned for arranging hands-on learning opportunities for nurse anesthesia students.
The Outstanding Teaching in General Education Award was given to Sheena Monds, a lecturer in English who also gets her students involved in community outreach.
The Carolyn Thompson and Roger Brown Community Engagement Award was taken home by Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing, took home for her continuing work connecting the campus to Chattanooga’s communities.
A posthumous Lifetime Research and Creative Achievement Award went to the late Paul Watson, who spent 41 years as a faculty and staff member at UTC. He taught Introduction to Psychology for decades and served as head of the Department of Psychology from 2004 to 2011. Internationally known for his work in the psychology of religion, he was one of the most productive researchers on campus and had many articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
To recognize excellent scholarly work, the UTC Council of Scholars inducted two new members.
- Li Yang, assistant dean in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, who is expert in network and information security, big data analytics and engineering techniques for complex software systems.
- Michelle Deardorff, department head of the Department of Political Science and Public Service. She has co-authored books on discrimination against pregnant women and a college textbook that focuses on the civic engagement of college students.
Faculty retirees recognized at the event were:
- Valarie Adams
- Karen Adsit
- Habte Churnet
- Anne Holmes
- Nick Honerkamp
- Terri LeMoyne
- Betty McNulty
- Barbara Norwood
- Katherine Rehyansk
- Cheryl Robinson
- Cindy White
