A message from Provost Jerold Hale:
At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, we regularly celebrate the accomplishments of all our distinguished faculty members. The faculty members below have recently been recognized for excellence with a variety of professorships, grants and professional leave opportunities. Please join us in congratulating them on their success.
The Alexander and Charlotte Guerry Professorships
For nearly 60 years this university has awarded Guerry Professorships to tenured faculty who have distinguished themselves nationally through teaching, research, scholarship and other significant contributions. This year we honor the following faculty as new holders of a Guerry Professorship:
Dr. Christopher Cunningham–Professor, Department of Psychology
Dr. Lingju Kong–Professor, Department of Mathematics
Dr. Li Yang–Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Each faculty member holds a Guerry Professorship for five years and receives a $10,000 stipend each academic year, to support continued work in teaching, research, and scholarship.
UC Foundation Professorships
The UC Foundation continues its support for faculty with this year’s new class of faculty members honored with UC Foundation Professorships. These selective awards are made to exceptionally productive junior faculty, often on the tenure track. This year’s recipients are:
Dr. Navid Aghakhani–Assistant Professor, Department of Management
Dr. DeAnna Beasley–Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science
Dr. Saeid Golkar–Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Service
Dr. Donald Reising–Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Lakmali Weerasena–Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics
Dr. Kristina Wick–Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Each faculty member above receives a $2,500 increase to base salary, supplied by the UC Foundation.
Ruth S. Holmberg Grants for Faculty Excellence
The Ruth S. Holmberg Grants support faculty who have demonstrated the potential and ability to function at a higher level of scholarship, engage students in addressing problems of contemporary importance through research efforts, or work with tenured faculty or the administration in building innovative curriculum. The recipients of the Holmberg Grants for the 2022-2023 year are given below, along with the title of their funded proposal.
Dr. Stylianos Chatzimanolis–Professor, Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science
- Proposal: The evolutionary history of ant-loving rove beetles
Dr. Julia Cummiskey–Assistant Professor, Department of History
- Proposal: From Vitamins to Vaccines: Selling Health in Modern East Africa
Dr. Dawn Ford–Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance
- Proposal: Improving the Quality of Drinking Water in Child Care Centers in Hamilton, Marion, and Bradley Counties, Tennessee
Dr. Jared Pienkos–Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Physics
- Proposal: Exploitation of trans-bidentate ligands for carbon dioxide reduction
Dr. Marissa McElrone–Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance
- Proposal: Development of a Household Nutrition Security Screener for Policy and Program Evaluation in Families with Children
Each Holmberg recipient will receive up to $5,000 in funding to support their proposal.
Professional Development Leave for 2022-2023
As part of our long-standing commitment to faculty development and renewal, the University regularly offers a limited number of Professional Development Leaves–formerly called sabbaticals. The following faculty have been granted leaves for the coming academic year.
Dr. Arben Asllani–Professor, Department of Management
Dr. Stylianos Chatzminanolis–Professor, Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science
Dr. Sarah Einstein–Associate Professor, Department of English
Dr. Zibin Guo–Professor, Department of Social, Cultural and Justice Studies
Professor Katherine Hargrave–Associate Professor, Department of Art
Dr. Hunter Holzhauer–Associate Professor, Department of Finance and Economics
Dr. Christopher Horne–Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Service
Dr. Hemant Jain–Professor and W. Max Finely Chair, Department of Management
Professor Valerie Jeffers–Professor, Department of Theatre
Dr. Ethan Mills–Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Professor Andrew O’Brien–Associate Professor, Department of Art
Dr. Kira Robison–Associate Professor, Department of History
Dr. Charlene Schmidt–Associate Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance
Dr. Aaron Shaheen–Professor, Department of English
Dr. Joey Shaw–Professor, Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science
