11 honored at annual Faculty Awards ceremony

Front, left to right: Mohammad Ahmadi, Katherine Karl, Valerie Taylor, Li Yang, Nikolasa Tejero, Nicole Brown, and Jerald Ainsworth.
Back, left to right: Christopher Horne, Brad Reynolds, Joseph Jordan, Elizabeth Hathaway, and Steve Angle.

Eleven faculty members were honored Tuesday night for their achievements and their service at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award was given to Katherine Karl of Management, recognized as a professor whose curiosity never wanes and passes that attitude to her students.

Brad Reynolds of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, who has been a lecturer at UTC for 13 years, won the Outstanding Lecturer or Adjunct Teaching Award.

The Outstanding University Service Award was given to Valerie Taylor in Marketing, who has been involved with several school committees, including serving as chair on the College of Business’ Faculty Recruiting and Promotion and Tenure Committees.

Christopher Horne of Public Administration took home the Outstanding Faculty Advising Award for keeping both students and faculty motivated and focused on reaching their individual goals.

Li Yang of Engineering and Computer Science won Outstanding Faculty Research and Creative Achievement Award. In the past year, she has brought in $2 million for research.

The Lifetime Research and Creative Achievement Award honors faculty who have served at UTC for at least 15 years. This year it was presented to J.R. Clark, the Probasco distinguished chair of Free Enterprise.

The University of Tennessee Alumni Association also presented its two annual awards at the ceremony.

The association gave its Outstanding Teacher Awards to Mohammad Ahmadi, the Guerry Professor of Management and the campus’ translator for Farsi, and English professor Joseph Jordan, who tries “to conduct class as if it’s a conversation.”

The UTAA Public Service Award goes to Nicole Brown, professor and as well as an academic Advisor in the Department of Communication.

The Student Government Association asks UTC students to select a professor who demonstrates outstanding teaching skills as well as genuine concern for students. This year, they selected Elizabeth Hathaway of Health and Human Performance as SGA Outstanding Professor.

To honor excellent scholarly endeavor, the UTC Council of Scholars inducted UC Foundation Associate Professor of English Sybil Baker, who teaches creative writing and humanities in the interdisciplinary honors program.

Nikolasa Tejero, Associate Professor of Music Theory and Applied Clarinet in the Department of Performing Arts, was given the Carolyn Thompson and Roger Brown Community Engagement Award for her efforts in reaching out to both the campus and the Chattanooga communities and bringing them together.