Dr. Mike Martin, Bryan Massey and Bill Bandy are the 2007 recipients of UCA’s 2007 Faculty Excellence Awards. Martin, a biology professor, won the Teaching Excellence Award; Massey, in UCA’s Department of Art, won the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award; and Bandy won the Public Service Award for his work in UCA’s Department of Physical Therapy.Martin has been at UCA since 1995. In describing his philosophy of teaching, Martin says that he strives to maximize students’ opportunities to achieve academic success by creating a comfortable environment; being organized, clear, and enthusiastic; making course content relevant to students’ lives; and facilitating critical thinking and problem solving in the real-world. One of his colleagues notes that Martin is admired and respected because he pushes students to think and apply knowledge gained in his courses. Another colleague says that Martin uses all the ingredients of excellent teaching: a thorough knowledge of the content, exceptional organization of his courses, and a deep caring about students and their academic success. One of his students says that Martin leads students to a wonderful understanding of what they need to know as they go into graduate-level health care education. Another student notes, “It is an awesome situation when you are learning but you don’t realize it because you are having such a good time and enjoying the class. It is that experience that brought me back to more and more of Dr. Martin’s classes.”
Sculptor Bryan Massey uses wood, clay, stone and metal to create abstract representations of his life and experiences. Massey’s talent and vision has been inspiring students and the art community in Arkansas since 1988. His impressive body of work is exhibited in galleries and private collections around the world. He has received local and international awards recognizing his talent and creativity. Massey says of his work, “I strive to exhibit my utmost perfection in craftsmanship and presentation.”
Bill Bandy uses his training as a physical therapist to provide a variety of services to the community, treating patients at a clinic, providing no-cost physicals to high school athletes and serving as physical therapist to a number of Little Rock student sports teams. He also has a history of service to his profession, both locally at UCA and nationally, and is currently editor-in-chief of the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. Bandy is known in these circles for his ?passion for service? and his love for the profession.
