The University of Central Arkansas honored exceptional faculty during the 2021 Faculty Excellence Awards at Fall Convocation. The event was held in Reynolds Performance Hall on the UCA campus.
The university presented awards to outstanding faculty in the following areas:
- Pam Ashcraft, School of Nursing, received the Public Service Award.
- Femina Varghese, Department of Psychology and Counseling, received the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award.
- Brent Gregg, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, received the Teaching Excellence Award.
UCA President Houston Davis and Pam Ashcraft
UCA President Houston Davis and Femina Varghese
UCA President Houston Davis and Brent Gregg
In addition, Allen Thomas, Department of Learning Communities, received the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Award, and Charlotte Parham, Department of Leadership Studies, received the External Funding Impact Award.
UCA President Houston Davis and Allen Thomas
Other presentations included the classified and non-classified recipients of the Employee of the Year for 2021-22. The classified Employee of the Year is Holly Gibbons, travel supervisor. The non-classified Employee of the Year is Andy Rohlman, skilled tradesman.
UCA President Houston Davis and Andy Rohlman
The Employee of the Year is presented to a full-time staff member who has shown extraordinary performance to the university community over the past year. This person is a well-rounded employee that goes above and beyond and truly cares about students, colleagues, and UCA. Any full-time staff member, classified or non-classified, with two or more years of continuous service to the university prior to January 1 of the award year is eligible for this award.
The Public Service Award recognizes individuals whose service contributions to the UCA community, professional community and other communities outside the university have been outstanding. It is expected that individuals will have contributed both within and outside the university. Through service work such as volunteering for charitable organizations, serving on advisory boards, donating professional expertise, serving on committees and conducting outreach programs, these individuals have improved conditions within the community and enhanced the quality of life for all citizens.
The Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award recognizes individuals whose contributions to their disciplines have been exemplary. Through original work in research, scholarship or creative activities (such as performances and artistic productions), they have expanded human knowledge, interpreted the human experience, or enhanced the quality of our lives.
Faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching are eligible for the Teaching Excellence Award. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching.
The Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Award recognizes individuals whose commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence on and/or off-campus has made a significant impact on various ethnic groups and diverse populations in a positive way. These individuals have improved conditions at UCA and within the community.
Established in November 2018, the External Funding Impact Award recognizes a faculty or staff member for excellence in obtaining external funding. The award promotes a culture of grant writing among faculty and staff and encourages grant recipients to track the impact of their grant work on individuals, the university, the community and their disciplines or fields of study.
