Each year, the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) holds an end-of-year celebration to honor the service and accomplishments of its faculty and staff. Due to COVID-19, this year’s award recipients will be honored online.
Please join us in celebrating these outstanding faculty and staff for their contributions in the following categories:
Dean’s Award for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusiveness
College Teaching Excellence Awards
College Staff Excellence Awards
College Advising Awards
Retirees – Thank you
Service Pin Recipients for 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 Years
Dean’s Award for the Promotion of Diversity & Inclusiveness
The Science, Technology and Math Preparation Scholarships (STAMPS) Program,
Led by Dr. Jeffrey Patton and Dr. Lynn Sametz, Geography, Environment, and Sustainability
The Dean’s Award for the Promotion of Diversity & Inclusiveness was created four years ago to recognize that diversity at all levels is an integral part of what we do at UNCG and within the College of Arts & Sciences. Yet again, we received very strong applications, all of which demonstrate the robust commitment to diversity across CAS.
We are pleased to announce that this year’s winner is the STAMPS Program, led by Dr. Jeffrey Patton and Dr. Lynn Sametz of the Geography, Environment, and Sustainability Department.
Comments: “Jeff Patton and Lynn Sametz have worked tirelessly for many years to increase underrepresented groups in STEM fields, most notably through NSF-funded STAMPS (Science, Technology and Math Preparation Scholarships) Program, which offers scholarships of up to $4,000 per year to academically talented students in the sciences, specifically targeting high achieving students with financial need. STAMPS, which has been funded twice by NSF over 12 years, has provided $1.2 million in scholarships and builds cohorts of students that represent a diverse group of students.”
Read more about the STAMPS Program at stamps.uncg.edu.
College Teaching Excellence Awards
Three awardees were selected by the Teaching Excellence Subcommittee of the Curriculum & Teaching Committee:
Senior Teaching Excellence Award
Dr. Joanne Murphy, Classical Studies
Comments: “Professor Murphy’s dedication to engaging undergraduates in research experiences in the traditional classroom and through fieldwork and individual undergraduate research projects is impressive. Her work through the Transforming the Humanities grant from the Mellon Foundation promises to be transformative for first generation students and others who struggle with access across humanities programs in the College, leading to a more diverse graduate student population and–hopefully–professoriate.”
Junior Teaching Excellence Award
Dr. Alyssa Gabbay, Religious Studies
Comments: “Dr. Gabbay’s commitment to teaching as a ‘collaborative process,’ with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and multi-media approaches to learning is outstanding. As well, her letters highlight how her support of student’s learning manifests not just in the classroom but through her role as an undergraduate advisor.”
Non Tenure Track Teaching Excellence
Dr. Jessica McCall, Communication Studies
Comments: “Dr. McCall’s integrated and facilitative approach to experiential learning is impressive. Alongside her clear commitment to graduate and undergradaute mentoring, her carefully designed courses encourage students to develop, apply, and reflect on learned concepts and practices in Communication Studies.”
College Staff Excellence Awards
Three awardees were selected by the College Staff Council:
Margaret (Maggie) Dargatz, Philosophy
Comments: “We want to recognize Maggie for her 15 years of service to the Philosophy Department and her 10 years of service as President of the College Staff Council. Maggie is the epitome of helpfulness and diligence. She will be missed by her department and her coworkers in the College.”
Kristina Joyner, Religious Studies
Comments: “Kristina has great emotional intelligence and is good at figuring out what’s really worrying faculty or students. She’s quick to suggest reasonable solutions to problems. She maintains perspective in the face of administrative demands from beyond the department. This ability to anticipate people’s concerns and resolve them with efficiency and joy is what makes her office such a magnet for faculty, students and staff in the Foust Building … Ms. Joyner goes above and beyond the call of duty (literally) and makes our department not only function smoothly, but makes it a very pleasant place to work.”
Siera Schubach, Physics and Astronomy
Comments: “Our department is a small one, so Siera is our only administrator. This means she single-handedly runs the show … everything from scheduling classes to running the department’s social media presence to making sure researchers are able to represent our university on the world stage. Siera is a world-class administrator, but she is also so much more than that. Just as subatomic particles called gluons hold the visible universe together, Siera holds our department together.”
College Advising Awards
Each year the College selects two people to receive the Advising Awards. This year’s recipients are:
Experienced Advisor Award
Caitlin Saraphis, History
Comments: “Caitlin Saraphis is a kind, detail-oriented advisor who is well respected by her advisees. During her tenure as an academic advisor, she has acted as a mentor, teacher, and leader to both her students and her peers.”
New Advisor Award
Christopher Jordan, Communication Studies
Comments: “Chris Jordan is a compassionate advisor who brings his authentic self to every advising interaction. His ability to listen thoughtfully and see students for who they are makes him stand out among his peers.”
Retirees
The following individuals retiring this year have contributed a combined 396 years of service to UNCG!
A number of those retiring have achieved the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society, which is among the most prestigious awards conferred by the Governor of North Carolina. It is awarded to persons with at least 30 years of service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a significant impact and strengthened North Carolina.
And two retirees—Denise Baker (English) and Charles Prysby (Political Science)—have received the Richard Caswell Award, which was established in January 1998 for state employees with 45 or more years of service. The award acknowledges and expresses appreciation for noteworthy, extended dedicated service.
Please join us in extending gratitude to the following people for their many contributions.
Denise Baker
College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office / English
45 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Recipient of the Richard Caswell Award
Stoel Burrowes
Interior Architecture
16 years of service
Lois Carney
Geography, Environment, and Sustainability
16 years of service
Melanie Carter
Psychology
26 years of service
Margaret (Maggie) Dargatz
Philosophy
15 years of service
Ruth H. DeHoog
Political Science
30 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Mary Ann Gerhard
Chemistry and Biochemistry
26 years of service
Robert Guttentag
Psychology
34 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Robert Hansen
College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office / Theatre
34 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll
Interior Architecture
37 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Craig Nova
English
15 years of service
Charles Prysby
Political Science
49 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Recipient of the Richard Caswell Award
Kenneth Terres
Media Studies
22 years of service
Naurice “Frank” Woods
African American and African Diaspora Studies
31 years of service
Recipient of the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
Service Pin Recipients
30 years
Roberto E. Campo, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Julie B. Cullen, Media Studies
Michael Frierson, Media Studies
Amanda (Leigh) Sink, Political Science
25 years
Megan H. Corum, Biology
Dennis A. Burnes, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Alice E. Haddy, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Nancy G. Bucknall, College of Arts and Sciences Advising
Peter M. Kellett, Communication Studies
Fereidoon Sadri, Computer Science
Lisa C. Tolbert, History
Matthew Barr, Media Studies
Edward H. Hellen, Physics and Astronomy
Promod R. Pratap, Physics and Astronomy
20 years
Malcolm D. Schug, Biology
Liam M. Duffy, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Shannon L. Byers, Classical Studies
Nancy L. Green, Computer Science
Anita A. Warfford, College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office
Terry L. Kennedy, English
Karen A. Weyler, English
James A. Anderson, History
Mary A. Horley, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Kathleen S. Macfie, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, International & Global Studies
Pamela J. Taylor, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Maya Chhetri, Mathematics and Statistics
Janine C. Jones, Philosophy
15 years
Arthur D. Murphy, Anthropology
Carrie Levesque, Liberal Studies
Kivette L. Blacknall, Biology
Julia Loreth, Biology
Yashomati M. Patel, Biology
Dow P. Hurst, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Patricia H. Reggio, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Maura K. Heyn, Classical Studies
Kristen T. Christman, Communication Studies
Estuko Kinefuchi, Communication Studies
Killian E. Manning, Communication Studies
Ricky L. Bunch, Geography, Environment, and Sustainability
Selima Sultana, Geography, Environment, and Sustainability
Mariche G. Bayonas, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Jan Rychtar, Mathematics and Statistics
Sat N. Gupta, Mathematics and Statistics
Kimberlianne Podlas, Media Studies
Wade M. Maki, Philosophy
Susan W. Johnson, Political Science
Stuart Marcovitch, Psychology
Debra M. Wauford, Sociology
10 years
Cerise L. Glenn Manigault, African American and African Diaspora Studies, Communication Studies
Gideon Wasserberg, Biology
Nicholas Oberlies, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Carine R. Applegarth, English
Ben Clarke, English
Holly Goddard Jones, English
Gary Lim, English
Lynn C. Sametz, Geography, Environment, and Sustainability
Alexander A. Eger, History
Claudia Cabello, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Michael B. Matteson, Philosophy
Gabriela L. Stein, Psychology
Sarah J. Cervenak, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, African American and African Diaspora Studies
5 years
Brett A. Nachman, Anthropology
Richard C. Stuart, Anthropology
Kimberly C. Titlebaum, Anthropology
Han Li, Biology
Derek S. Keyser, Classical Studies
Robyn L. LeBlanc, Classical Studies
Sebastian J. Lindquist, Interior Architecture
Maruja Torres, Interior Architecture
Benjamin R. Davis, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Yosei Sugawara, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Elizabeth McNamara, Political Science
Cindy B. Dollar, Sociology
Daniel R. Huebner, Sociology
