April 1, 2010
Awards of Excellence recipients announced
The University will honor 21 individuals and one team of six this year as part of the annual Universitywide awards program. The awards honor outstanding performance in teaching, mentoring, librarianship, public service and staff support.
Seven faculty will receive the Distinguished Teaching Award, given to faculty who show “a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor and a passion for teaching.” This year’s winners are Anu Taranath, English; Cuong Vu, music; Joy Williamson-Lott, education; Scott Freeman, biology; Scott Hauck, electrical engineering; Diane Gillespie, interdisciplinary arts and sciences (Bothell); and J. Mark Pendras, urban studies (Tacoma).
Two graduate teaching assistants — Monique Lacoste, communication; and, Elizabeth Wheat, biology — will receive the Excellence in Teaching Award for demonstrating outstanding skills in the classroom.
Victoria Lawson, geography, will receive the Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, recognizing faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of graduate students.
Four individual staff members and one team of six will receive Distinguished Staff Awards. The winners are Georgia Barroso, cardiothoracic surgery; John Taylor, art; Dagmar Schmidt, nursing; Ui-Hak Chong, custodial services; and the team of Fred Ellis, Thomas Campbell, Richard McCarthy, George Iliff, Thomas Pieples and Jeffrey Seitz, Friday Harbor. These awards are given to staff who “contribute to the mission of their unit or the University, respond creatively to challenges, maintain the highest standards in their work, establish productive working relationships and promote a respectful and supportive workplace.”
Terrie Klinger, marine affairs, is the winner of the Outstanding Public Service Award, which is presented to a faculty or staff member to honor extensive local and/or national and international service. Also being honored for service is Sharon Dobie, family medicine, who will receive the S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award. The award is given to a faculty member demonstrating exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including service learning, public service internships and community partnership projects.
JoAnne Whitney, nursing, is the winner of the Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award, which is given to faculty who have taught for at least two years in non-degree programs sponsored by the UW and aimed at adults for professional development, personal interest or career redirection.
Judith Henchy, Southeast Asia library, is this year’s Distinguished Librarian. The award recognizes excellence in librarianship, especially as it benefits the academic community through teaching, research, learning, and innovative approaches to practice.
Bruce Nordstrom, retired CEO and chairman of the board of Nordstrom, Inc., is the winner of this year’s Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus, an award given not for recent work but for a lifetime record of achievement. It is the highest honor that the UW can bestow on a graduate.
Lex and Diane Gamble, volunteers for the UW Alumni Association, are being honored with the Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. The award is given to individuals who make outstanding efforts on behalf of the association.
The University Faculty Lecturer will be announced later this spring. The James D. Clowes Award for the Advancement of Learning Communities and the David B. Thorud Leadership Awards will not be given this year.
The award winners will be honored during the special Awards of Excellence event, scheduled for 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10, in Meany Hall, with a reception to follow in the foyer. The ceremony is free and open to the public. University Week will publish a special online awards issue profiling all the winners on June 3.
