Faculty Recognized at Honors Convocation

Each year, UNO celebrates excellence and faculty achievement by selecting a small group from among the hundreds of scholars, educators, mentors, and leaders across campus to be recognized for their key contributions to the institution and the academy.

On Thursday, Oct. 6, UNO's 2022 Faculty Honors Convocation recognized a select group of faculty names as campus and college award recipients for excellence in research and creativity; mentorship; service learning; and more, as well as identifying newly-named professorships and chairs.

Information on the awards, and faculty recipients, is also included below:

• Campuswide Faculty Awards
• Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards
• University Named Chairs and Professorships
  

Campuswide Faculty Awards

Each year, the UNO Office of Academic Affairs recognizes faculty from across campus who have shown excellence and gone above and beyond in their fields as well as being leaders and innovators in the areas of research and creative activity; graduate student mentorship; service learning; teaching; and community engagement. You can learn more about each of this year's winners on the university's Faculty Awards website.

Award for Distinguished Research or Creative Activity

Presented by Emily Wright, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for research and creative activity, social sciences, the Award for Distinguished Research or Creative Activity recognizes faculty who have contributed to their field in new and exciting ways through the work they have produced:

Derrick Fox, DMA
School of Music, College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media

Derrick Fox, DMA, is the director of choral activities and Distinguished Associate Professor of Music at UNO. He has conducted all-state choirs, led international, national, and regional choral concerts/residencies and presented professional development workshops across the United States and internationally. His research focuses on assessment in the choral classroom, building classroom community, rehearsal strategies, choral conducting techniques, DEAIB implementation in music learning spaces and shape note singing in the African American community. He created the Professional Choral Collective (PCC) to collect and create learning activities and teaching strategies for choral music educators around the world to use during the COVID pandemic and beyond. He also partnered with the Country Music Association Foundation to create the Unified Voices for Music Education Initiative, which provides learning activities for instrumental and elementary music educators. He will make his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in March of 2023.

Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award

Presented by Juan Casas, Ph.D., interim dean of graduate studies, the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award recognizes that unique relationship between a faculty member and their graduate students. The 2022 recipient is:

Kay A. Keiser, Ed.D.
Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Kay A. Keiser, Ed.D, is associate professor and former chair of the Department of Educational Leadership. She teaches and researches in educational leadership and school administration. She serves as graduate program chair for the master’s and doctoral program in educational administration. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the UNO College of Education. She is the coauthor of "Prepare to Chair: Leading the Dissertation and Thesis Process" and coeditor of Women in Educational Leadership: A Practitioner’s Handbook. Keiser has served as dissertation chair for 57 Ed.D. graduates and on over 100 other doctoral committees. She earned her BS in elementary education, MS in literacy, and Ed.D. in educational administration at UNO. She worked as teacher and administrator in the Omaha Public Schools for 25 years and is recipient of the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teaching Award.

Outstanding Faculty Service Learning Award

Presented by Julie Dierberger, Ph.D., Paul Sather Director of the UNO Service Learning Academy, the Outstanding Faculty Service Learning Award recognizes a UNO faculty member who provides experiential learning experiences by linking coursework to community impact. The 2022 recipient is:

Ramazan Kılınç, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences

Ramazan Kılınç, Ph.D., is a professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences. He finds this award meaningful since his teaching philosophy is based on the premise of fostering student engagement in politics as responsible and thoughtful citizens. His research centers on religion and politics with a focus on the Middle East. He is the author of the book "Alien Citizens: State and Religious Minorities in Turkey and France" and a co-author of "Generating Generosity in Catholicism and Islam: Beliefs, Institutions and Public Goods Provision." He is the recipient of 2021 NU Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award, 2021 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Award, 2020 UNO Excellence in Teaching Award, and 2018 UNO Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award.

Excellence in Teaching Award

Presented by Candice Batton, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for faculty affairs, the Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes superior efforts, dedication, and exemplary conduct in the performance of the university’s first task: the education of its students. The 2022 recipient is:

Betty Love, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Betty Love, Ph.D., is professor of math and has taught over 25 different courses at UNO, from general-education quantitative literacy courses to graduate mathematics courses. She has also published in a wide variety of journals, including those in operations research, computer science, geosciences, and education. She was among the first faculty to teach an online course and was an early adopter of the flipped classroom. Love was awarded two NSF grants to develop new general-education quantitative literacy courses—in one, students use math and computer programming to create art; the other is a service learning course in which students learn data literacy and visualization, then apply these skills to help area non-profit organizations.

Faculty Excellence in Engagement Award

Presented by Sara Woods, MPA, UNO chief engagement officer, the Faculty Excellence in Engagement Award recognizes outstanding achievement in either global or community engagement. The 2022 recipient is:

Sofia Jawed-Wessel, Ph.D.
School of Health and Kinesiology, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Sofia Jawed-Wessel, Ph.D., MPH, teaches and generates new knowledge in the area of public health as an associate professor of health and kinesiology and as the director of the Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative. Her work centers broad philosophical, cultural, and political implications of existing in a gendered and sexist world. Community engagement is crucial to her pedagogical and scholarly work; receiving this award is both affirming and motivating. Jawed-Wessel is a social justice advocate who has provided expert testimony for the Nebraska Unicameral, the Nebraska School Board of Education, and the Omaha Public School Board of Education. She was recognized in 2017 with a Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO) award and has also been honored by her colleagues with the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award and the 2015 Mary Ann Lamanna Award for Excellence in Women and Gender Studies.

Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards

Anthony Flott, executive director of the UNO Alumni Association, presented the 2022 UNO Alumni Association Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards. These awards recognize faculty for their teaching and commitment to student success. The awards were established in 1997 and, since then, have been awarded to more than 200 faculty.

Each year, nine faculty are recognized for their teaching and commitment to student success. Recipients are selected through a competitive process by a committee of their peers in each college.

This year's recipients are:

College of Arts and Sciences

Danielle Battisti, Department of History

Danielle Battisti, Ph.D. is an associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences. She previously served as the Graduate Program Chair and is the current chair for the Department of History. She was instrumental in the creation of an online master of arts degree in history and government. Battisti also has helped place successful graduate students in history-related professions or Ph.D. programs.

P. Roxanne Kellar, Department of Biology

P. Roxanne Kellar, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Biology. As a botanist, she encourages students to explore the natural world to find the interesting plant species and morphological characters that may not be obvious at first glance. She teaches a variety of courses that appeal to students with a broad range of interests. In her research lab, she mentors both undergraduate and graduate students in the field, the lab, and the herbarium. Her research places plant species on the tree of life to aid in conservation, biodiversity studies, and invasive species management.

Adam Weaver, Department of Psychology

Adam Weaver, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the UNO School Psychology graduate training program, helping to prepare graduates to meet the needs of PK-12 students with academic, social-emotional, or behavioral concerns in our public schools. He teaches the behavioral sequence of courses in the School Psychology program of study.

College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Sandra Rodríguez-Arroyo, Department of Teacher Education

Sandra Rodríguez-Arroyo, D.Ed., is an associate professor in Teacher Education. She focuses on English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual Education and directs UNO’s undergraduate and graduate ESL and Bilingual teacher education programs. Rodríguez-Arroyo collaborates with Omaha Public Schools Dual Language program to prepare teachers with the latest research and practices in the field. She is the faculty liaison for Metro Area Teachers of English Language Learners (MATELLS). This professional network provides learning and collaboration opportunities for ESL educators in the Omaha Metro Area.

College of Business Administration

Erin Bass, Department of Management

Erin Bass, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Management and the James R. Schumacher Chair of Ethics. Bass’ teaching and research interests center on the intersection of strategy, leadership, and ethics, having published numerous research articles and case studies in this area. Many of her classes involve service learning projects, and she and her students have collaborated with several local and national organizations including Heart Heroes, Omaha Home for Boys, and No More Empty Pots. She teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in the College of Business Administration and co-leads the award-winning Capstone Cup, a semester-long case competition among UNO business students.

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Bede A. Bolin, Department of Gerontology

Bede A. Bolin, LTC(R), MS, MA, is a lecturer in the Department of Gerontology. His primary focus is the gerontological education of students, and is the faculty advisor to those students. Bolin also focuses on the marketing and recruitment of students for the gerontology minor and/or certificate programs. Additionally, Bolin is the program coordinator for the gerontology practicum and the faculty advisor for the gerontology club.

College of Information Science & Technology

Kathryn M. Cooper, School of Interdisciplinary Informatics

Kathryn (Kate) M. Cooper, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Informatics in the College of Information Science & Technology. She is a member of the UNO Bioinformatics Research group. Her research has focused on the application of network science to biomedical data; including how the network modeling of gene expression data can be functionally interpreted to further understand cellular systems. She has also worked on developing structural filters in high performance computing environments for analysis of large biological networks; this work explores the relationship between known graph theoretic properties and potential function in protein-protein interaction networks as well as correlation networks. Her current research interests are exploring the impact of diet on the microbiome for prevention of disease using bioinformatics and consumer health informatics approaches.

College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media

Steven L. Williams, School of the Arts

Steven L. Williams, MFA, is a professor in the School of the Arts and is coordinator of the theatre program. His primary focus is on advanced technology in theatre, including automated lighting, digital rendering and modeling, and the impact of theatrical design in non-theatrical venues. Williams is the coordinator of theatre and the head of design and production.

UNL College of Engineering

George A. Hunt, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

George A. Hunt, Ph.D., is an associate professor of practice in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in Nebraska and Iowa. Hunt teaches several classes including the first-year introductory course, the senior capstone course, and water resources courses. He uses project-based and serviced-based learning in the courses he teaches. He also advises undergraduate students, is active in many professional organizations, and is president-elect of the Nebraska Water Environmental Association.

University Named Chairs and Professorships

The following faculty were recognized as recipients of named and endowed chairs and professorships, Deborah Smith-Howell, Ph.D., interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, recognized these honorees for 2022:

Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professor

Christina Dando, Ph.D.
Department of Geography and Geology | College of Arts and Sciences

Peter Szto, Ph.D.
School of Social Work | College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Regents/Foundation Professor

Paul Davis, Ph.D.
Department of Biology | College of Arts and Sciences

Distinguished Professor of Information Science and Technology

Dhundy Bastola, Ph.D.
School of Interdisciplinary Informatics | College of Information Science & Technology

Ann Fruhling, Ph.D., MBA
School of Interdisciplinary Informatics | College of Information Science & Technology

Marti Rosen-Atherton and John Atherton Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Abby Bjornsen-Ramig, Ph.D
Department of Counseling | College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Louis and Frances Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Mark Celinscak, Ph.D.
Department of History | College of Arts and Sciences

Julie Hefflinger Professor of Counseling

Christine “Tina” Chasek, Ph.D.
Department of Counseling | College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Dean's Award of Excellence Professor

Jason Coleman, Ph.D., MSPH
School of Health & Kinesiology | College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies Director

Jeannette Gabriel, Ph.D
Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies | College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Chuck Powell Professor of Gerontology

Lyn M. Holley, Ph.D
Department of Gerontology | College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Orville D. Menard Distinguished Faculty Fellow

Ramazan Kılınç, Ph.D
Department of Political Science | College of Arts and Sciences

Major Thomas A. and Beverly Ward Spencer Teaching Fellow of Government Accounting

Aaron P. Knape, CPA
School of Accounting | College of Business Administration

Distinguished Professor in Aviation

Becky Lutte, Ph.D, MEI
School of Public Administration - Aviation Institute | College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Dr. George Haddix Community Chair in Mathematics

Michael Matthews, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences

Rabbi Sidney and Jane Brooks Professor of Social Justice and Religion

Bharat Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy and Religion | College of Arts and Sciences

Nebraska Bankers Association Professor

Wei Rowe, Ph.D.
Department of Finance, Banking, and Real Estate | College of Business Administration

John E. Christensen Community Chair in Child Welfare

Heidi Rueda, MSW, Ph.D
School of Social Work | College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Milo Bail Chair in Physics

Renat Sabirianov, Ph.D.
Department of Physics | College of Arts and Sciences

Union Pacific Professor of Accounting

Roopa Venkatesh, Ph.D.
School of Accounting | College of Business Administration

College of Business Administration Distinguished Professor

Jamie Wagner, Ph.D.
Department of Economics | College of Business Administration

College of Business Administration Distinguished Professor

Mark Wohar, Ph.D.
Department of Economics | College of Business Administration