KU News Release

KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences honors outstanding faculty, students

LAWRENCE — The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas honored outstanding faculty and students this spring with more than $20,000 in teaching and student awards. The awards are made possible by the generous support of College alumni to KU Endowment.

“We are pleased to honor the College’s outstanding students and faculty with these awards,” said Joseph E. Steinmetz, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “These individuals have made notable contributions to the research and teaching missions of the College and we are happy to recognize them at this time.”

The Steeples Service to Kansans Award is given to faculty of the College who provide significant service to the people of Kansas as a purposeful extension of their teaching and research. The amount of the award is $1,000. In addition, each recipient receives a $1,000 base adjustment to their salary and will be honored at the College master’s degree hooding ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.

— Alice Bean, professor of physics and astronomy

The Career Achievement Teaching Award is presented to a retired faculty member in the College who has made significant contributions to the teaching of and has distinguished her or himself through excellence in teaching. The amount of the award is $1,000. The recipient will be honored at a reception following the College Assembly meeting in September.

— Douglas McKay, professor of physics and astronomy

The Jessie Marie Senor Cramer and Ann Cramer Root awards are presented in both the French and Italian and Spanish and Portuguese departments to recognize meritorious teaching and/or research. The amounts of the awards are $5,000 each.

— Samira Sayeh, assistant professor of French and Italian
— Robert Bayliss, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese

One J. Michael Young Academic Advisor Award is given to a faculty member in each of the three divisions of the College to recognize exemplary advising. The amount of the award is $500, and $500 is added to honoree’s base salary. Recipients are honored at the College distinction/highest distinction ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Crafton-Preyer Theatre.

— Humanities: John Younger, professor of classics
— Natural Sciences: Mark Mort, assistant professor, Division of Biological Sciences
— Social Sciences: Dan Bernstein, director and professor, Center for Teaching Excellence

Graduate students nominate any faculty member in the College who has served as an outstanding mentor for the John C. Wright and Byron A. Alexander Graduate Mentor awards. Awards are $500 each and were presented at the graduate recognition ceremony.

— John C. Wright Graduate Mentor Award: Craig Lunte, professor of chemistry
— Byron A. Alexander Graduate Mentor Awards: Joann Keyton, professor of communication studies; Robert Rowland, professor of communication studies; Robert Timm, associate professor and associate curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center.

Two awards for master’s degree students each worth $500 are available for the Outstanding Thesis and Research Project awards. Advisers from each department may nominate one master’s student for each award. Recipients are honored at the College master’s degree hooding ceremony.

— Outstanding Thesis Award: Joshua Stewart Campbell, master’s degree recipient (fall 2006) in geography from Raleigh, N.C.
— Outstanding Research Project Award: Erik S. Nielsen, master’s student in sociology from Blair, Neb.

The Howard J. Baumgartel Peace and Justice Award is an award given to support a graduate student in the College or the School of Business for thesis or dissertation research whose interests and achievements are in the peace and justice field. The amount of the award is $2,500.

— Pelle Darota Danabo, doctoral student in philosophy from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He received a master’s degree from KU in summer 2001.

The Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award is given to honor a College department or program for exemplary work to improve advising at KU. The amount of the award is $1,000.

— Department of History

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