Western Carolina University presented its top faculty and staff awards for teaching, research and service for the 2006-07 academic year Friday, April 20, at its annual spring General Faculty Meeting and Awards Convocation.

Tracy Zontek, recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

James Thompson received the University Scholar Award.

Don Livingston, winner of the Paul A. Reid Service Award for faculty.

Patsy Miller, winner of WCU's Paul A Reid Distinguished Service Award for staff, chats with student Anna Voncannon.

James Thompson, professor of art, received the University Scholar Award, while the Support Program of Excellence Award went to the department of facilities, planning, design and construction. The Integration of Learning Award was given to “Understanding and Activating Student Wellness at WCU,” a project that will link anthropology student research to activities of the university’s Wellness Center.

Other major awards recognized at the convocation include the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, won by Julia Barnes, associate professor of mathematics and computer science; the Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award; two newly established awards, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and the Jay M. Robinson e-Teaching Award; and the Scholarly Development Assignment Program awards.

The honors were announced by Western Chancellor John W. Bardo; Kyle Carter, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; and Robert Caruso, vice chancellor for student affairs.

Zontek, winner of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, is completing her fifth year on the health sciences department faculty, where she has taught and developed environmental and occupational health courses, as well as courses for liberal studies.

“Tracy states that student engagement is the key, and believes that liberal studies is not merely a requirement to fulfill, but an experience that should enrich the lives of students long past their graduations,” Bardo said in announcing the award. “Dr. Zontek’s goals for teaching liberal studies are to help students become educated citizens, critical consumers of information, responsible for their actions and advocates of diversity.” Zontek also won the Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award.

Livingston, winner of the Reid faculty award and a WCU faculty member since 1984, has been praised as “an exemplary faculty member” who has made significant contributions to the university, professional organizations, and the lives of students and colleagues, Bardo said.

“New faculty are brought into the political science ‘family’ by Don’s enthusiastic welcomes, and his lunch invitations are a way to build connections, and address real issues and opportunities. At the same time, Don’s teaching remains energetic and full of a passion that is rare but highly valued,” he said. “Two years ago, students honored Don by selecting him to receive their award as ‘The Faculty Member Who Best Exemplifies What it Means to be a Professor.’”

Miller, recipient of the Reid staff award, coordinates and provides instructional support and services to faculty and students involved in WCU undergraduate and graduate programs taught in Asheville. She also serves as the university’s chief liaison with the Asheville community, including the University of North Carolina-Asheville, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Bardo said.

“Patsy is a loyal alumnus and dedicated employee of WCU,” he said. “She was responsible for the planning and coordination of moving WCU’s nursing department from UNCA to A-B Tech’s Enka campus, and she serves the Asheville students in a timely, efficient and caring manner while avoiding the normal organizational bureaucracy. While she is seldom in the limelight, she works diligently and selflessly behind the scenes to make Western a better institution.”

Thompson, who won the University Scholar Award, has been a member of the WCU art department faculty since 1989, and is internationally regarded as the world’s leading authority on French painter Eugene Fromentin.

“His latest work on Black Mountain College artists offers evidence of the breadth of his interests and attests to a restless intellect in perpetual pursuit of knowledge for its own sake,” Bardo said. “He is regularly consulted, about French painting in particular, by auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York and London. An impeccable scholar, he focuses on the work of art rather than theory. Dr. Thompson has greatly enriched the field of art history.”

The Support Program of Excellence Award provides $10,000 to an academic unit or department to use in enhancing program services. In presenting the award to the department of facilities planning, design and construction, Bardo reminded the audience members that all faculty, staff and students are affected by the department every day.

“Just look around the campus as you leave today, and everything you see has been touched in some way by a member of this department,” he said. “In the last 10 years, this staff has been responsible for the management and coordination of 41 major projects in excess of $218.7 million, along with hundreds of smaller projects. Their goal is to ensure an environment in which students, faculty and staff can join together to learn, to exchange ideas and to experience intellectual challenges.”

The Integration of Learning Award recognizes faculty members who work directly with Division of Student Affairs staff members to promote the integration of teaching with activities within the division. The winning proposal, “Understanding and Activating Student Wellness at WCU,” was submitted by Philip “Ted” Coyle, associate professor of anthropology, and Karrie Joseph, wellness coordinator.

“Wellness concerns such as alcohol misuse, second-hand tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, depression and violence all factor into the university experience, often affecting academic achievement, retention, and overall individual and community well-being,” Caruso said. “Using their ethnographic research, students will produce written and audio products of their findings, and will have the chance to turn their research into action by interacting with the Wellness Council.”

The Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award is designed to recognize a faculty member for excellence in promoting significant student learning while teaching liberal studies courses on a regular basis, Carter said.

The winner, Zontek from the health sciences department, is regarded by faculty and students alike as an outstanding teacher, he said. “Perhaps the greatest compliment was paid to her by another faculty member who stated, ‘Tracy is a teacher to be emulated.’ That’s very high praise from a colleague,” Carter said.

Carter also announced two new awards – the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, which is designed to encourage and recognize a faculty member engaged in scholarship that focuses on the teaching and learning process, and the Jay M. Robinson e-Teaching Award, which recognizes excellence in online delivery of education.

Recipient of the SOTL award was Kathy Starr, associate professor of physical therapy, while the e-teaching award went to Mary Anne Nixon, professor of project management.

Starr was nominated for the award by a student seeking a way to honor her teaching excellence, Carter said. “The student said, ‘Among my professors, there is one who excels at educating far beyond the scope of any other I’ve ever encountered. She has become an idol for myself and many others, and I would like to explore options as to how to show her my gratitude.’”

Nixon, recipient of the e-teaching award, was at the forefront in the use of technology as an educational tool, Carter said. “Mary Anne was the first WCU faculty, and among the first in the UNC system, to design and teach a fully computer-networked course, in 1998,” he said. “It is doubly fitting that she be recognized as the winner of the first Jay M. Robinson e-Teaching Award.”

Recipients in the Scholarly Development Assignment Program, announced by Carter, are Patricia Bailey, associate professor of art; Brian Gastle, associate professor of English; Jim McLachlan, professor of philosophy and religion; and Robert Mulligan, associate professor of economics. The Scholarly Development Assignment Program provides leave from usual work commitments to full-time tenured faculty so they may pursue concentrated scholarly work. Recipients are chosen on a competitive basis by a faculty committee.