Faculty and staff recognized for excellence, achievements at annual celebration

Office of Public Relations & Communications | 05/10/2024

View Faculty-Staff Recognitions photo gallery

Lipscomb University faculty and staff gathered on Thursday, April 25 in the George Shinn Center to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of the 2023-24 academic year. 

“It is always a special time when we can all come together — and particularly when we are celebrating the achievements of our faculty and staff,” Lipscomb President Candice McQueen said to the standing-room-only crowd. “As I look across this room today, I see the faces of men and women who each bring unique gifts to the Lipscomb community … who work diligently every day to serve students … who go the extra mile … and are committed to providing transformative experiences for our students. I see godly men and women who reflect our core values daily and are passionate about living out our mission.”

“I am thankful not only for who you are but for your enthusiastic support of this university. One of our core values and something I’ve also challenged this community to do is to bring our best every day, to strive to be excellent in all we do, holding ourselves accountable to a high bar and working every single day to meet it because our students deserve our best. Thank you for the many ways you have invested in the lives of our students and have brought your best day in and day out. Today, we have the pleasure of recognizing several of you for exceptional achievements over the past year.”

Awards and recognition include: 

Summer Grants

• Shaun Calix, lead faculty in the family science program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Juan Rojas, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering
• Walter Surdacki, professor in the College of Bible & Ministry
• Jan Harris, professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Aaron Howard, assistant professor in the College of Bible & Ministry

Read more about these grants and the research and scholarly activity these faculty will engage in this summer. 

Sabbaticals

Those awarded a semester sabbatical during the next academic year include: 

• Rocky Horton, professor and director of the School for Art & Design in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts
• Lauren Smelser White, assistant professor in the College of Bible & Ministry
• John Hutson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering

Outstanding Teacher Awards                          

Outstanding teacher awards are given each spring to three full-time faculty members. Nominations are taken from department chairs and the student Academic Advisory Councils for each college. Nominees are selected from each college and three award recipients are voted on by faculty and the senior class.

• Scott Bledsoe, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy in the College of Leadership & Public Service
• Jan Harris, professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Jaclyn Spivey, lead faculty of undergraduate psychology in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Mary Morris Award

The Mary Morris Award for Exemplary Service to Society was established in memory of Mary Morris, faculty member in the College of Education and founder and director of the Center for Character Development at Lipscomb. This award is given to a member of the Lipscomb community who exhibits a spirit of volunteerism, engages in meaningful civic activities in the community that help spread God's light, demonstrates a commitment to Christian missions wherever they may be, advocates for Lipscomb University and exhibits vision in creating new avenues to expand Christian principles in unconventional ways. 

• Dodd Galbreath, professor and founding director for the Institute of Sustainable Practice in the College of Leadership and Public Service

Retirees

• Ruth Henry, Department of Kinesiology in the College of Health Sciences, 29 years of service to Lipscomb and 30 years academic teaching
• Debbie Haislip, Office of Advancement, 40 years of service to Lipscomb
• Mark Black, College of Bible & Ministry, 33 years of service to Lipscomb. 
• John Mark Hicks, College of Bible & Ministry, 22 years of service to Lipscomb

Faculty Excellence Awards

Three years ago, Dick Cowart, chair of the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees, and his wife Becky established the Faculty Excellence Awards in honor of his mother, who was a teacher. The five award areas include business, healthcare, humanities & the arts, STEM and theology & ministry. 

• Cowart Faculty Excellence Award in Education: Lisa Davies, assistant professor for school counseling in the College of Education
• Cowart Faculty Excellence Award in Business: Jeff Jewell, accounting department chair in the College of Business
• Cowart Faculty Excellence Award in Healthcare: Ruth Henry, professor and chair in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Health Sciences
• Cowart Faculty Excellence Award in STEM: Josh Owens, assistant professor of biology in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Cowart Faculty Excellence Award in Theology and Ministry: Lauren Smelser White, assistant professor in the College of Bible & Ministry
• Bledsoe Faculty Excellence Award in Humanities & the Arts: Jenny Snodgrass, professor and academic director in the School of Music in the George Shinn College of Entertainment and The Arts.

John William Baker Summer Fellowship Award

The John William Baker Summer Fellowship Award is made possible annually by Dr. Alton and Mary Baker, in appreciation of the quality education that Dr. Baker received while enrolled as an undergraduate student at Lipscomb. This $5,000 award is to be used for research that will contribute to the advancement of academic excellence and is to be awarded to a professor manifesting excellence in the classroom. 

• Sarah Gibson, professor and chair in the School of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Laine Travel Award 

The David Laine Memorial Travel Allowance is made possible by a gift from Dr. Alton and Mary Baker, in memory of Dr. Baker’s classmate David Laine. The Laine Award provides a $5,000 stipend and a full summer teaching salary to support additional study in the recipient’s discipline. The Laine Award is chosen each year from submitted faculty proposals by a selection committee made up of previous recipients of the Laine and Baker awards.

• Stephen Opoku-Duah, Langford Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Beautiful Day Team Recognition 

The team that planned the third annual Beautiful Day was recognized for their tireless work to produce a memorable day for students. 

• Dannie Woods, Brent Roe-Hall, Haley Davis, Candace Williams, Landon Parrish, Brent Culberson and Matt Paden

Outstanding Staff Awards

The staff members presented with these awards have excelled in the performance of their duties and their personification of Lipscomb’s core values.

• Ashley Borders, assistant vice president of finance
• Debra McGee, director of financial aid
• Jamie Reschke, program coordinator and gallery director in the School of Art and Design

New Staff Awards

Making a debut at this year’s recognition program were several new staff awards.

Barnabas Award. This award is given to a staff member who intentionally and consistently encourages and mentors their peers. Chris Klotz, director of Spiritual Formation in Athletics

Student Flourishing Award. The recipient of this award is someone whose work in the last year has significantly impacted or improved the student experience. Suzanne Sager, associate dean of professional development engagement in the College of Business

Horizon Award. This award is given to a Lipscomb staff member whose passion for Christian education is a bright promise for the future and someone who has 1-5 years of service at Lipscomb. Tim Tate, director of IT infrastructure and operations

Leadership Award. This award is given to someone who leads their team with vision and excellence, and whose team makes a big impact on our campus. Johnathan Akin, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions

 Bison Herd Award. This award is given collectively to a team that demonstrates successful collaboration as they serve our campus community. Lipscomb’s ACCESS Team: Abigail Davis, McKenzie Story, D’Lanna Mason, Paige Reece and Misty Parsley

Making Fans Award. This award is given to someone who represents Lipscomb with excellence both on and off campus, connects with external stakeholders, and shares the Bison spirit with individuals and groups by engaging both on and off campus. Amy Hamar, director of the Lifelong Learning and the Senior Alumni Program

Spirit of Lipscomb Award. As you know, the Spirit of Lipscomb Award is given to a person on our campus whose demonstration of our Core Values has made an indelible mark on our campus. Janel Smith, senior publications manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication

President’s Excellence Award. This award is given to someone who brings their best every single day, and consistently goes the extra mile to make Lipscomb the best we can be. Mike Lynch, maintenance manager Service Operations Department

Award recipients were invited to a luncheon in their honor following the recognition ceremony.
 

— Photos by Kristi Jones