Ohio University faculty recognized for awards, achievements

Ohio University honored faculty award winners for the 2023-24 academic year during the Faculty Awards and Recognition Ceremony held May 1 in Walter Hall.

The event honored the recipients of honors such as the University Professor Award, Provost Faculty Fellows, Presidential Teacher Award and Rising Star Teacher Award. Faculty members were honored for their teaching and research excellence, leadership and service as mentors. 

“Regardless of their spheres of interest, all our honorees and winners have something in common, they are devoted to excellence in what they do and they do their best to serve our University community,” Vice Provost for Faculty Development Katie Hartman said.

University Professor Award

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Undergraduate students bestow the honor of University Professor on full-time, tenure-track or instructional faculty for their outstanding teaching each year. Since 1970, more than 200 OHIO faculty members have been honored as University Professors.

Winners of the award have the freedom to develop and teach a course of their choosing during the following academic year.  

Four outstanding faculty members were selected as University Professors and honored during the ceremony. The winners are:

• Edmond Chang, associate professor of English  in the College of Arts and Sciences. 
• Marion Lee, associate professor of art history in the College of Fine Arts 
• Kevin Uhalde, associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences, director of studies for the Honors Tutorial College and director of the Center for Law, Justice and Culture 
• Linda Zionkowski, the Samuel and Susan Crowl Professor in English Literature in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Rising Star Teacher Award

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The Rising Star Teacher Award recognizes excellence in teaching and academic pursuits inside and outside the classroom, as acknowledged by peers and students. The honor acknowledges faculty early in their careers at Ohio University.

The winner of the 2024 Rising Star Teacher Award is Kevin Cordi, assistant professor of teacher education in the Patton College of Education. Cordi also serves as the middle childhood education coordinator at Ohio University Lancaster.

The finalists for the award were:

• Nichole Campbell, assistant professor of interior architecture in the College of Fine Arts  
• Amy Wolfe, assistant professor of teacher education in the Patton College of Education  

Presidential Teacher Award

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The Presidential Teacher Award recognizes excellence in teaching and academic pursuits both inside and outside the classroom, as acknowledged by peers and students.  

The winner of the 2024 Presidential Teacher Award is Lonnie Welch, the Stuckey Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. 

The finalists for the award were:

• Katherine Cimatu associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences  
• Sara Hartman, associate professor of teacher education in the Patton College of Education  
• Angela Hosek, associate professor of communication studies in the Scripps College of Communication  

Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

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The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes excellence in teaching and meritorious academic pursuits both inside and outside the classroom, as acknowledged by peers and students. All OHIO University instructional faculty are eligible to be nominated for the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

The winner of the Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching is Corey Beck, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The finalists for the award were:

• Stephanie Miller, associate professor of instruction in biology in the College of Arts and Sciences 
• Andie Walla, associate professor of instruction in the School of Media Arts and Studies in the Scripps College of Communication  
• Alan Wu, associate professor of instruction in educational studies in the Patton College of Education  

MAC Student Success Award

The MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success recognizes one full-time faculty member from each Mid-American Conference (MAC) institution each year who has shown a dedication to student success and inclusion.

Ohio University’s winner of the 2024 MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success is Ryan Johnson, assistant professor of management in the College of Business.

Chairs and Directors Emerging Leadership Award  

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The Chairs & Directors Emerging Faculty Leadership Award recognizes outstanding probationary, tenure-track faculty who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in their department or school, college, or the broader university community. 

The winner of the 2024 Chairs and Directors Emerging Leadership Award is Angela Hillman, assistant professor of exercise physiology in the School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness for the College of Health Sciences and Professions.

Presidential Research Scholar Awards

The Presidential Research Scholar awards program recognizes faculty members who have garnered national and international prominence in research, scholarship, and creative activity, and who demonstrate clear promise for continued, significant productivity in their scholarly endeavors.

In 2023, Presidential Research Scholars were selected from the subdisciplines of Social and Behavioral Sciences and from the Physical Sciences and Engineering.

For the Social and Behavioral Sciences category, the winners are: 

• Elizabeth A. Beverly, professor of primary medicine in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine 
• Luke Pittaway,  the Copeland Professor of Entrepreneurship in the College of Business 

For the Physical Sciences and Engineering category, the winners are: 

• Todd Eisworth, professor of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences 
• Ryan Fogt, professor of geography in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

OHIO Faculty Newsmakers

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Each year, University Communications and Marketing celebrates OHIO’s faculty for the exemplary work they do to elevate the University on a local, national, and global level through media coverage of their research and subject matter expertise.

These individuals are known as “OHIO faculty newsmakers.” They are faculty who, regardless of their title or classification, taught at Ohio University during the respective calendar year and have been included in media placements provided by the media monitoring platform, Cision.  

The Top 5 Faculty Newsmakers honored were:

• David Ridpath, professor of sports business in the College of Business
• Katherine Jellison, professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Lawrence Witmer, Chang Ying-Chien Professor of Paleontology and professor of anatomy in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Yuanjie Mao, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Specialty Medicine in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Thomas Suddes, assistant instructor in the Scripps College of Communication

For additional information on awards for OHIO faculty members, see the Faculty Recognitions webpage.