Awards

Faculty and staff accomplishments in research, teaching and service to the community were honored during University Awards day, part of ECU’s Founders Day celebration. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

Founders Day, University Awards honor achievement, accomplishment at ECU

By Jeannine Manning Hutson

East Carolina University marked its 104th year by celebrating teaching, research and service during its annual Founders Day and University Awards Celebration held Tuesday, April 26 in Hendrix Theatre. Faculty, staff, students and a former chancellor were among those recognized for their achievements.

Dr. Richard Eakin, chancellor of ECU from 1987 to 2001, was awarded the inaugural James R. Talton Jr. Leadership Award. During his years leading the university, East Carolina grew by 5,000 students, achieved doctoral status and saw the passage of a bond referendum responsible for the construction of the new Health Sciences Building.

After listing the 15 nominees for the new award recognizing a servant leader on campus, Chancellor Steve Ballard said as he called Eakin to the stage, “This person is no stranger to leadership at East Carolina University; he served 14 amazing years as its chancellor.”

After the event, Eakin said of the award, “It was very humbling. The first time this award has been given and Mr. Talton was a member of the Board of Trustees when I was chancellor. It’s very touching to have received this first award.”

Eakin is still active on campus; he is the interim dean for the Honors College.

“I told someone that I probably shouldn’t say this because they might stop paying me, but I’m having more fun than you could imagine,” he said. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity. The college is new; we have terrific students; and I believe the future is very bright for the Honors College.”

Another new award presented at this year’s ceremony was for scholarship of engagement. Dr. Deirdre Mageean, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, explained the award will annually recognize a faculty member for achievement in the scholarship of engagement and a sustained commitment to partnered scholarly endeavors with communities.

“Scholars such as these help ECU accomplish its mission to be a national model for public service,” she said.

The first recipient of the award was Dr. Carmen Russoniello of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies in the College of Health and Human Performance.

Other awards presented during the ceremony included:

•  The UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching award given at the university: Dr. John W. Howard III, associate professor of communication in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, is the ECU recipient.Philip Dixon, a member of the UNC Board of Governors, presented Howard his award, which recognizes the sustained record of distinguished teaching by a tenured faculty member. He also received a citation and a one-time award of $7,500.

  Howard said, “The recognition I’m receiving today is not mine alone. I’m not self-made, but a product of a community that has encouraged and fostered my efforts.  Imperfect as our current state of affairs is, our facility still serves a purpose. My strong peers foster collegiality and inspire; the staff provide a world of services that I and everyone in this room enjoy. The alumni contribute to our academic and athletic pursuits. Our administrators still coordinate the entire effort and try to make things happen as best they can.  The Boards of Governors and our Trustees serve our campus and our system and honor us with their dedication and compassion.

  “Even so the most inspiring and enriching people that I work with are my students. With them I have grown. With them I have grown the most. With them I have grown the best. They challenge me and lead me to reflect and inspire me to do more.

  I’m forever indebted to my students,” he said.

• The Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards recognizes and supports excellent teaching at each of the 16 constituent universities in the UNC system. Six recipients were selected: Dr. Robert James Campbell, Department of Health Sciences and Information Management, College of Allied Health Sciences; Dr. Subodh K. Dutta, Department of Chemistry, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Donald J. Fletcher, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine; Dr. John Kerbs, Department of Criminal Justice, College of Human Ecology; Dr. Ravi Paul, Department of Management Information Systems, College of Business; and Dr. Peggy H. Yates, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education.
• ECU Scholar-Teacher Awards recognizing outstanding faculty members who integrate scholarship and teaching. On April 7, the award recipients were recognized at a symposium and luncheon during which each scholar-teacher presented about their integrated approach to research and creative activity in teaching.Recipients were Dr. Jami L. Jones, Department of Library Science, College of Education; Dr. John W. Howard III, School of Communication, College of Fine Arts and Communication; Dr. Carmel Parker White, Department of Child Development and Family Relations, College of Human Ecology; Dr. Sloane C. Burke, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance; Dr. Elaine S. Scott, Department of Graduate Nursing Science, College of Nursing; Dr. Jianchu (Jason) Yao, Department of Engineering, College of Technology and Computer Science; Dr. Ravi Paul, Department of Management Information Systems, College of Business; Dr. Roger A. Rulifson, Department of Biology, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, and senior scientist for the Institute for Coastal Science and Policy; and Dr. Thomas W. Crawford, Department of Geography, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

• The East Carolina Alumni Association Awards are supported annually by donations to the Alumni Association. Sixteen faculty members were nominated for the awards with one designated as the Robert L. Jones award recipient.Dr. Ravi Paul in the Department of Management Information Systems in the College of Business was selected as the Robert L. Jones recipient. The East Carolina Alumni Association Award recipients were Ann F. Borisoff, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Deborah Thomson, School of Communication, College of Fine Arts and Communication.

• The Max Ray Joyner Award for Faculty Service through Continuing Education honors a faculty member who has shown commitment and enthusiasm in teaching and mentoring off-campus students and who has demonstrated excellence in the delivery of courses through Continuing Studies. This year there were 15 nominees with five finalists. Clayton Sessoms, director of the Division of Continuing Studies, presented this year’s award to Dr. Kenneth MacLeod, Department of Management and Supply Chain Management, College of Business.
• Lifetime and Five-Year Achievement Awards for Research or Creative Activity were presented by Vice Chancellor Mageean to three faculty members. The recipients were recognized in early April during Research and Creative Achievement week.Dr. William Joel Meggs of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine was named recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Recipients of the Five-Year Achievement Awards were Dr. Jason Bond of the Department of Biology and Dr. Chris Riley-Tullman of the Department of Psychology, both in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

  Mageean also recognized five faculty members who have received U.S. patents in the last year: Dr. George Sigounas, Department of Internal Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine; Drs. Mike Rastatter, Joe Kalinowski and Andrew Stuart, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health Sciences; and Dr. Gregg Givens, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health Sciences.

• The Centennial Awards for Excellence were presented recognizing four areas: service, leadership, ambition and spirit. These awards replace previous university honors – Founders Day, Chancellor, and Synergy awards.

This year, 49 nominations were received for the 12 Centennial Awards for Excellence, which are given with up to three recipients per category, representing staff, faculty and others. Dr. Marianna Walker, chair of the faculty, and Phil Hulsey, chair of the Staff Senate, announced the winners.

Service: Dr. Linda Mooney, Department of Sociology and faculty advisor for ECU Friends, faculty; Johnnie Turner, Health Sciences Campus Grounds supervisor, staff; Clayton Sessoms, director of Division of Continuing Studies and Summer School, other.

Leadership: Dr. Todd Fraley, coordinator of undergraduate studies in the School of Communication, College of Fine Arts and Communications, faculty; Jan Foust, accountant with ECU Dowdy Student Stores, staff; Deborah Moody, assistant director of the Lucille Gorham Intergenerational Community Center, other.

Ambition: Dr. David Collier, director of the Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center, Brody School of Medicine, faculty; Dr. Gregory Chadwick, associate dean for the School of Dental Medicine, other.

Spirit: Carl Billingsley, School of Art and Design, College of Fine Arts and Communication, faculty; Dee Bowling, director of Student Financial Services, staff; and members of the ECU Pirate Summer Read Committee, other. Members of that committee are Michael Brown, Mary Beth Corbin, Tom Douglass, Karen Kus, Dionna Manning, Lauren Piner, Wendy Sharer, Karen Slough Smith, Jan Tovey (posthumous), Karen Warren, Eleanor Cook, Tracy Parrish Demar and Carol Woodruff.

# # #