Five faculty members receive accolades

by LAUREN BOYETT

Staff Writer

At the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester, five members of the University of Mary Washington faculty were presented with awards in recognition of their leadership, significant professional achievements and demonstrated excellence in teaching. According to the Office of the Provost, all five faculty members were nominated by their peers and have at least two years of experience teaching at UMW. 

The Topher Bill Award was given posthumously to Jane Huffman, an associate professor emerita of education who taught at the College of Education for 17 years. This award recognizes outstanding service in a variety of roles: department, college, university and community service. Huffman passed away this past March and those who wished to send flowers as condolence were directed instead to donate to their favorite animal welfare charity, according to an article in EagleEye.

Named after the former University President, the Grellet C. Simpson Award was given to Professor of Classics, Angela Pitts. This award is given in recognition of excellence in teaching undergraduate students, according to the Academic Catalog. 

“It’s really an honor, frankly, because so many of my colleagues at Mary Washington are phenomenal teachers and faculty members,” Pitts said. “I have learned so much from my colleagues and my students over the years.”

Pitts gives an insight into the innovations and teachings that led to her candidacy.

“It’s hard to know exactly why the committee tasked with choosing the recipient chose my candidacy, but I will say that I think part of it has to do with the fact that I have really tried over the years to find innovative ways to bring the ancient world of the Mediterranean to life in various ways,” she said. “For example: live-action role-playing in a course on Athenian Democracy, by teaching students how to meditate, and encouraging students to do interesting and creative digital projects.”  

Alex Delano, a senior classics major, has worked with Pitts since their sophomore year. 

“I just really love her classes, she just makes the time for you even though she has no time because she’s also helping every student that she can,” said Delano. “She genuinely cares about what you’re interested in and what you’re doing,”

Delano continued, “I know a lot of students take her classes even though they’re not Classics majors just because it’s Dr. Pitts’ class.” 

Delano spoke to Pitts’ dedication and the positive classroom environment she fosters. 

“She’s an exceptional professor and she works closely with so many students and she always treats you like you’re the foremost thing on her mind,” said Delano. “She one hundred percent deserves it, she’s a wonderful professor all around.”

The Graduate Faculty Award was given to Professor of Education, Kyle Schultz. This award was established in 2003 and recognizes excellence in leadership in a graduate program at UMW.

“It was really nice to be recognized by my peers and to represent the College of Education with the award,” Schultz said. “It was also nice to know that my graduate students who I work with thought kindly enough of me to put in their support.”

Throughout his career thus far, Schultz has helped a plethora of UMW students navigate their graduate studies. 

“I’ve helped over 200 students develop research proposals for their Masters Thesis, I’ve done a lot of mentoring, and taught a lot of graduate courses,” he said. 

The Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Award was given to Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Marcus Leppanen. This award was established in 1989 and recognizes excellence in a faculty member who has been with the university for two to five years.

“It feels really great. I feel like the hard work I put in to do the best job that I can for my students, colleagues and the university is really being validated,” said Leppanen. “It’s a major honor for me, particularly because this is something I’ve earned early on in my career.” 

Leppanen has been a professor at UMW for four years. 

“They take into account the combination of your teaching, your service, and your research or scholarship,” he said. “Am I doing what I can to teach as well as I can, and make an impact on my students? Do I care about what I’m doing in the classroom? Do I demonstrate to my colleagues that the things I’m doing are meaningful and fit the goal of teaching students?”

The Waple Faculty Professional Achievement Award was given to Associate Professor of Psychological Science, Laura Wilson. This award was established in 2013 and is based on the impact of a faculty member’s achievements during their time at UMW. 

“I’ve watched 10 people receive this award over the years and have always been amazed by the professional achievements of the winners,” said Wilson. “When I think about the faculty who have won this award before me, including several in my own department, I feel very honored to join that list.” 

The faculty member nominated for this award must have at least seven years of experience with the university and their achievements must have taken place during their time at UMW.. 

“I was selected because I’ve maintained an active pattern of publishing and presenting research in the area of trauma psychology,” said Wilson.

Wilson continued, “I owe a lot of my success to my amazing collaborators, including many UMW undergraduate students.” 

The awards presented to UMW faculty are a recognition of the years—and often decades—of service they have given to the university through grading late into the night, having long office hours, answering countless emails from students and taking the time and dedication out of their day to create lectures and lesson plans that enrich and expand student’s knowledge.