2014-15
Faculty/Staff
Awards
2014-15 FACULT Y/STAFF AWARDS
President’s Message
Timothy D. Sands
President, Virginia Tech
E
ach year, Virginia Tech selects the very best faculty and staff members from a university community that abounds with exceptional performers and recognizes their extraordinary contributions in a number of categories, from advising students to making an impact on international outreach and research. The various award selection committees recently completed their work, and this publication pays tribute to our 2014-15 award recipients. On behalf of the university, I congratulate the winners and thank them for the outstanding work that helps Virginia Tech to continue inventing the future.
2014-15 FACULT Y/STAFF AWARDS
About the awards Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence Established by the university’s Commission on Outreach and International Affairs with the support of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions by Virginia Tech faculty members who have extended the university’s outreach mission throughout the commonwealth, the nation, and the world. Recipients are nominated by their peers, are awarded a $2,000 cash prize, and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Outreach Excellence.
Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching Established in 1982 by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching is presented annually to honor two Virginia Tech faculty members for teaching excellence. Award recipients are selected by the university’s Academy of Teaching Excellence and are chosen from among those faculty members who have received certificates of teaching excellence from their respective colleges during the preceding three years. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize and is inducted into the Academy of Teaching Excellence.
Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising Established by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising is presented annually by the Office of the Provost to recognize Virginia Tech faculty who have been particularly dedicated to and effective in the advising of undergraduate students. Recipients may be nominated by university faculty or students, are selected by a committee of former award winners, are awarded a $2,000 cash prize, and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Advising Excellence.
Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising Established by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising is presented annually by the Office of the Provost to recognize Virginia Tech faculty who have been particularly dedicated to and effective in the advising of graduate students. Recipients may be nominated by university faculty or students, are selected by a committee of former award winners, are awarded a $2,000 cash prize, and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Advising Excellence.
Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education is presented annually to a Virginia Tech faculty or staff member who has had a significant impact on international education at the university. Selection is based upon contributions to the internationalization of Virginia Tech, the impact on students, the impact on the campus and community, the significance of the initiative, and the sustainability of the initiative. Recipients are awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
Alumni Award for Excellence in International Outreach Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in International Outreach is presented annually to a faculty or staff member who has had a significant impact on international outreach at Virginia Tech. Selection is based on contributions to the internationalization of Virginia Tech, global impact, significance of the project, and sustainability of the project. Recipients are awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
2014-15 FACULTY/STAFF AWARDS
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2014-15 FACULT Y/STAFF AWARDS
Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research is presented annually to a faculty or staff member who has had a significant impact on international research at Virginia Tech. Selection is based on contributions to the internationalization of Virginia Tech, global impact, significance of the project, and sustainability of the project. Recipients are awarded $2,000.
Alumni Award for Excellence in Research Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Research is presented annually to as many as two Virginia Tech faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in the area of research. Alumni, students, faculty, and staff may nominate candidates for the award. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension is presented annually to two Virginia Cooperative Extension staff members who have made outstanding contributions outside the classroom. One award is given to an Extension specialist and one is given to an Extension agent. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholars Award Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Academy of Teaching Excellence, the Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholars Award was established in 1992 and is presented annually to three Virginia Tech faculty members to recognize exceptional contributions to the teaching program and learning environ-
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2014-15 FACULTY/STAFF AWARDS
ment. A cash award is given to each recipient and his or her respective academic department. A year after receiving the award, new Diggs Teaching Scholars are invited to lead the Diggs Roundtable, a series of presentations and a discussion related to their innovative teaching. The award is supported by an endowed fund established through an estate gift from the late Edward S. and Hattie Wilson Diggs. Edward Diggs was a 1914 graduate of Virginia Tech.
Presidential Principles of Community Award The Presidential Principles of Community Award was established in 2014 by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to recognize faculty and staff members who exemplify and promote a welcoming and inclusive environment in accord with the university’s Principles of Community. One staff or faculty member is selected annually by the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity and receives a $2,000 cash prize.
President’s Award for Excellence The President’s Award for Excellence is presented annually to up to five Virginia Tech staff members who have made extraordinary contributions by consistent excellence in the performance of their job or a single incident, contribution, or heroic act. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
Provost’s Award for Excellence in Advising The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Advising is given annually to recognize a Virginia Tech faculty or staff member who serves undergraduate advisees in exemplary ways. Recipients are awarded a $2,000 cash prize and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Advising Excellence.
2014-15 FACULT Y/STAFF AWARDS
Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Subjects Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Virginia Tech Academy for Teaching Excellence, the Sporn Award for Teaching Introductory Subjects is presented annually to a Virginia Tech faculty member to recognize excellence in teaching introductory-level courses. Nominations are received from students. Recipients are selected from a committee comprised of student representatives from Omicron Delta Kappa and Golden Key honor societies and a faculty advisor who was the previous year’s award winner. Recipients are awarded $2,000 and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Teaching Excellence. The award was established in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Philip J. Sporn and is sponsored by the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research and the Virginia Tech Academy for Teaching Excellence. Philip Sporn was a Virginia Tech alumnus and president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power Co.
Staff Career Achievement Award
William E. Wine Award Established to honor a former rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors and president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the William E. Wine Award is presented annually to three Virginia Tech faculty members to recognize “a history of university teaching excellence.” Nominations by students, alumni, and faculty in each college are reviewed by respective college selection committees. The colleges’ candidates are reviewed by a university-wide committee, which then selects the three award winners. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize and is inducted into the university’s Academy of Teaching Excellence.
XCaliber Award Established in 1996 by the Office of the Provost, the XCaliber Award (shorthand for exceptional, high-caliber work) is presented annually by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies to recognize individual faculty members or teams of faculty and staff who integrate technology in teaching and learning. The award celebrates innovative, studentcentered approaches.
Created in 2011 to recognize retiring staff members, the Staff Career Achievement Award is presented annually to up to five individuals who have distinguished themselves through exemplary performance and service during their university career. Each recipient is awarded a $1,000 cash prize. Nominees must have worked a minimum of 10 years at Virginia Tech.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR OUTREACH EXCELLENCE
Carla Finkielstein C
arla Finkielstein, associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence.
Finkielstein, who has an active teaching and research program, is a passionate advocate for breast cancer awareness and research, working to raise awareness of screening and treatment options. Her advocacy work has included the support of state and federal bills that champion early breast cancer screening for women younger than 40. She has with worked with other advocacy groups to speak to legislators during the National Breast Cancer Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., and to the General Assembly in Richmond, Virginia. For the past three years, Finkielstein has co-organized Pretty in Pink, a fundraising event that brings merchants, residents, and breast cancer survivors from Blacksburg together to collect funds to defray the cost of mammograms for uninsured women. She co-organized an interdisciplinary research night with graduate students, breast cancer survivors, and university faculty to brainstorm alternative strategies to reach out to women from rural areas of Southwest Virginia who are reluctant to undergo breast cancer screenings. These efforts resulted in the Mobil Momm program to educate residents about the need for regular mammograms and to offer the service at no cost.
Associate Professor College of Science
Finkielstein brings male and female survivors to campus each year for a series of lectures, and she has given public lectures in surrounding communities. A member of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Finkielstein leads a research program that has been funded by a $1 million National Science Foundation CAREER award. In addition to teaching core courses to undergraduate students, Finkielstein teaches in the new translational biology, medicine, and health graduate program. She is developing Virginia Tech’s first course in nanomedicine for the College of Science’s new nanoscience undergraduate degree program. A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2005, Finkielstein received her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina).
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR OUTREACH EXCELLENCE: TEAM
Lara Browning, Elizabeth Gilboy L
ara Browning, project manager, and Elizabeth Gilboy, director of the Community Design Assistance Center in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence (team award).
The Community Design Assistance Center helps communities, civic groups, and nonprofit organizations improve their natural and built environments. Through their work, Browning and Gilboy have enhanced the economic and social well-being of people in western Virginia and other parts of Appalachia. “The teamwork of Gilboy and Browning serves as one of the brightest examples of our land-grant mission and outreach effectiveness,” Jack Davis, Reynolds Metals Professor and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, wrote in his letter of nomination. “They are involved in projects that not only reach out to communities but also integrate local needs, influencing the environment and simultaneously reshaping it.” Gilboy and Browning have carried out more than 35 projects over the past three years, and of those a Forest Competitive Grant provided them with the opportunity to focus on 17 in the coal mining regions of Kentucky and Virginia. The center hired students from landscape architecture, architecture, forestry, horticulture, and urban and regional planning to work with community groups to develop designs for such projects as parks, campgrounds, visitor centers, community centers, outdoor learning landscapes, and trails.
Lara Browning Project Manager College of Architecture and Urban Studies
In addition to aiding communities, the work by Gilboy and Browning gives students the opportunity to gain experience in designing real projects, to interact with clients, and to respond to local needs. Students learn about community-driven and participatory processes, work on multidisciplinary teams, present and facilitate meetings, and exercise their design skills. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2012, Browning received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a master of landscape architecture degree from the University of Georgia. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1990, Gilboy received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and her master of landscape architecture degree from Virginia Tech.
Elizabeth Gilboy Director of the Community Design Assistance Center College of Architecture and Urban Studies
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Anthony “Kwame” Harrison A
nthony “Kwame” Harrison, the Gloria D. Smith Professor of Africana Studies and associate professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“Kwame is exceptional in the classroom, in part because of his love of teaching and the high expectation he places on himself,” Carol A. Bailey, associate professor of sociology, wrote in her nomination of Harrison for the award. “He deftly turns a group of young adults who may have little investment in the course into a community of learners who are actively engaged in their own learning.” His scholarship and reputation in popular music studies and ethnography have brought considerable visibility to the university and inspire students to exceed their own expectations for learning, intellectual development, and personal growth. In addition, he actively promotes undergraduate research opportunities. He also serves on the faculty editorial advisory board of Philogia, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences’ undergraduate research journal, and is a liaison to the college’s Undergraduate Research Institute. Another aspect of Harrison’s teaching contributions is his passion for recruiting and helping prospective students and then assisting in the transition from high school to college. He co-founded the Virginia Tech Coordinated School Visit program to recruit underrepresented graduate students. In addition, he was a member of the Tomorrow’s Scholars subcommittee of the University Strategic Plan Task Force. Gloria D. Smith Professor of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of Sociology College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2004, Harrison received the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences’ Carroll B. Shannon Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014, the Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholar Award in 2011, and the Department of Sociology’s Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award in 2007 and 2011. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Peter Wallenstein P
eter Wallenstein, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1983, Wallenstein champions undergraduate research, and he sees teaching and research as vitally related. Believing that undergraduate and graduate courses should engage the ways a discipline works, he promotes research in all his classes and encourages students to present their work at conferences and publish it. In 1997 and 1998, when Virginia Tech marked its 125th anniversary, he taught a course on the school’s history, and for each class he compiled a collection of student research projects and placed a copy in Special Collections in University Libraries. A few years later, when he co-authored a book on T. Marshall Hahn Jr.’s presidency, he drew upon many of those essays, properly identifying the essays and crediting their authors. In 2005, he taught a University Honors colloquium he titled “Written a Good Book Lately? Writing a History of Virginia for 2007.” Mark Barrow, professor and chair of the Department of History, recounts that the students “embarked on a voyage of discovery, helping materially to develop the book; it carried a title contributed by a student at the very first class meeting, Cradle of America. “Few other scholars could draw on their own work to produce a single-author history of Virginia across the centuries; fewer still would seek to incorporate the work of their students in such a book and properly acknowledge those contributions,” added Barrow.
Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Wallenstein is a founding member of the Undergraduate Research Institute in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and he currently co-chairs the Faculty Advisory Board of the university-level Office of Undergraduate Research. Wallenstein previously taught in New York, Canada, and Asia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISING
Ruth H. Lytton R
uth H. Lytton, professor of agricultural and applied economics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the financial planning program at Virginia Tech, has received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1986, Lytton serves as the director of the financial planning program that includes students from both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Pamplin College of Business. She serves as an academic advisor for all financial planning students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and the de facto career advisor for all financial planning students. The number of students in the financial planning program has grown from 60 in 2007 to 175 today.
“Despite her many responsibilities, Dr. Lytton’s responsiveness to advising demonstrates her commitment to students’ lives,” Dan Taylor, professor of agricultural and applied economics, wrote in his letter of nomination. “She does not limit student contact to office hours times for her convenience. Rather, she matches windows of time with them to identify the best times and schedules meetings accordingly. She maintains an open-door policy and encourages email conversations.”
Professor and Director, Financial Planning Program College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Joey Loss, a 2014 graduate of Virginia Tech now employed as a paraplanner, wrote in support of Lytton’s nomination. “I believe an advisor should be judged not by the best student they’ve advised, but rather one of the worst. Dr. Lytton built a bridge for me from University Studies to a meaningful career. I was never a good college student. Her classes helped me realize how professional I could be when I put my mind and heart into the work.” Lytton has co-authored two financial planning textbooks and received various student association, university, and national professional association awards. Lytton received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISING
Katherine R. Allen K
atherine R. Allen, professor of human development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1989, Allen has developed a national reputation as a scholar and a mentor to graduate students. “Students come to Virginia Tech to work with Dr. Allen because of her scholarly reputation and her reputation as an outstanding mentor,” Anisa Zvonkovic, professor and head of the Department of Human Development, wrote in her nomination letter. In her time at Virginia Tech, Allen has chaired 38 doctoral degree or master’s degree student committees and has been a member of 117 other graduate student committees. “They also tend to work on topics that are controversial,” Zvonkovic said of the students Allen has worked with. “It is an extra burden on an advisor to work with students on these types of topics, to guide them through their positionality, and to model effective methods for working on troubling topics.” Allen’s role as a graduate student advisor has been recognized several times in recent years at the departmental, college, and university levels. In addition, she received the competitive National Council on Family Relations’ Felix Berardo Mentoring Award. Allen’s own scholarship focuses on family diversity, family gerontology, feminist family studies, and LGBTQ families. “My support for Katherine’s nomination can be summarized in one sentence: Whenever and wherever I hear the words mentor or mentoring, I immediately think of Katherine,” wrote one of her former graduate students, Karen Blaisure, now a faculty member at Western Michigan University. “Because of her advising and mentoring, I have had a career in academia and have had the privilege of encouraging others to earn an advanced degree and to teach.”
Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Allen received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Lance Matheson L
ance Matheson, associate professor of business information technology in the Pamplin College of Business, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1989, Matheson led his first studyaboard program to Freiburg, Germany, in 2000. Since then, he has traveled on an additional 24 study-abroad programs, mostly as the faculty leader or co-leader. From 2007 to 2009, he was Pamplin’s first director of international programs. “Lance’s involvement in international education for the past 15 years has been continuous, intense, innovative, and passionate,” Reed Kennedy, associate professor of management practice and Pamplin’s current director of international programs, wrote in his letter of nomination. “Through his devotion to students, multitudes have been abroad under his care and gained the personal and professional growth experiences that his programs provide. Student satisfaction with his programs is quite high.” In 2012, Matheson took over the leadership of Pamplin’s signature semester program in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, and has increased student participation in the program. During winter break 2015, he led the college’s first study-abroad program to Australia.
Associate Professor Pamplin College of Business
In addition to leading study-abroad programs, Matheson taught in Virginia Tech’s master of information technology program at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in India from 2005 to 2008. In 2008, he was part of a USAID/HED grant to select Haitian students to attend Virginia Tech, and he traveled to Haiti to facilitate this exchange. Matheson’s commitment to teaching and international experiences was recognized with Pamplin’s Excellence in Outreach Award in 2013, the college’s Award for Excellence in International Programs in 2009, and a university Certificate of Teaching Excellence in 1998. An active member of the Decision Sciences Institute, Matheson received his bachelor’s degree, master of business administration degree, and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH
Jan Helge Bøhn J
an Helge Bøhn, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Outreach.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1993, Bøhn has developed an extensive portfolio of education-abroad programs in Germany, Australia, and China that today generate more than 50 student semesters abroad per year. A long-time advocate for global education, Bøhn successfully proposed that Virginia Tech join Partners for the Advancement of CAD/CAM/CAE Education, or PACE, now known today as Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education. The educational program prepares students for the global economy by bringing them together from its global network of 64 leading universities to collaborate with industry partners. For more than a decade, the partnerships that have grown out of the PACE network have provided opportunities for the students within this network, noted Danesh Tafti, the William S. Cross Professor of Mechanical Engineering, but it left out students from smaller programs. “Prof. Bøhn has operated, with support from the National Science Foundation and in collaboration with Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, one of the first international research experiences for undergraduate students in engineering,” wrote Tafti in his letter of nomination is support of Bøhn for this award. “Through this program, he has, over a period of six years, brought nearly 60 undergraduate students from across the U.S. to Germany to participate in a summer of automotive research … .”
Associate Professor College of Engineering
One of the opportunities afforded through the PACE program — and initiated by Bøhn — is a senior design project. By 2008, the number of global senior design projects within PACE had grown so large that the organization was able to introduce annual global design competitions. Each year, 10 to 15 teams present their work at the PACE Annual Forum, where they are evaluated by a global panel. Bøhn received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
Kathleen Alexander K
athleen Alexander, associate professor of wildlife in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, has received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2007, Alexander focuses on international development and public and wildlife health with an emphasis on balancing human health and environmental sustainability. Her scholarship examines the manner in which diseases are transmitted at the human-animal-environmental interface. “Most recently, Dr. Alexander has been involved in efforts to understand and combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa,” Joel Snodgrass, professor and head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, wrote in his letter of nomination. “She has also worked with new strains of TB [tuberculosis] and water-borne pathogens. Of particular importance is her development of connections between environmental extremes, human behavior, and the transmission of disease among humans, wildlife, and the environment.” As part of her earlier work, Alexander established the Center for Conservation of African Resources: Animals, Communities, and Land Use in Botswana with her husband, Mark Vandewalle, an adjunct professor. The center serves as an important training facility for Virginia Tech graduate and undergraduate students, where they are immersed in realworld sustainability and health challenges facing countries with limited resources.
Associate Professor College of Natural Resources and Environment
Alexander and her research team have made a number of important findings. She discovered a novel emerging tuberculosis pathogen related to human tuberculosis and identified the widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance in wildlife, even in protected areas. She was the first to identify the occurrence of important zoonotic pathogens, such as leptospirosis, among wildlife in Botswana. She also established the continued presence of brucellosis in wildlife populations in the Chobe region. This pathogen can be transmitted to humans through bushmeat. Her work has also revealed important linkages between water quality and human health and the relationship to meteorological drivers. Alexander received a bachelor’s degree, a doctorate of veterinary medicine, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
France Belanger F
rance Belanger, R.B. Pamplin Professor of Accounting and Information Systems and Tom and Daisy Byrd Senior Faculty Fellow in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1997, Belanger’s research focuses on digital interactions between individuals, businesses, and government and on related security and privacy issues. Belanger’s research on communication technologies from 1999 to 2008 led her to explore the rise of the Internet as a medium to exchange information and goods and services. She was among the first researchers to study electronic interactions and privacy, security, and trust issues that exist when the Internet is used as a medium of exchange. As a result of her work, Belanger developed an interest in finding ways to help people better protect their digital privacy. She won the 2008 Hoeber Excellence in Research Award from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business for her Parental Online Consent for Kids’ Electronic Transactions, work that stemmed from a National Science Foundation-sponsored team project to develop a concept for technology to safeguard children’s online privacy. She has received several other prestigious awards for her scholarly work, including the 2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Education Society Research Excellence Award for an article in IEEE Transactions on Education and the 2013 INFORMS Information Systems Society Design Science Award for Outstanding Design Science Research Stream for her privacy research projects. Belanger has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, three books, six book chapters, and 77 articles and abstracts, and has received more than $1.1 million in external funding.
R.B. Pamplin Professor and Tom & Daisy Byrd Senior Faculty Fellow Pamplin College of Business
She is regularly listed as one of the most-cited authors and one of the top 100 producers of research in the top information systems journals. Belanger received a bachelor’s degree from McGill University (Canada) and a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
William Hopkins W
illiam Hopkins, professor of wildlife in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, received the university’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2005, Hopkins is a physiological ecologist who studies the influence of anthropogenic global changes, such as pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change, on wildlife populations. Hopkins is regarded as the world’s leading expert on the effects of solid wastes produced from coal combustion on wildlife populations. These wastes represent the second-largest type of solid waste produced in the United States and much of it is placed in open settling basins, referred to as coal ash ponds. Hopkins’ research reveals that these disposal ponds pose a threat to wildlife because the wildlife that attracted to them are exposed to high concentrations of pollutants, such as arsenic and selenium. Because of his expertise, Hopkins regularly provides guidance to state and federal agencies and the utility industry. His expertise evaluating the effects of solid wastes on wildlife has led him to work on some of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, including the BP oil spill.
Professor College of Natural Resources and Environment
In addition, Hopkins is a pioneer in an emerging field examining the effects of microclimate on the early development of wildlife. He also has broken ground addressing one of the most fundamental problems in all of modern biology: How do responses at one level of biological organization translate to responses at higher levels of organization? Hopkins’ team has demonstrated that when a mother’s health is compromised by pollution, it can influence the quality of the offspring she produces, which in turn can cause local population declines and then influence the viability of other nearby, interdependent populations. Earlier this year, Hopkins helped create and is the founding director of the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech. Hopkins received his bachelor’s degree from Mercer University, a master’s degree from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EXTENSION (INDIVIDUAL AGENT)
Jennifer Bowen J
ennifer Bowen of Farmville, Virginia, senior Extension agent in 4-H youth development and unit coordinator for Prince Edward County, Virginia, received Virginia Tech’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension.
Throughout her career with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Bowen has worked hard to develop and strengthen relationships with local schools, educators, parents, and children in Prince Edward. She is recognized as an outstanding educator and a leader among her peers, and the positive relationship she has maintained with local school systems has been instrumental in the growth of 4-H programs. For example, one of her after-school programs, the Fun with Foods cooking class, has served nearly 200 youth. Parents said the program improved their children’s abilities to read and follow directions and to measure correctly. Other after-school programs developed and led by Bowen have focused on natural resources education, science, engineering, technology, and plant and soil science. In addition, Bowen manages between five and seven special interest clubs each year and works with 10 to 15 volunteer leaders who manage those clubs. Throughout her career in Extension, Bowen has worked to make 4-H programs accessible to the underserved. For example, she has secured more than $11,000 from the United Way for camp scholarships. She also worked with volunteers and professionals to develop and implement Camp Loud and Clear, an overnight camping program for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. “Mrs. Bowen’s drive to include this often overlooked section of our society and provide them with an opportunity all other children have is a perfect example of the 4-H mission,” Jennifer Kingsley, a parent of a child who participated in Camp Loud and Clear, wrote in a letter of support. “Deaf and hard-of-hearing youth are perfectly capable of becoming self-directing, contributing, and productive members of society if encouraged and accommodated appropriately. This is exactly what Mrs. Bowen has done.”
Senior Extension Agent In 4-H Youth Development Virginia Cooperative Extension - Prince Edward County
Bowen received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Longwood University.
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ALUMNI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Martha A. Walker M
artha A. Walker, community viability specialist for the Central District Extension Office, has received Virginia Tech’s 2015 Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension.
Walker began her position as a community viability specialist in 2005, and her appointment coincided with a growing community need for information on the reduction of energy consumption and renewable energy options. Walker developed the Virginia Energy Resource Guide and worked with fellow Extension specialist Bobby Grisso to publish fact sheets on home energy efficiencies. Walker also worked with Virginia Tech faculty, the Virginia Farm Bureau, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to secure a $1.2 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission for the development and commercialization of a bio-oil product using bio-feed stocks. In 2007, Walker helped counties that needed assistance with issues related to tourism, diversification of agriculture through value-added products, visioning, and potential usage for landfill bio-energy. Because of high unemployment rates throughout Southside Virginia, Walker engaged 16 Danville agencies and area leaders to create networking opportunities to help job seekers find new work.
Community Viablility Specialist Central District Extension Office
Walker also heard from community leaders of the growing need for leadership, ethics and values, and community development training. To meet this need, she developed Innovative Leadership: Building Community Connections, a curriculum featuring six training modules on community leadership. In 2009, Walker teamed with Mike Chandler, professor emeritus of agricultural and applied economics, and the Virginia Association of Counties to teach her leadership curriculum to county elected officials. In an effort to diversify and develop new profit centers, many farms are developing agricultural attractions that invite local residents and tourists onto their land to experience a farm environment. To support this, Walker partnered with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Virginia Tourism Corporation to develop a model agritourism training program. Walker received her bachelor’s degree from Averett University, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University.
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EDWARD S. DIGGS TEACHING SCHOLARS AWARD
Heather Gumbert H
eather Gumbert, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 Diggs Teaching Scholars Award.
The Diggs selection committee recognized Gumbert’s teaching-enhancement project that explores the possibilities of educational technology for developing collaborative, inquiry-based courses with interdisciplinary application. She is using the open-source data visualization application Timeline JS in an upper-division course to collaboratively construct a timeline of World War II. In the course, students publish one “moment” on the timeline each week that is inspired by the reading. The resulting timeline entry includes temporal data and text written by the students, as well as images, videos, sound clips, maps, and other data that they link to demonstrate their point. The project builds important skills of liberal learning, such as critical thinking and analytical rigor, and it asks students to work collaboratively to consider the possibilities of historical storytelling and presentation. It also cultivates 21stcentury skills in media literacy and digital citizenship. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2003, Gumbert is affiliated faculty in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought and teaches in the University Honors program. She was one of the founding principals of the Honors Residential College. Gumbert also is the executive editor of the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review. In 2014, Gumbert published her first book, “Envisioning Socialism: Television and the Cold War in the German Democratic Republic,” about the role of television in shaping East German political culture in the 1950s and 1960s.
Associate Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Gumbert received her bachelor’s degree from Trent University (Canada) and her master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was awarded the Barnes Lathrop Prize for Best Dissertation in history in 2007.
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EDWARD S. DIGGS TEACHING SCHOLARS AWARD
Amy Nelson A
my Nelson, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, received the university’s 2015 Diggs Teaching Scholars Award.
Nelson was recognized for her teaching-enhancement project, “Networked Learning Communities in Hybrid Courses,” which uses blogs syndicated to a main course website. Students write original research posts on topics of their choosing, using print materials, sources available on the open Web, and databases provided by University Libraries. The selection committee described her project as “leading edge for its use of active colearning strategies that expand and extend the reach of the course beyond the physical confines of the classroom and the conceptual constraints of traditional writing assignments.” “Amy is an exceptional teacher and scholar, who has not only had a significant impact in our department but also far beyond it,” wrote Mark Barrow, professor and chair of the Department of History, who nominated her for the award. “The range and reach of her teaching-related accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary.” A specialist in Russian and Soviet culture, Nelson is the author of an award-winning study of musicians in the early Soviet Period. Her current research works at the nexus of animal studies, environmental history, and cultural history and focuses on the cultural implications of domestication and the significance of domestication to the history of the Eurasian plain. Associate Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
She is the editor of “Other Animals: Beyond the Human in Russian Culture and History” and is completing a study of the dogs used in the Soviet space program. During her career at Virginia Tech, Nelson has received two Certificates of Teaching Excellence, the Carroll B. Shannon Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Alumni Teaching Award. Nelson was the director of graduate studies in the Department of History from 2007 to 2011. She received two bachelor’s degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
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EDWARD S. DIGGS TEACHING SCHOLARS AWARD
Katrina Powell K
atrina Powell, associate professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, has received the university’s 2015 Diggs Teaching Scholars Award.
Powell’s teaching-enhancement project, “Transgressive Archives as Activism,” is a methodological approach toward reading, writing, and creating that imagines alternative ways of reporting research. Powell’s approach combines her teaching, research, and outreach objectives to disseminate academic scholarship in innovative and public ways. In addition to traditional academic scholarship, Powell’s teaching incorporates reflective, autobiographical, active engagement exercises and writing to ask what archives of particular spaces might look like and as a way to more fully understand traditionally accepted scholarship. Participants discuss what traditional archives are, who gets to decide what goes into an archive, and how to create transgressive archival material that examines traditional disciplinary and professional boundaries in ways that challenge the political and social forces at play within those traditions. Powell teaches courses in autobiography, research methods, and rhetorical theory. She wrote two books about the displacement of families from Shenandoah National Park, “The Anguish of Displacement” and “Answer at Once: Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park, 1934-1938.” Studying the hand-written letters of displaced residents to the government, Powell’s research examines the ways that residents represented themselves to state and park officials as their relocations approached. In addition to these two books, she acted as assistant producer for the documentary film (with filmmaker Richard Robinson) “Rothstein’s First Assignment.”
Associate Professor of English; Director, Women’s & Gender Studies College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Her most recent book, “Identity and Power in Narratives of Displacement,” was published in 2015 and expands her work on localized displacement to examine the transnational implications of displacement narratives and the ways that identity, representation, environment, and narrative are enacted across seemingly disparate displacement events. Powell received her bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington University, a master’s degree from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville.
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PRESIDENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNIT Y AWARD
Karen P. DePauw K
aren P. DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education, received the university’s 2015 Presidential Principles of Community Award.
“In her current role as vice president and dean for graduate education, Karen has created a graduate experience model that is steeped in both the spirit and intent of our Principles of Community,” John Dooley, chief executive officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation, wrote in his letter of nomination. “Every administrative decision and action coming from her office has been tested to the trueness of the Principles of Community.” DePauw has built an international reputation as a leader in inclusive graduate education. She frequently works with educators at international universities to emphasize the added value that diversity and inclusion bring to a community. DePauw has made more than 50 presentations and has served in leadership roles in regional and national professional organizations. She serves as the principal investigator, along with her Virginia Council of Graduate Schools colleagues, for a National Science Foundation grant to develop a model for diversifying the pool of future graduate professionals. DePauw also established Dean’s Diversity Assistantships that are awarded to eight facultynominated prospective students who show strong promise and add to the diversity of the academic department. These are matching awards in which the department commits one year of assistantship, which affords the student two fully funded years of graduate education. Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education Graduate School
With her encouragement, the Graduate School sponsors annual diversity and inclusion events, including Gay in Appalachia, graduation ceremonies, and Ebony Affair. DePauw holds membership in national diversity forums. Among her other accomplishments at the university, DePauw developed the Transformative Graduate Education Initiative, the Global Perspectives Program, and the award-winning Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown. DePauw earned a bachelor’s degree from Whittier College, a master’s degree from California State University Long Beach, and a Ph.D. from Texas Woman’s College.
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PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Carlene Arthur C
arlene Arthur, operations coordinator for the Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence. In 2004, Arthur began as the administrative assistant for the Center for Gerontology. Two years later, upon the creation of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, she assumed additional duties and new responsibilities at both organizations. Today, she oversees all daily operations, including administration, personnel and payroll, grant fiscal management, academic support, and community engagement. “Carlene contributes greatly to the successes of both the institute and the center. She is highly competent and her work is exceptional,” Karen Roberto, University Distinguished Professor and director of the institute and center, wrote in her nomination letter. Starting in 2013, Arthur played an important coordinating role for an 18-month renovation project of the Wallace Annex, a 100-year-old building that became the new home of the institute and center. The project involved a physical makeover, including removing walls, gutting rooms, repairing the front porch, replacing outdoor steps, and painting. After the renovations were underway, Arthur turned her attention to furnishing the new space. She stayed within budget and contained costs by making use of existing office furnishings and monitoring university surplus. In support of the Center for Gerontology, Arthur assists faculty with proposal submissions and provides fiscal and project management support for all grants. She also manages the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and produces the center’s annual newsletter and other brochures.
Operations Coordinator Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment
“In all of her efforts, and despite the increased demands of her position, Ms. Arthur is unfailingly cheerful, professional, efficient, and helpful,” noted Rosemary Blieszner, Alumni Distinguished Professor, associate dean of the Graduate School, and associate director for the Center for Gerontology. “She has willingly assumed more responsibilities than were assigned when she was hired, has advanced her professional skills and expertise consistently over the years, and has displayed outstanding leadership, competence, and team spirit.”
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PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Kendrah Cline K
endrah Cline, an officer with the Virginia Tech Police Department for more than four years, has received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence.
On Oct. 19, 2014, the Virginia Tech Police Department received an emergency 911 call from an employee of the West End Market. The callers stated that a fellow employee, a Virginia Tech student, had passed out and assistance was requested. The communications officer on duty immediately dispatched Cline, who arrived in under two minutes and immediately determined that the student was not only unconscious, but also was not breathing and had no pulse. Cline immediately began CPR. Virginia Tech Rescue arrived several minutes later and transported the patient to a nearby hospital. “Law enforcement officers train very hard to handle a myriad of emergencies, including life-and-death scenarios,” wrote Virginia Tech Police Chief Kevin Foust in his letter of nomination. “While the training we receive is top-notch, until such time when an officer actually must put that training to the test, one does not really know how one will react. “In this case, Officer Cline’s calmness, coolness, and professional demeanor in dealing with this medical emergency is not only a testament to the seriousness in which she takes her chosen profession, but also serves as an excellent example to the rest of the department,” added Foust. “It serves as an inspiration to us all.”
Officer Virginia Tech Police Department
Doctors and nurses at the hospital said that had Cline not started CPR immediately, the patient likely would have died. The student recovered and returned to Virginia Tech without any lasting side effects. “As an experienced officer in these type of situations, I know Officer Cline’s professionalism, poise, and determination with this medical emergency proves her willingness to honor our profession, her oath, and Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve),” wrote Lt. E.T. Montgomery of the Virginia Tech Police Department.
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PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Lynn Darnell L
ynn Darnell, a housekeeper assigned to Burruss Hall at Virginia Tech for more than eight years, has received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence.
“If you ask Lynn’s coworkers and supervisors, she is consistently mentioned as the essential team player among the housekeepers and one of the leaders,” wrote Heidi McCoy, deputy chief facilities officer, in her letter of nomination. “Over the years, I have personally seen Lynn take the initiative to cover for co-workers who are absent to ensure that the work is completed to the highest standards.” Of the 90 university housekeepers in Facilities Services, Darnell is among the select few who are consistently asked to train new co-workers. “Because of her knowledge of the task required to make the university shine, her commitment to the university and to her work, and her positive attitude, Lynn is consistently at the top of the list of trainers,” added McCoy. Her ability to train was evident when the university recently hired two housekeepers who spoke little English. Darnell did everything she could — including drawing pictures to better explain tasks — so that the new employees were successful in their new roles. In addition, Darnell goes beyond her job responsibilities to help implement changes with the housekeeping staff. “When the university transitioned from upright vacuums to backpack vacuums, some expressed skepticism with the changes,” noted McCoy. “Lynn, however, proactively encouraged the adoption of this new method and took it upon herself to both train and convince her coworkers of the advantages of the new system.”
Housekeeper Burruss Hall
“Lynn epitomizes excellence with her strong work ethic, teamwork, enthusiasm, and quality service,” Vickie Chiocca and Sarah McCoy, two staff members in the Office of the Vice President for Administration, wrote in a letter of nomination they co-signed. “She anticipates what needs to be done, and approaches her work methodically, in a planned and organized way. She has a system down for keeping Burruss Hall shiny and bright.”
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PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Cathy Lally C
athy Lally, assistant to the vice president for alumni relations at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence.
Lally has been part of the alumni relations team for 23 years, joining the office initially as a part-time receptionist. “Cathy’s responsibilities have grown exponentially over the years as she has proven to be a loyal, capable, and trusted employee,” Tom Tillar, interim senior vice president for advancement, wrote in his letter of nomination. “This trajectory doesn’t happen without dedication, aptitude, understanding, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to support the team.” In 2014, two college alumni directors departed, and Lally “did not hesitate to step in and volunteer to serve the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Science as their temporary alumni director while continuing with her regular responsibilities within alumni relations and coordinating both searches,” noted Tillar. For the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Lally stepped in immediately and joined the planning committee for its 50th anniversary celebration. She set up and managed registration; coordinated function space, accommodations, catering, and entertainment; and helped guide a committee with her expertise in event planning and logistics.
Assistant to the Vice President for Alumni Relations Alumni Relations
“Cathy’s calm and constant presence allowed our college to move ahead with a major alumni event on the heels of the departure of our alumni director,” Jack Davis, Reynolds Professor and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, wrote in his letter of nomination. “She is the quintessential ‘go-to person’ within the alumni relations staff,” added Tillar. “She has spent her career serving our alumni and association with an exceptionally high sense of responsibility and commitment.” In addition to support for alumni programming, Lally serves on several university-wide committees, including Human Resources Partners, the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign for the United Way, Hokie Wellness Champions, the administrative and fiscal officers group, and the athletics game entertainment committee.
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PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Becky Moore B
ecky Moore, an employment transaction technician for the Virginia Tech Department of Human Resources, has received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence.
A member of the Human Resources team for more than 16 years, Moore assists applicants with the online applicant tracking system and coordinates the criminal conviction check program and the drug/alcohol testing programs. “If you know Becky, you know that she is one of the most pleasant people on campus,” wrote Curtis Mabry, director of human resources recruiting, in his letter of nomination. An example of Moore’s commitment to helping others, wrote Mabry, occurred last year when a job candidate came to the Human Resources office and needed assistance with a job application. “When Becky met the candidate, she quickly learned that he had a disability,” noted Mabry. “Becky spent about three hours with him … helping him successfully complete the application.” Mabry said that he has grown to expect that level of service from Mabry. However, what happened next illustrates just who she is. At the end of the application process, Becky learned that the applicant lived out of town and that someone had driven him here and dropped him off,” wrote Mabry. “He had no way to get home and his disability limited his ability to safely get to the bus stop. Looking for options, Becky found the Smart Way bus and identified the closest stop at Squires Student Center. She walked with the man across campus to the bus stop, got him on the bus, and made sure he could get to his stop.” A couple weeks later, this candidate came back to apply for another job. Once again, he was dropped off and Becky helped him apply and walked him to the bus stop so he could return home. A short time later, the candidate was hired.
Employment Transaction Technician Department of Human Resources
“Over the years, Becky has had this impact on many applicants and employees,” noted Mabry.
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PROVOST’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ADVISING
Frenda Wall Haynie F
renda Wall Haynie, undergraduate student advisor and program coordinator for the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, received the university’s 2015 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Advising.
“Frenda has a wonderful rapport with students, facilitating rather than directing their curricular planning while preserving a sense of student ownership and responsibility of their choices,” Steven Blank, Mike Ellerbrock, and Kurt Stephenson, three agricultural and applied economics faculty members, wrote in their combined nomination letter for this award. “Since her arrival, the number of students with problems meeting graduation requirements has fallen dramatically.” In her current position, Haynie is the academic advisor for agribusiness and applied economics management majors, with the exception of the financial planning option. She assists students in understanding and choosing a major option, guides them through their degree-planning processes, and provides information and support throughout their academic careers. Haynie also teaches the department’s first-year experience course for freshmen and transfer students. “Frenda works hard to make our department better and improve her skills,” added her three nominators. “She identifies problems early and offers ideas on how to improve our curricula and recruiting.”
Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Students concur with this assessment. Catherine O’Donnell, an undergraduate student in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, was among the dozens of students who wrote letters in support of Haynie. “Frenda has been the most helpful advisor I could ever wish for,” wrote O’Donnell. “Without her, I would not be able to graduate on time while pursuing a five-year B.S./M.S. degree. No matter how stressed or how impossible my schedule may appear to be, she is always patient, understanding, and, most of all, supportive of your dreams and ambitions.” Haynie received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and expects to complete her master’s degree from Kansas State University next year.
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SPORN AWARD FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY SUBJECTS
Col. Dave Miller C
ol. Dave Miller, deputy commandant for leader development for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and director of the Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development in the Pamplin College of Business, received the university’s 2015 Sporn Award for Teaching Introductory Subjects.
As the director of the Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development, Miller has helped thousands of undergraduate students become leaders through a comprehensive program of academic course work, real-world leadership experiences, ethics education, public lectures, and guest speakers. Students who complete the program receive a minor in leadership studies. In addition, Miller refined and supervises the Corps of Cadets’ Academic Success Program. The program provides tutors in several subjects; daily planners; the teaching of productivity methodology, success strategies, and time management; and an upper-class cadet mentoring system. The goal is for cadets in the program to have an overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and that goal has been met for five consecutive semesters. Miller teaches nine courses and supervises 20 more annually. In addition, he co-hosts the annual Virginia Tech Freshman Leadership Conference and supervises the Corps of Cadets’ annual Invitational Leadership Conference. He also collaborates with several campus organizations to improve the academic and experiential components of the leader development program. Miller served for more than 26 years in the U.S. Army, commanding at all levels through brigade, including a four-year tour as commander of the Data Systems Unit of the White House Communications Agency. His military education includes Armor Officer Basic, Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course, Command and General Staff Officer’s Course, and The Army War College.
Deputy Commandant for Leader Development and Director, MG W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
Miller also received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, a master’s degree from Webster University, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. He is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Business’ Advanced Management Program.
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STAFF CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Lt. Curtis L. Cook L
t. Curtis L. Cook of Christiansburg, Virginia, retired police officer with the Virginia Tech Police Department, received the university’s 2015 Staff Career Achievement Award. Cook retired from his position in 2014 after 17 years of service.
“Lt. Cook enjoyed a stellar law enforcement career as a member of the Virginia Tech Police Department,” said Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administration. “He took great pride in his ability to teach others and always researched the latest training techniques to ensure members of the police department received the best and most upto-date training possible.” Cook already had 11 years of law enforcement experience when he joined the Virginia Tech Police Department in 1997. He brought critical emergency response skills to Tech’s Emergency Response Team. Cook’s impact within the department and in the Virginia Tech community grew as a designated field training officer, bike officer, firearms instructor, and defensive tactics instructor. He later became the department’s homeland defense instructor, an ALERRT (active shooter) instructor, and an instructor in chemical weapons and pepper spray. In 2000, Cook was assigned to the department’s investigations unit as a detective and was promoted to operations lieutenant in 2007.
Retired Police Officer Virginia Tech Police Department
He was named the department’s Emergency Response Team leader in 2007, and his tactical skills proved critical on April 16, 2007. Cook led a team of first responders into Norris Hall that day. He and his team not only helped end the shootings, but they also provided immediate life-saving assistance to several wounded people. Cook was also a member of the department’s dignitary protection unit and underwater recovery team. A former U.S. Navy rescue swimmer, he excelled at underwater recovery and helped make the Virginia Tech Police Department team one of the best in Southwest Virginia. Because of his many certifications, Cook provided specific types of instruction not only on campus, but also to other law enforcement agencies and students at the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy.
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STAFF CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Jessie S. Eaves J
essie S. Eaves, retired receptionist and fiscal technician for the Department of Computer Science in the College of Engineering, received the 2015 Staff Career Achievement Award. Eaves retired from her position in 2014 after 28 years of service.
“During her 28-year career at Virginia Tech, Jessie has been the mainstay of the staff of the Department of Computer Science,” Richard Benson, Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Chair and dean of the College of Engineering, wrote in his letter of nomination. “She was accurate, patient, and cheerful in doing her job, and she had a can-do attitude and had a knack for defusing stressful situations.” Since 2010, Eaves served as the “face of the computer science department” in her role as receptionist in the college’s McBryde Hall-based computer science advisors office. “Frankly, this was a job made for Jessie,” added Benson. “She was equally at ease speaking to the parents of a high school student visiting Virginia Tech as with consoling undergraduates.” Computer science advisor Terry Arthur noted, “Jessie truly is one of the most generous and giving persons I ever met. She established a personal connection to many of our students. She also had an equally good relationship with fellow computer science staff members and faculty, interacting with them in her cheerful, unflappable manner.” In addition to her many contributions to her department, Eaves represented university staff at two Diversity Summits; chaired and served as the computer science staff representative to the College Association for Staff in Engineering; and chaired the James D. McCormick Staff Leadership Seminar.
Retired Receptionist and Fiscal Technician College of Engineering
She also served on the university search committees that hired Provost Mark G. McNamee and Vice President for Human Resources Hal Irvin. “Ms. Eaves is the type of person who spreads joy and positivity wherever she goes,” computer science major Audrey Decker wrote as part of her award nomination. “Her genuine kindness is obvious to anyone who’s ever met her.”
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STAFF CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Mary D. Hunter M
ary D. Hunter, of New Castle, Virginia, retired fiscal director for the Charles E. Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 Staff Career Achievement Award. Hunter retired from her position in 2014 after 35 years of service, the past 17 years with the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“Mary has selflessly volunteered her time, talent, and expertise on a number of different projects,” Ed Nelson, associate dean for administration and chief of staff for the College of Engineering, wrote in support her nomination. “Her impact and lasting contributions span a wide breadth of administrative functions.” Hunter has been involved in many projects, including grant and contract administration, purchasing, and the management of funding faculty salaries from various sources during the academic year and summer. She invested a great deal of time developing a departmental financial system called DEPART that helps units manage and reconcile their funds. This system has been adopted by many departments across the university. “Mary is an invaluable resource and an asset to all Virginia Tech departments, not just her own,” Matt Swift, director of research data systems in the Office of the Vice President for Research, wrote in support of her nomination. “She has had a huge impact on how policy changes or software projects affected the department administrators. She is the go-to person for getting the user perspective on a design committee.” Retired Fiscal Director College of Engineering
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“Time and time again, Mary has stepped up and provided leadership to initiatives to improve campus systems and processes, including implementation of the Banner and Depart systems, and helping to test numerous enhancements and reports since,” noted John Rudd, associate vice president for sponsored programs. “She does this willingly and cheerfully, all while maintaining a model campus business operation.”
STAFF CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Layne D. Ricketts L
ayne D. Ricketts, retired information technology professional for the Division of Outreach and International Affairs, received the university’s 2015 Staff Career Achievement Award. Ricketts retired from his position in 2014 after 32 years. During the early years of his Virginia Tech career, Ricketts provided information technology (IT) support for both the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center and for Continuing and Professional Education. Over time, Ricketts’ responsibilities expanded and ny the end of his career, he provided IT support for 13 Virginia Tech departments.
“Layne had to have great tenacity and problem-solving skills due to the unique and complex nature of these systems,” Guru Ghosh, vice president for outreach and international affairs, wrote in his nomination letter. “Though answers were not always obvious, Layne had the talent to resolve urgent technology problems quickly, while still managing other tasks across a busy organization.” “Layne’s response time and follow-up was exceptional; he never missed a beat,” noted Tom Shaver, general manager of The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. “He was reliable and loyal; it didn’t matter if it was 3 p.m. or 3 a.m., you could always count on his support.” Several years ago, more than 50 university computers were infected by a virus that destroyed critical parts of hard drives. Ricketts worked almost 96 hours, starting on a Saturday morning and taking just two short sleep breaks, to get all the machines online before users even knew there was a problem. “His work brought him in contact with most employees within Outreach and International Affairs, and touched all of them,” added Ghosh. “Beyond that, he regularly worked with guests at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center and the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center before that, aiding in everything from technology for conferences and meetings to hotel guests’ technology needs.
Retired Information Technology Professional Division of Outreach and International Affairs
“Layne was always available, prompt, effective, problem-solving, knowledgeable and resourceful, results oriented, modest, and professional,” added Ghosh.
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STAFF CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Gloria Smith G
loria Smith, of Blacksburg, retired supervisor of the HR Service Center in the Department of Human Resources, received the university’s 2015 Staff Career Achievement Award. Smith retired from her position in 2014 after 30 years. “Gloria lived by the Virginia Tech motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) from the moment she became employed with the university,” wrote Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administration in his nomination letter. “An individual who was always willing to go the extra mile, she treated people equally and made it her priority to resolve problems and answer questions for our employees.” In 2008, the Department of Human Resources established the HR Service Center to serve as a first point of contact for employees to inquire about a wide range of topics, from the hiring process to benefits. Smith was instrumental in the creation of the center and was its first supervisor. As the service center supervisor, Smith ensured that representatives were sufficiently trained and were kept up-to-date on policy and procedure changes that impacted university employees. “Even though she has been retired for more than six months, the service center still receives calls requesting assistance from Gloria, a true reflection of the trust that she established with the university community,” Wilson said.
Retired HR Service Center Supervisor Department of Human Resources
In addition to her role with the service center, Smith took on the additional responsibility of new employee orientation coordinator. Smith also served as the secretary for the Virginia Tech Retirees Association. During her employment at the university, Smith received her bachelor’s degree from Bluefield College. An active member of the Society for Human Resource Management, she earned her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. “Gloria committed her career to Virginia Tech, never wavering in her service to the university,” wrote Wilson. “She began her career immediately after graduating high school and remained in the same department for almost her entire time with the university and shared knowledge with her colleagues and helped individuals grow and develop within their roles.”
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WILLIAM E. WINE AWARD
Trudy Harrington Becker T
rudy Harrington Becker, senior instructor and associate chair in the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, received the university’s 2015 William E. Wine Award.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1991, Harrington Becker has taught undergraduate classes at all levels, including the first-year experience course for history freshmen, the history senior seminar, as well as online and education-abroad courses for almost 20 years. “As the long-time instructor of HIST 1024: Ancient History,” Mark Barrow, professor and chair of the Department of History, wrote in his nomination letter, “she provides more than 300 students each fall with an engaging introduction not only to the ancient world but also to the field of history more generally.” As director of undergraduate studies in the Department of History, Harrington Becker serves as faculty advisor to about 50 history majors and helps many more students who stop by for walk-in advising. As co-chair of the department’s Undergraduate Committee, she recently participated in a major multiyear overhaul of the history curriculum. Harrington Becker also has “been at the forefront of curricular reform and innovation,” wrote Barrow. “Recognizing the exciting possibilities afforded by online teaching early on, she developed courses that took full advantage of new technologies while maintaining rich, engaging, and rigorous educational experiences.” Harrington Becker won the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences’ Certificate of Teaching Excellence in 1998 and 2006 and the university’s Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007. Two years ago, she shared with her husband, Andrew Becker, associate professor of Latin and Ancient Greek languages, literatures, and cultures, her college’s Award for Excellence in International Initiatives, and last year they shared the university’s 2014 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education.
Senior Instructor and Associate Chair College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Harrington Becker received her bachelor’s degree at the College of the Holy Cross, master’s degrees from both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
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WILLIAM E. WINE AWARD
Raman Kumar R
aman Kumar, the R.V. and A.F. Oliver Professor of Investment Management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2015 William E. Wine Award. Kumar teaches courses in investments, derivative securities, managerial economics, research methods, and international finance in the undergraduate, M.B.A., and Ph.D. programs.
“Raman joined our faculty in 1985 and has consistently provided stellar teaching performance at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as evidenced by numerous department and college teaching awards,” Vijay Singal, the J. Gray Ferguson Professor of Finance and head of the Department of Finance, wrote in his nomination letter. “The consistently impressive evaluations and enthusiastic complimentary student comments demonstrate that he has been and continues to be an exceptional teacher, an outstanding mentor, and a leader in making curricular contributions to our teaching mission.” A group of Kumar’s M.B.A. students agreed to extend every session of their evening finance class late into the night, one student wrote, “just so we could learn more during the semester. There are not many professors who can keep students on the edge of their seats and excited.”
R.V. and A.F. Oliver Professor of Investment Management Pamplin College of Business
Kumar is often sought out by doctoral students to serve on their dissertation committees because he contributes to the quality of their dissertations, noted Singal. Kumar, who has directed the finance Ph.D. program, has served on more than 40 dissertation committees and has chaired about a dozen of them. Kumar designed and taught the Business Research Methods course for Pamplin doctoral students and served on the committee that overhauled the finance Ph.D., M.B.A., and undergraduate curriculums. From 2007 to 2009, Kumar was the faculty advisor to the BASIS student group (Bonds and Securities Investing by Students), which managed about $5 million of the Virginia Tech Foundation’s funds in a fixed-income securities portfolio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Banaras Hindu University, a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
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WILLIAM E. WINE AWARD
Brent Opell B
rent Opell, professor of biological sciences in the College of Science, has received the university’s 2015 William E. Wine Award.
Since joining the Virginia Tech faculty in 1978, Opell has taught more than 8,000 students, most of them in freshman- and sophomore-level courses. His teaching contributions have been recognized by two Department of Biological Sciences Undergraduate Teaching Awards and three College of Science Certificates of Teaching Excellence. “Over the years, Dr. Opell has continually endeavored to improve his teaching, to create a learning environment based on mutual respect, and to convey an enthusiasm for his subject material,” Brenda Winkel, professor and head of the Department of Biological Sciences, wrote in her letter of nomination. “He has clearly been successful in accomplishing these goals based on the comments the department received from past students.” Opell engages students in course material by integrating his research and field experiences into class presentations. His use of real-world examples from his personal travels engages students. “Dr. Opell leaves a lasting impression on the students with whom he works, both inside and outside of the classroom,” added Winkel. “Our graduating seniors often name him as a professor whom they remember as an outstanding teacher, despite the fact it may have been two or more years since they were in his classroom.” Outside the classroom, Opell mentors undergraduate students by involving them in his National Science Foundation-sponsored studies of spider evolutionary biology. These include studies of adhesion in the capture threads of spider orb-webs, with students as co-authors on many of the published papers.
Professor College of Science
In addition to his teaching activities, Opell has served as his department’s academic advisor since 1978, was the freshman advisor from 2002 to 2013, and serves as a preveterinary advisor. Opell received a bachelor’s degree from Butler University, a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
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XCALIBER AWARD: INDIVIDUAL
Jennifer Sano-Franchini J
ennifer Sano-Franchini, assistant professor of professional and technical writing in the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has received the university’s 2015 XCaliber Award for an individual making extraordinary contributions to technology-enriched active learning.
This year’s individual award recognizes Sano-Franchini’s course, Issues in Professional and Public Discourse, a senior-level capstone course for the professional writing option of the English major. In this course, students explore how technical and professional writing influence — and are influenced by — public discourse through a focus on feminism and interaction design. “Dr. Sano-Franchini’s course provided an amazing environment that was a mixture of online pedagogy, engaged discussion, collaboration, and hands-on problem-solving that reinforced the themes and goals for the course,” Katrina Powell, associate professor of English and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, wrote in her letter of support. “I found it very interesting to study how people physically use technology, especially since it’s such a big part of our lives,” one student wrote in a course reflection. “This class illuminated the many processes involved in designing for interaction, particularly from a feminist standpoint. How do you design for everybody?” Sano-Franchini teaches courses on professional writing and intercultural communication. Her research and teaching interests are in the relationship between cultural and digital rhetoric, document design, and Asian-American rhetoric. Assistant Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
She has given presentations on topics that include the rhetoric of cosmetic surgery, composition of mixtapes, cultures of BitTorrent communities, and graduate student professional development at national conferences in numerous disciplines. Sano-Franchini is co-editing “Building a Community, Having a Home,” a collection documenting a history of the Conference on College Composition and Communication Asian/ Asian American Caucus. She also has seven years of industry experience in document design and professional writing. Sano-Franchini received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
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XCALIBER AWARD: INDIVIDUAL
Kathleen Hancock K
athleen Hancock, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering, National Capital Region, received the university’s 2015 XCaliber Award for an individual making extraordinary contributions to technology-enriched active learning.
This year’s individual award recognizes Hancock’s multidisciplinary course, GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering, which prepares students to use geospatial information and analyses to solve professional problems in engineering, planning, and related fields. The course introduces students to basic GIS concepts. The course is offered online through three components. The first is the scheduled online class through WebEx, which requires student participation at a specified time each week. This time is used for lecture and discussions, questions and answers, and group discussion of class assignments. The second component is ESRI’s virtual course, Learning ArcGIS Desktop. ESRI is a company that develops GIS software. The third element of the course consists of wiki interactions. Through the course wiki site, students review an article, website, application, or related document and then integrate their individual critiques into a comprehensive group discussion about the posted item. “It is helpful when the instructor provides background material and explanation and then gives assignments that not only test the material presented but also allow for expansion of the knowledge through application and extension of the material,” wrote one student in an evaluation of Hancock’s course.
Associate Professor College of Engineering, National Capital Region
“My philosophy and corresponding goal is to enable an active learning environment,” said Hancock. “Current technology, instant access to information, enhanced visualization and communication tools, hand-held devices, and crowd and cloud capabilities open up a host of new opportunities to provide structured and unstructured learning opportunities.” A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2004, Hancock’s scholarship focuses on freight operations and planning, transportation safety, and geospatial solutions to transportation problems. She received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.
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XCALIBER AWARD: TEAM
Marlene Preston, Brandi Quesenberry M
arlene Preston, associate professor, assistant department head, and director of undergraduate programs, and Brandi Quesenberry, advanced instructor and director of public speaking, both in the Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, received Virginia Tech’s 2015 XCaliber Award for excellence as a team making outstanding contributions to technology-enriched active learning. Preston and Quesenberry were recognized for the course they co-designed and co-taught, Virtual Public Speaking. Their course allows students to explore the similarities and differences of speech creation, as well as hone their preparations and delivery techniques in various online speaking situations with live audiences and real-time feedback. The virtual classroom gives students the ability to assess and analyze their presentations and helps them increase competency through a variety of communication modes.
The Virtual Public Speaking course uses WebEx, a Web and video-conferencing program, to offer students real-time audience interaction and give them a rigorous “public” speaking experience. Marlene Preston Associate Professor College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
As a function of the course design, students demonstrate their achievement of learning outcomes. Pre- and post-instruction surveys reveal significant improvements in speech delivery and development, such as the ability to create a speech thesis and manage anxiety before and during a speech. Preston and Quesenberry upheld the integrity and rigor of a traditional public speaking course by addressing message development for specific audiences, managing and reducing apprehension, and enabling real-time audience interaction. In their award citation, the XCaliber selection committee noted how Preston and Quesenberry took a traditional, highly sought-after course and transformed the teaching and learning environment to meet the National Communication Association’s Speaking and Listening Competencies for College Students and exceed national standards for online delivery. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1993, Preston received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2003, Quesenberry received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Radford University.
Brandi Quesenberry Advanced Instructor and Director Of Public Speaking College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
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Message from Alumni Relations S
ince the 1950s, when the Alumni Association created the first faculty excellence awards, Virginia Tech alumni have proudly helped to recognize faculty and staff members whose exceptional performance enhances and contributes to the university’s three-part mission of learning, discovery, and engagement. I join with our 240,000 living alumni in commending these notable awardees for their hard work and achievements.
Congratulations to our 2014-15 faculty and staff award winners.
Thomas C. Tillar Jr.
Vice President for Alumni Relations
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, contact the executive director for Equity and Access at 540-231-8771 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.