Faculty Recognized at Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception

The Office of the Provost recently recognized faculty for research and teaching excellence, providing outstanding mentorship to their colleagues, and for completing professional development programs at the Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception held on April 8 during Faculty Appreciation Week.

"This year, we partnered with the Division of Research and Innovation to broaden our faculty recognitions to include research excellence, honoring faculty who have secured significant external grant funding," said Anna Zajicek, vice provost for faculty affairs. "Our faculty's commitment to excellence in both research and teaching is truly extraordinary. I am continually impressed by the depth of mentorship our faculty provide to one another and to their students. Faculty are at the heart of everything we do, and I am deeply grateful for the many ways they contribute to our institution and to the broader community."

In addition to research, teaching, and mentorship awards, the 2026 SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient for the U of A, Stephen Luoni, Distinguished Professor of architecture and director of the U of A Community Design Center, was recognized at the ceremony.  Each year, the SEC recognizes a faculty member at each of the conference's 16 institutions with a SEC Faculty Achievement Award for their outstanding record in research and scholarship.

Daniel E. Ferritor Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching 

This annual award is funded by the Office of the Chancellor and given to the department or academic unit on campus that best displays excellence in teaching, faculty development and student success. The award includes $10,000 and a trophy. 

This year's award was given to the Department of Civil Engineering in the College of Engineering.

Provost Award for Departmental Excellence in Faculty Mentoring

This annual award is sponsored by the Office of the Provost.  The award is given to the department or academic unit on campus that best displays excellence in onboarding and mentoring of early-career and mid-career faculty, including tenure track and non-tenure track faculty. The winning department receives $10,000 and a trophy.

This year's award was given to Department of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering.

External Funding Celebration Program (EXCEL-AR) Awards

Earlier this year, the Office of the Provost and the Division of Research and Innovation began a coordinated effort to develop a recognition program to honor the incredible work happening across campus to advance research excellence by securing significant external funding.

At the reception, the university launched the External Funding Celebration Program, or EXCEL-AR, to recognize the inaugural recipients of the Pinnacle and Distinction Medallion Awards. The awards honor Principal Investigators and Co‑Principal Investigators who secured significant external funding for the university during the previous calendar year, and were presented across three discipline-specific categories, which include Science and Engineering; Non-Science and Engineering; and Humanities, Arts, and Design.  To reflect typical patterns and levels of external funding across these disciplines, each category includes two tiers of recognition, with defined funding thresholds required to qualify.

The following teams and individuals received the Pinnacle Medal in Science and Engineering for securing more than $3 million in external funding in 2025:

Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Research Fabrication Line

• Alan Mantooth, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Gregory Salamo, Department of Physics
• Shannon Davis, Engineering Research Coordinator

E-RISE RII: Arkansas Smart Transportation Research Incubator

• Heather Nachtmann, Department of Industrial Engineering
• Jackson Cothren, Department of Geosciences
• Justin Chimka, Department of Industrial Engineering

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

• Christine Holyfield, Communication Disorders & Occupational Therapy
• Sheida Raley, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Elizabeth Lorah, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

BOTAA: 23-01 Military Engineering - Geoengineered Materials

• Cameron Murray, Department of Civil Engineering
• Andrew Braham, Department of Civil Engineering
• Clinton Wood, Department of Civil Engineering
• Ernie Heymsfield, Department of Civil Engineering

The following teams and individuals received the Distinction Medal in Science and Engineering for securing $1-3 million in external funding in 2025:

DESC: Type II: ECOCHIPLETS: Embodied Carbon Optimization

• Jia Di, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Investigating the Mechanobiology of Multicellular Morpho

• Jian Zhang, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Soft Target Protection Against Unmanned Aerial System Threats

• Heather Nachtmann, Department of Industrial Engineering
• Kelly Sullivan, Department of Industrial Engineering
• Rich Ham, Department of Industrial Engineering

SkyLark: Carbon Dioxide Transportation Safety Research

• Thomas Spicer, Department of Chemical Engineering
• Keith Walters, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Keisha Walters, Department of Chemical Engineering

Robotic System for Spinal Decompression and Interbody Fusion

• Mehran Armand, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Delivering Advanced Electronics Education Through Lab V

• Alan Mantooth, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• David Huitink, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Jeff Dix, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Shawn Bell, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

SCH: Large-scale Multi-Modality Learning System to Identify

• Khoa Luu, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

How Genes and the Environment Impact Health

• Xuan Zhuang, Department of Biological Sciences

The following teams and individuals received the Pinnacle Medal in the Non-Science and Engineering category for securing more than $1 million in external funding in 2025:

Statewide Crisis Model

• Johanna Thomas, School of Social Work

Arkansas Teacher Corps (ATC)

• Sarah McKenzie, Department of Education Reform

TRIO Student Support Services Project FY25

• C.J. Mathis, Student Success

A-State DHS Expansion

• Karan Burnette, Partners, College of Education and Health Professions

Office of Innovation for Education FY26

• Feng Jiang, Office of Innovation for Education
• Crystal Beshears, Office of Innovation for Education

Seamless Transition for Arkansas (STAR)

• Brent Williams, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
• Shaida Raley, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Suzanne Kucharczyk, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

ABC Professional Development Grant (FY26)

• Kathy Pillow-Price, Early Childhood Education Program

The following teams and individuals received the Distinction Medal in the Non-Science and Engineering category for securing $500,000 - $1 million in external funding in 2025:

Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program

• Kristin Higgins, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
• Julie Hill, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods

Arkansas Rehabilitation Services Career Counseling, Information, and Referral Services

• Brent Williams, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
• JoAnn Benson, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods

Arkansas CCMS-Aligned Business Coaching

• Mary Beth Brooks, Small Business Development Center

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

• Alissa Blair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Oak Ridge Hillside Trail and Restoration Project

• Georgeta Galbraith, Facilities Management
• Jay Huneycutt, Facility Operations

NoVo Foundation Support 2025-2028

• Carly Hotvedt, School of Law

The following teams and individuals received the Pinnacle Medal in the Humanities, Arts, and Design category for securing more than $150,000 in external funding in 2025:

The Whipple Family Forest Education Center Phase II at GWG + Garvan's Pratt Welcome Center Redesign

• Rebecca Ohman, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design

Windgate Art Accelerator

• Bethany Springer, School of Art
• Rachel Debuque, School of Art

The following teams and individuals received the Distinction Medal in the Humanities, Arts, and Design category for securing $75,000 - $150,000 in external funding in 2025:

2025 National Endowment for the Arts State Partnership Agreement - Folk Arts Partnership Allocation

• Virginia Siegel, Special Collections, Mullins Library
• Lauren Willette, Special Collections, Mullins Library

Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards

The Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award is sponsored by the Provost's Office and given to faculty who were nominated by their peers and colleagues for serving as an outstanding mentor to other U of A faculty. The following faculty received a 2026 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award:

• Sami Dridi, Department of Poultry Science
• Lynn Meade, Student Success
• Hugh Churchill, Department of Physics
• Rupesh Kariyat, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
• Robert Coridan, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Faculty Applause Awards

The Faculty Applause Award is co-sponsored by the Associated Student Government and the Office for Faculty Affairs. This award gives students the opportunity to recognize a professor who has made a lasting impact on them during their time at the U of A.

Faculty who received this award include:

• Craig Schmitt, Recreation and Sports Management Program
• Chris Farnell, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Jim Maddox, Human Resources and Workforce Development Program
• Kate Walker, Department of Biological Sciences
• Ashlea Milburn, Department of Industrial Engineering

Bridge Program Completion Badges

The Bridge Program is sponsored by the Office for Faculty Affairs and the U of A ADVANCE ENGAGE grant. This program provides mentorship and onboarding resources to new faculty through an innovative and comprehensive teams-based approach. The Bridge Program also allows new faculty to network with other faculty across departments and schools. 

The following faculty members received the Bridge Program Completion Badge in the fall 2025:

• Lauren Brewer, Department of Marketing and Logistics
• Jennifer Carpenter, Department of Music
• Miguel Garcia-Salas, Department of Communications Disorders and Occupational Therapy
• Anup K C, Recreation and Sports Management Program
• Nicholas Levis, Biological Sciences
• Lily Mank, Landscape Architecture
• Abhi Rajagopala, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Zoe Thijs, Department of Communications Disorders and Occupational Therapy

The following faculty members received the Bridge Program Completion Badge in the spring 2026:

• Bruno Chaves Morone Pinto, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness
• Anna Clymer, Business and Entrepreneurship Librarian, Mullins Library
• Jennifer Day, Special Collections, Mullins Library
• Taylor Enoch-Stevens, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
• Nikki Gross, Science Libarian, Mullins Library
• Kendrick Hardaway, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
• Sarah Hixson, Apparel Merchandising and Product Development
• Aelim Kim, School of Art
• Reilly Kincaid, Department of Sociology and Criminology
• Mark McDonald, Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
• Megan Rexius, Department of Chemical Engineering
• Robin Roggio, Interlibrary Loan, Mullins Library
• Lora Shadwick, Department of Biological Sciences

Mentoring Graduate Students Workshop Completion

This workshop provides faculty with the opportunity to learn best practices in mentoring to inspire, direct and professionally develop graduate mentees. The workshop also helps faculty develop a mentoring philosophy, experiment with various mentoring methods and discuss mentoring challenges and successes with peers.

The following faculty members completed the workshop in the fall 2025:

• Dennis Beck, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Tom Bennett, Department of Education Reform
• Morgan Broberg, Department of Civil Engineering
• Anna Clymer, Research and Instruction, Mullins Library
• Christianne Corbett, Department of Sociology and Criminology
• Sisi Hu, School of Journalism and Strategic Media
• Laura Kent, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Valerie Lane, Department of Theatre
• Ambrin Ling, School of Art
• Rodica Lisnic, Department of Sociology and Criminology
• Mark McDonald, Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
• Ashlea Milburn, Department of Industrial Engineering
• Treisha Peterson, School of Human Environmental Sciences
• Lauren Quetsch, Department of Psychological Sciences
• Brittany Romanello, Department of Sociology and Criminology
• James Sinclair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Renee Speight, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Cara Spencer, Department of Theatre
• Sarah Tonkin, Department of Psychological Sciences
• Lora Walsh, Department of English
• Ruslan Yusupov, Department of Anthropology

The following faculty members completed the workshop in the spring 2026:

• Christa Bentley, Department of Music
• Jean Hugues Bit'a'menye, Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Jenna Donohue, Department of Philosophy
• Jullian Doyle, School of Human Environmental Sciences
• Joanna Fiddler, School of Human Environmental Sciences
• Raluca Golesteanu Jacobs, Department of History
• Sarah Hixson, School of Human Environmental Sciences
• Renette McCargo, School of Journalism and Strategic Media
• Jami Padgett, Learning and Student Success
• Amy Poe, Department of Biological Sciences

The next Provost's Faculty Recognition Reception will be held in April 2027 to coincide with Faculty Appreciation Week, which occurs the second week of April each year.

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About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.