NEWS RELEASE
January 23, 2013
SCHEV and Dominion Resources Announce
2013 Outstanding Faculty Award Recipients
RICHMOND — The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Dominion Resources are pleased to announce the 12 faculty members from Virginia's public and private colleges and universities who have been selected as recipients of the 2013 Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA).
"The Council is honored to recognize twelve of the extraordinary educators who help make Virginia's system of higher education among the finest in the nation," said SCHEV Director Peter Blake. "These individuals strengthen their respective communities and the entire Commonwealth through their commitment to teaching, research, and service. They serve as an inspiration to us all, both in and out of the classroom."
"Dominion has proudly partnered with SCHEV for nine years to sponsor the Outstanding Faculty Awards," said Virginia M. Board, president of the Dominion Foundation. "Each year we are impressed by the diverse accomplishments of these talented professors. The scholarship and dedication of these honorees is a testament to the strength of Virginia's public and private, two-year and four-year institutions."
This year marks the 27th anniversary of the statewide awards program, which honors faculty members for excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration, and public service. The 12 recipients were selected from a pool of 109 applications based on accomplishments that strongly reflect the missions of their respective institutions.
2013 Outstanding Faculty Award recipients:
Mr. Robert Bausch
Professor of English
Northern Virginia Community College
Dr. Rita Chi-Ying Chung
Professor of Counseling and Development
George Mason University
Dr. Jasmin Darznik
Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing
Washington and Lee University
Rising Star recipient
Dr. J. Emmett Duffy
Professor of Marine Science
College of William and Mary
Dr. Stephen Edwards
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Teaching with Technology recipient
Dr. Paul Hanstedt
Professor of English
Roanoke College
Dr. Erik Hewlett
Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology
University of Virginia
Dr. Shiv Khanna
Professor of Physics
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Olga Pierrakos
Associate Professor of Engineering
James Madison University
Rising Star recipient
Dr. Laura Taalman
Professor of Mathematics
James Madison University
Dr. Eve Torrence
Professor of Mathematics
Randolph-Macon College
Dr. Frances Williams
Associate Professor of Engineering
Norfolk State University
Photos and information about each of this year's recipients can be found on the SCHEV website at www.schev.edu/AdminFaculty/OFAprogramIndex.asp.
The recipients will be recognized during a February 12 ceremony at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. Each of the recipients will receive an engraved award and a $5,000 check underwritten by the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources. Dominion Resources is the parent company of Dominion Virginia Power.
The OFA program is administered by SCHEV and funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation, which has fully supported the OFA program since 2005. Since the first awards ceremony in 1987, 316 Virginia faculty members - including the 2013 recipients - have received this high honor.
SCHEV is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for Virginia's system of higher education. The agency provides policy guidance and budget recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly, and is a resource for information on higher education issues for Virginia colleges and universities. SCHEV has administered the Outstanding Faculty Awards since its inception in 1986.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.
###