LSUA held its annual Employee Recognition Dinner on Tuesday, March 19 to celebrate the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff.
The most prestigious award given out Tuesday was the Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence. Established in 1989, the estate of Mrs. James C. Bolton provides funds to the University for an award to recognize excellence in teaching at LSUA.
The Bolton Award for Teaching excellence is presented annually to the full-time faculty member who best exemplifies the University’s commitment to teaching, service, and professional development. The recipient of this honor is recognized with a cash award and a plaque for his or her outstanding contributions to the University.
The Bolton Award for 2018-2019 was presented on Wednesday to Nathan Sammons. Sammons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences with a Ph.D. in plant biology from Michigan State University. In 2018, he was the recipient of LSUA’s Teaching Innovation Award and considers teaching to be among the most rewarding aspects of his career.
Also presented at the recognition dinner were seven endowed professorships. The professorships are established though private donations to the LSUA Foundation and matched through the Board of Regents Support Fund to establish a $100,000 professorship endowment.
Tuesday’s endowed professorships and winners are:
Jack and Sue Ellen Jackson Endowed Professorship in Education– Arlene Duos
Cliffe E. Laborde, Sr. Endowed Professorship in Education– Jessica Thacker
Henry Dade Foote Family Endowed Professorship– Nathan Sammons
R. O. Martin Lumber Company Professorship– Lisa Bradford
Huie Dellmon Trust Professorship in Science– Gerard Dumancas
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #2– Stephen Peters
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #3– Chistof Stumpf
Endowed professors receive a salary stipend as well as additional funds for professional development or travel activities. They are usually awarded for a two-year term.
Additionally, Dr. Cathy Cormier received the award for Staff Senate Boss of the Year. The award goes to a LSUA faculty or staff member who is nominated by their direct reports and is awarded to those who exhibit outstanding supervisory skills.
The Outstanding Staff Service Award program began in the 1970-71 academic year as a means of recognizing and rewarding superior performance and outstanding contributions to the University by non-teaching employees. The recipient of this honor receives a plaque and cash award for his or her service to LSUA.
This year’s recipient of the Staff Outstanding Service Award is Hope Love. Love is the assistant to the director of the library. She administers the budget, runs the Interlibrary Loan Service and steps in to complete additional tasks.
The evening also included honoring Service Learning employees as well as all employees who have five, 10, 15, 20, or 25 years of service to LSUA. Those who have retired in the previous year are also honored.