Louisiana State University of Alexandria held its annual Employee Recognition Dinner on Tuesday, April 13 to celebrate the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff.
The most prestigious award distribute 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 2020-2021 was presented to Dr. Cynthia Thomas. Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology with a Ph.D. in Personality Psychology and Developmental Psychology from Howard University.
Also presented at the recognition dinner were eight 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:
Capital One Endowed Professorship in Business – Laura Carroll
Jack and Sue Ellen Jackson Endowed Professorship in Education – Susan Myrick
Cliffe E. Laborde, Sr. Endowed Professorship in Education – Dr. Prakash Ghimire
Rapides Regional Medical Center Endowed Professorship in Radiologic Technology – Tess Myers
Huie Dellmon Trust Professorship in Science – Dr. Susan Bowers
Richard Bryan Gwartney Endowed Professorship – Dr. Elizabeth Beard
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #2 – Dr. Tanya Lueder
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #3 – Beth Whittington
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.
The Outstanding Faculty Scholarship award is given to a faculty member who exemplifies outstanding research and scholarship. This year’s winner is Dr. Guoye Ke, Assistant Professor of Mathematics.
The Outstanding Faculty Service award recipient is Melissa Laborde, APR. Laborde is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and currently serves as the Faculty Senate President.
Faculty members who received promotion during the last year were also recognized. From the Department of Nursing, both Angela Bordelon and Deborah Wood were promoted to Associate Professor. Wood was also awarded tenure.
Dr. Carol Corbat was recognized as the Outstanding Faculty Mentor. This award is presented annually to the professor who has demonstrated excellence in coaching and guiding his or her students through hands-on experience to develop their own research projects.
Additionally, Dr. Abbey Bain, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Student Engagement, 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 Ethan Lipsey. Ethan is the Director of First Year Experience and is an LSUA alumnus.
Several new awards were established this year including the Service Above Self Award by LSUA Chancellor, Dr. Paul Coreil. The Award was distributed to three individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout the past year to ensure the safety of LSUA students. The three winners were Chief Donald Collins (LSUA Police Chief), Daniel Manuel (Coordinator of Title IX, Disability Services, and Safety & Risk Management) and Kevin Vercher (Director of Facility Services).
New Student Choice Awards were also included in this year’s program. The awardees are nominated by current LSUA students. The winners are:
Faculty Disability Services Advocate - Deborah Wood.
Life Changing Class – Dr. Jessica Ringo
Outstanding Staff Service – Dr. Cynthia Sandoval
The evening also included honoring Service Learning employees as well as all employees who have five, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years of service to LSUA. Those who have retired in the previous year are also honored.