TAMU System Honors Faculty
Rhonda Clark, Mark Reid, LaVerne Raines
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M University System awarded $507,000 to outstanding faculty throughout the system in the second presentation of the Teaching Excellence Awards, a voluntary, student-selected honors program launched last fall.
The 144 faculty winners will receive checks ranging from $2,500 to $10,000. Texas A&M University had the most recipients, with 54, followed by Texas A&M University-Commerce, 17; Prairie View A&M University, 15; Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 13; West Texas A&M University, 12; Texas A&M International University, 10; Texas A&M University at Galveston, 7; Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 9; Tarleton State University, 4; Texas A&M University-Texarkana, 3.
The recipients represent the top 20 percent of those who participated.
The top 5 percent are awarded $5,000 to $10,000. The next 15 percent receive $2,500 to $5,000. Awards are based on rankings from evaluations created and administered by students, with weighting for factors such as class size.
The program was initiated by Chancellor Michael D. McKinney in 2008 to honor and financially reward the system's top teachers as selected by students. For the spring 2009 semester, the program expanded to all the campuses in the A&M System. All faculty who teach at least a three-hour course are eligible.
"The expansion of the program makes it possible for students from all our university campuses to have a voice in rewarding outstanding teachers," said McKinney. "I'm pleased to see the high level of participation among students and the enthusiasm they share in recognizing teachers who have made a positive impact on them in the classroom."
Winners in the top 5 percent category at A&M-Commerce are:
Matthew Elam, associate professor in industrial engineering and technology; Jennifer Schroeder, assistant professor in psychology and special education; Rhonda Clark, instructor in curriculum and instruction; Raymond Green, associate professor in psychology and special education; Jason Wicke, assistant professor in health and human performance; and Rebecca Stephens, psychology and special education.
Other A&M-Commerce faculty winners are Mark Reid, curriculum and instruction assistant professor; Karin Tochkov, psychology and special education assistant professor; Eileen Faulkenberry, assistant professor in mathematics; Jeffrey Herndon, political science assistant professor; Sharon Kowalsky, assistant professor in history.
Omar Brown, coordinator of undergraduate advising; Gregory Wilson, assistant professor in industrial engineering and technology; Laurene Fausett, assistant professor in math; Pamela Webster, instructor in math; Jiaming Sun, associate professor in sociology and criminal justice; and Laverne Raine, associate professor in curriculum and instruction.
