Outstanding Educators Get Recognition During Commencement

Published: April 28, 2016 | Author: Lexi Carter | Read Time: 4 minutes

Every year outstanding educators at Southern Utah University are recognized for their commitment to student success both in and outside of the classroom. SUU is proud to honor 13 dedicated and driven individuals who are embraced and respected by their peers. These awards recognize the recipients' career in university service and their dedication to the institution.

This year’s recipient for Outstanding Educator is Dr. Joshua Price, assistant professor of economics. Dr. Price joined SUU in January 2014 and is always on the lookout for ways to prepare students for the challenges that come after graduation, actively seeking out internship opportunities and job openings. Dr. Price has won over students and faculty alike with his outgoing personality and determined work ethic.

Dr. Emily Dean and Eric Kirby have been selected to receive The Board of Trustees Award of Excellence. 

President of the Faculty Senate and Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Dean is known for top-notch leadership and successful student advisement. Developing and creating degrees focused on anthropology, she is a valued member of the history and sociology department. 

Eric Kirby serves as the executive director for completion and student success. Kirby is particularly valued as a motivator and mentor of students, providing them with advanced leadership skills and aiding them in discovering their passions while at the same time inspiring them with the confidence to pursue them. This month, Kirby will be granted his Ph.D. in global leadership and academic administration from the Indiana Institute of Technology.

Three exceptional faculty members have been honored with the Distinguished Scholarly/Creative Activity Award. 

Dr. Shobha Hamal Gurung, an associate professor of sociology, has taught at SUU since 2007 and is consistently recognized as a highly effective teacher who offers a multiplicity of opportunities for her students to grow and excel. She provides a global perspective that enhances the learning environment.

An associate professor of creative writing, as well as the director of Convocations, the University’s lecture series, Dr. Danielle Dubrasky is a noted poet and editor. She professes that words have musical sounds that correspond to other words, so when teaching, she encourages students to recognize their own innate relationship to language in order to bring out the music in the arrangement of their words.

Receiving national attention for his work as a director, producer, writer, photographer and videographer, Dr. Jon Smith, professor of communication, offers in-field knowledge to the students he teaches. Enabling students with knowledge and experience, Smith hopes to help students in future careers and in life.

The Outstanding Service award has been given to two staff members.

Lynn Price has worked as the electrician foreman for nearly two decades, standing as a reliable and dependable source of knowledge in all things electrical. Qualified to work on every electrical system on campus, he uses years of training and a working knowledge of SUU systems to troubleshoot and solve any problem that may arise.

As the Academic Evaluator/Information Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office, Kristin Wiggins’ efficient intuition serves as a valuable asset to all students and faculty. Ensuring accurate and correct information when it comes to progress in a degree, she helps to detect roadblocks before it becomes a larger problem.

Three faculty members have been selected to receive the Distinguished Educator award.

Dr. Tyler Stillman, an assistant professor of management and marketing, lives by the motto “Don’t be boring”. Faculty and students can attest to his personification to this phrase through engaging classroom experiences and hands-on learning objectives he employs in his teaching curriculum and in personal interactions.

Helping students to see the importance and creativity in mathematics is Dr. Jana Lunt, assistant professor of mathematics. Dr. Lunt aims for student success in the classroom and ample funding opportunities to undergraduate research through grants and scholarships.

As an alumnus of Southern Utah University, Dr. Nathan Werner is a living model of the value of an SUU chemical education. His students consistently score above the national average on the American Chemical Society exams, with the help of Werner’s commitment to student understanding and success.

Two outstanding staff members received the Distinguished Service award.

Dan Camp has been an exceptional and dedicated staff member at SUU since 2004. A Landscape Technician, he greatly contributes to the beautification of campus every day. Dan is always searching for new plants and innovative ways of enhancing the landscape to improve the campus experience for all who study at, work at and visit SUU.

Brandon Armstrong has been a critical asset to the School of Business from the first day he arrived back in 2012, working tirelessly to ensure that student needs are met. Armstrong helps establish and build new connections for students looking for work after graduation.  He has been innovative in creating his position, building connections between employers and students as the business school liaison.

Congratulations to all of SUU’s incredible staff and faculty. Through several faculty committee selections, these individuals have been recognized for their dedication and hard work to the University.

These awards will be conferred during the 2016 University Commencement ceremony Saturday, April 30 at 9 am in the Centrum arena.

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