Faculty Honors
Outstanding Educator Award
2010-2011
Emily Dean
Not only did Dr. Emily Dean serve a major role in establishing the new anthropology minor at Southern Utah University, but she has also juggled a demanding teaching load and successfully applied the University's service-learning pedagogy in many of her course - all to the benefit of her students. Dr. Dean is dedicated to seeing her students succeed and collaboration with outside organizations, such as the National Parks Service, to coordinate archaeological projects that will provide her charges the valuable, hands-on experience and professional connections that will help them successfully gain employment within their field after graduation. With some of the highest instructor evaluation scores on campus, it is evident Dean's students appreciate her efforts. Dean also serves on the University Institutional Review Board, the Natural History Committee, and is chair of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences Institutional Review Board. She has served as a faculty senator and is the advisor for the SUU Anthropology Club and Pagan Awareness Club. Academically, Dean is well published, and her work to remain current in the field greatly benefits her students as she prepares them for graduate school and professional success.
Past Recipients
Outstanding Scholar
2010-2011
Shalini Kesar
Dr.Shalini Kesar is widely published in peer-reviewed publications. In 2009, she was awarded the College of Computing, Integrated Engineering and Technology's Research and Scholarly Activity Award. And most recently, she has secured two Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) Grants that allowed students within SUU's Department of Computer Science and Information Systems to partner with professional organizations to solve real world problems. To say Dr.Kesar has been busy is an understatement. Yet, through It all, she remains focused on her students-constantly looking for ways to include them in her work and to partner with local firms and industry leaders to enhance the educational experience. On a campus filled with hard-working faculty who reach beyond their official duties to engage their students with hands-on education, Kesar stands out as profoundly dedicated to her profession and her students. For all this, Dr. Shalini Kesar has aptly earned recognition as Southern Utah University's 2011 Outstanding Scholar.
Past Recipients
Distinguished Educators
2010-2011
Desmond Penny
Arguably one of the most engaging and hardest working engineering professors in the college of Computing, Integrated Engineering & Technology, Dr. Desmond Penny’s primary concern is his students’ success. Of his efforts, one student commented, “Dr. Penny is easy to understand, interesting, and he makes sure we know what we are learning and why. He is accessible and always willing to help.” Penny has been a member of SUU’s faculty since 1983, and this is his second Distinguished Educator recognition – his efforts quite obviously shine. In addition to teaching at SUU for almost three decades, he also taught at the University College Cork in Ireland; Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas; and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in cooperation with University partnerships and exchanges. He remains current in the field with recent publications and has presented his ideas across the nation.
Rachel Smetanka
Assistant Biology Professor Rachel Smetanka is a favorite among SUU’s science students thanks to her unmatched energy and enthusiasm for what she does. Dr. Smetanka’s teaching methods allow flexibility for differences in learning styles, allowing each student to integrate the information personally, making it easier to understand and more applicable to a student’s broader interests. She also strives to create an open, friendly environment in which students feel comfortable approaching her for additional help and guidance. Because of this, many student leave Smetanka’s classes feeling like they have gained a mentor and friend in addition to the very best instruction. All the while, Dr. Smetanka remains active in her own academic field, and her contacts and ideas have proven useful to many of SUU’s top science students.
Virginia Stitt
Virginia Stitt’s appointment as one of this year’s Distinguished Educators is just one of the many commendations the music professor has received in the more than 30 years she has worked to help students turn talent and passion into professional success. Her efforts have earned top honors that include the Utah Music Educators Associations Outstanding Music Educator of the Year. Dr. Stitt’s obvious love for what she does greatly impacts her students; her influence extends to countless music alumni who now perform and teach across the country. Said one current student, “I know, without a doubt, that Dr. Stitt cares whether I succeed or fail.” This concern is evident year after year in faculty evaluations, where Stitt always scores among the very best.
Past Recipients