Annual Awards Recognize Excellence in Arts & Sciences

April 2, 2025 by ljudy

The College of Arts and Sciences hosted its annual awards ceremony on Monday, March 31, 2025, at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville. The annual ceremony honors faculty members in all areas of the college’s mission, selected by their colleagues as representatives of the high standards of the college’s faculty as a whole. Awards were given for excellence in teaching, advising, and mentoring; academic outreach; research and creative activity; and more.

Congratulations to all the award recipients on your outstanding service to our college, UT, the state, and beyond. 

College Marshal

Theresa M. Lee, Department of Psychology

Professor Theresa M. Lee, Department of Psychology and former dean of the college, was named College Marshal for 2025. This award is the college’s equivalent of the university macebearer and is the highest college honor awarded to a member of the faculty.

Lee was selected to receive this award by unanimous vote of the Dean’s Cabinet for her 13 years of dedicated service to the college. She served as dean from 2012 to 2023 and became the inaugural Herbert Family Endowed Dean’s Chair in 2021, an endowment she was instrumental in establishing.

Colleagues describe Lee as having a heart of gold and a passion for increasing access to higher education for broader audiences. Under her leadership, undergraduates seeking majors and minors in the college rose dramatically, many new innovative academic programs were started, and Africana Studies became a department. She strengthened the research productivity of our faculty through consistently focusing on research excellence during hiring, the tenure process, and retention.

Lorayne W. Lester Award

Jennifer Donley, Director of Support Services

This year, the college honored Jennifer Donley with the Lorayne W. Lester Award, which recognizes a faculty member or an exempt staff member who has demonstrated outstanding service through research, outreach, and/or administrative, teaching, or advising services to the UT College of Arts and Sciences, State of Tennessee, local community, or beyond.

Donley came to the college in 1993 as a clerk and built her role and responsibilities over the years—serving with the Dean’s office and the Departments of World Languages and Cultures and History—to her current directorial position.

The experience she gained over the years gave her a valuable perspective to help lead in the transition from IRIS to the DASH system launched this year. She served on three different DASH project teams and is a member of the ongoing training group. She participated from the initial implementation on the project teams and continued through the launch. She identified, requested, and received important enhancements for DASH users that ensure the college’s success in this major system update.

Outstanding Service Award

Professor Chris Magra, Department of History

As director of the Center for Tennesseans and War, Magra has significantly enhanced the center’s mission through a focus on Tennessee’s military history and his efforts in teaching, research, and community service. One engaging element of this focus is an internship class created for undergraduates to curate archival materials and record veterans’ oral histories. In other instances, he led the Sharp’s Ridge Veterans Memorial Park project, and played a key role in establishing UT’s Armed Forces Veteran Memorial.

Faculty Academic Outreach Awards

Research and Creative Activity

Lisa King, Associate Professor, Department of English

King has shown exceptional leadership through her co-curatorship of the current Homelands exhibit at McClung Museum, which focuses on indigenous nations and their present-day relevance. Her efforts in repatriating indigenous remains and commissioning new works by indigenous artists highlight her commitment to addressing historical wrongs and promoting indigenous sovereignty. Her outreach extends to public humanities, including her widely read 2023 article about Thanksgiving myths published in The Conversation. King’s outstanding research and scholarship as a professor lay the foundation for her dedication to outreach.

Jacob Suissa, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Suissa’s amazing approach to academic outreach aims to foster a love of plant biodiversity and botany in the public. Suissa co-founded the educational nonprofit organization Let’s Botanize, which uses social media to promote and educate more than 167,000 subscribers about plant biodiversity. Suissa’s research focuses on the evolution of form and function in ferns. His outreach builds on and complements his research work, which is published in high-impact journals and featured in The Conversation.

Teaching

Kandace Hollenbach, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology

Hollenbach specializes in archaeology with a focus on human/plant relationships and the Southeastern region. She is also the associate curator of paleoethnobotany at the McClung Museum. Her contributions to academic outreach include hosting Archaeology Volunteer Days, serving as a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts, and developing the Indigenous and African Diaspora garden. Her efforts engage and educate the East Tennessee community about archaeology and ancient horticultural practices.

James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Outstanding Teaching Award

Heather Hirschfeld, Kenneth Curry Professor in the Department of English

Her teaching has been stellar throughout her 25-year UT career, consistently placing in the top tier of faculty members in course evaluations. She has contributed to the shared intellectual life of her UT community in a multitude of ways, notably through her extraordinary service to the department, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the university, and always prioritizing student learning and engagement. She’s been a role model for many students, graduate students, and junior faculty members, and has maintained her high teaching standards with grace and personal generosity.

Professor Michael Frazier, Professor, Department of Mathematics

Frazier joined UT in 2006 and served as mathematics department head until 2012. He has demonstrated exceptional teaching across a wide range of courses and has received numerous teaching awards, including twice receiving the Math Graduate Student Council Teaching Award. His dedication to teaching is evident through his engaging lectures, detailed feedback, extensive class notes, and consistently high student evaluation scores. Students have commented that his animated and thoroughly explained course materials have “stretched their thinking.”

Excellence in Teaching Awards

Lecturer

John Tristan Barnes, Lecturer, Department of Classics

Barnes is a dedicated and versatile teacher, excelling in a wide range of courses from large lectures to specialized topics. He has shown exceptional initiative in developing new courses and stepping in during emergencies and has consistently received stellar evaluations. Students praise his ability to engage and support them in their studies. Beyond the classroom, Barnes also mentors graduate students and helps develop study abroad programs.

Meghan Conley, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Sociology

Conley’s unique appointment integrates research, teaching, and service, making her an exceptional candidate for this award. Over eight years, she has developed vital courses in Sociology, including the Participatory Action Research class, which collaborates with communities for hands-on research and service learning. Her efforts have resulted in published works, impactful community projects, and numerous internship opportunities. She has received multiple awards for her work and has published extensively. Her commitment to education and community engagement exemplifies excellence in teaching.

Stephanie Drumheller-Horton, Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences

Drumheller-Horton is a vital faculty member who excels in teaching, research, and service. She has taught a variety of courses, developed new curricula, and earned high praise from students for her engaging and effective teaching style. She develops a wonderful rapport with her classroom students while communicating key concepts and teaching the foundations of science. Her pedagogical initiatives contribute to the success of the program and her research work supports and engages undergraduate researchers.

Amanda Williams, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Anthropology

Williams excels in teaching high-demand forensic courses. Her excellent communication, open-mindedness, and strong sense of purpose help ensure that her students graduate on time. She connects with students on a personal level and consistently receives high student evaluations. She is praised for her engaging teaching style, dedication, and mentorship for students even beyond the classroom. Her deep engagement with the materials and compassion for her students comes through clearly as she conveys to her students her deep love for “all things anthropology.”

Junior

Sarah Lamer, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology

Lamer has received multiple recognitions and awards for the quality and impact of her teaching since joining UT in 2019. Her students regard her as a brilliant professor, a caring advocate, and a dedicated mentor who will work tirelessly to help them learn and grow. She seeks ways to help her students pursue their career goals by mentoring them in research and applications for graduate school. She advises students about potential career trajectories and regularly directs them toward critical professional development experiences.

Senior

Benjamin Auerbach, Professor, Department of Anthropology

Auerbach exemplifies teaching excellence through his innovative course designs, support of graduate education, and leadership in teaching-oriented service. He has taught more than 3,600 students since joining UT in 2008. His courses attract students from across majors, and his graduate-level classes are highly praised. His specialized courses have diversified our curricula and helped students make connections across disciplines. His graduate mentoring has set students on paths to success.

Yen-Chen Hao, Professor, Department of World Languages and Cultures

Hao has significantly impacted students through her exceptional teaching and mentorship in phonetics, phonology, Chinese linguistics, and Second Language Acquisition. She developed and taught the upper-division curriculum in the Chinese program, consistently receiving high evaluation scores. Students praise her engaging teaching style, dedication, and support. Her efforts have led to numerous student achievements, including Critical Language Scholarships and Fulbright awards.

Diversity Leadership Award

Jeneva Clark, Teaching Professor, Department of Mathematics

Clark has built her career on making math accessible to all students, starting with early roles teaching remedial math at community colleges and teaching middle school math in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. She has used hands-on manipulation to teach visually impaired students, and, in recent years, she has worked with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community of Knoxville to help make mathematics more accessible. Clark has led international outreach programs with colleagues in Ghana among numerous other outreach activities. She is endlessly enthusiastic in her mentorship and support of students.

Undergraduate Mentor Awards

Joe Bailey, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Bailey’s dedication to teaching students includes mentoring over 10 independent research projects, helping students publish papers, and guidance in pursuing graduate studies. His proactive approach, curiosity, and dedication make him an unparalleled advisor. Students say Bailey has been instrumental in their academic journeys and that he “paints a picture” of what a career in ecology can look like.

De Ann Pendry, Teaching Professor, Department of Anthropology

Pendry excels in undergraduate mentorship, sparking curiosity in her students and inspiring them to pursue independent studies and research projects, many with publication goals. In 2023–2024, she mentored eight students on senior theses and wrote 14 recommendation letters. Her mentorship extends beyond graduation, aiding students in achieving prestigious awards and graduate placements. Former students praise her generosity, guidance, and kindness in mentoring them at every step of the way.

Excellence in Research and Creative Achievement Awards

Early Career

Tova Holmes, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Holmes earned this award with her expertise in experimental particle physics. She has been a member of the leading experiments in particle physics at the Large Hadron Collider, ATLAS, and CMS, and is an author on a total of 1,093 articles with 170,018 citations so far. She is also leading the effort to build a new collider in the US with the novel strategy of colliding muons. Her funding record in her four years at UT is described as “staggering.”

Philip Stokes, Associate Professor, Department of World Languages and Culture

Stokes’s work focuses on the historical development of the Arabic language. He has published 17 peer-reviewed articles and is recognized for his pioneering research methods. His work has earned high praise from distinguished scholars. He is currently working on a project with Cambridge University Press about the linguistics of early Christian Arabic. Stokes actively supports graduate student development by offering workshops that cover strategies for success in the academic job market

Mid-Career

Steve Johnston, Bains Professor and Director of the Graduate Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Johnston’s research is highly regarded in the physics community, and he is an internationally recognized leader in strongly correlated quantum materials, which have tremendous potential in transforming nearly all areas of science and technology. His research accomplishments include contributions to developing theory in Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering. He has made a name for himself in this subfield by developing theoretical frameworks for modeling and interpreting crucial experiments.

Hilary Havens, Associate Professor, Department of English

Havens has published two books, 13 refereed articles, and won four NEH grants. She supervises dissertations and mentors through the Digital Humanities venture that she has developed with Professor Amy Elias. Her work in manuscript studies and Digital Humanities has earned her invitations to prestigious conferences and fellowships. Her research is truly innovative, she is beloved as a teacher and is generous with her service to the department, university, and profession.

Senior

Nina Fefferman, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Fefferman is an exceptional researcher with more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and $35 million in research funding. She has significantly contributed to epidemiology, disease ecology, and climate change studies. She is described as “an all-around star” in her research, teaching, and mentoring. Her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and her dedication to mentoring students and supporting civil liberties highlight her remarkable character and impact on the university and beyond.

Garriy Shteynberg, Professor, Department of Psychology

Shteynberg stands out in his research field due to his unwavering commitment to developing original, multi-disciplinary, conceptual, and empirical scholarship. His groundbreaking scholarship focuses on developing and testing the idea that humans are collectively conscious, that everyone perceives the world from a plural perspective. His 33 peer-reviewed publications are widely cited and appear in leading journals of his field.

New Research, Scholarly, and Creative Projects in the Arts and Humanities

Althea Murphy-Price, Professor, School of Art

Murphy-Price’s creative research practice focuses on body commodification and the roles of beauty and decoration in societal deception, exploring these themes through printmaking, collage, photography, fiber-based works, and 3D-printed sculptures. She navigates the space between flat print language and three-dimensional forms, challenging traditional media boundaries in ways that contribute meaningfully to contemporary art discourse.

Distinguished Research Career at UT 

Sergey Gavrilets, Distinguished Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Gavrilets has significantly advanced evolutionary biology through his interdisciplinary research. His work on multidimensional fitness landscapes and speciation dynamics has resolved long-standing debates and changed scientific perspectives—notably his recent focus on human origins and social complexity. With more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, numerous grants, and leadership roles with NIMBioS and the Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity, he is a highly influential figure in his field.

By Randall Brown