Recognizing Extraordinary Achievements

Torchbearer Awards

Three outstanding seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences received the university’s highest student honor – the Torchbearer award. Torchbearers are seniors who embody the Volunteer spirit while demonstrating academic excellence and a commitment to serving others.

• Natalie Campbell, of Knoxville, is a member of the College Scholars program, double majoring in legal and political philosophy and disability studies.
• Emma Heins, of Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a senior studying geology and environmental studies with a concentration in political science and a minor in public health.
• Taylor Washington, of Memphis, is a Haslam Scholar studying political science with a concentration in public administration and Africana studies and a minor in public policy analytics.

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The Alexander Prize

Erin Hardin, professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology, received the 2020 Alexander Prize. Named for former UT president and now US Senator Lamar Alexander and his wife, Honey, the Alexander Prize recognizes superior teaching and distinguished scholarship. Read More

Alumni Outstanding Teacher Awards

UT Alumni Association bestows the Alumni Outstanding Teacher Awards to recognize teaching excellence. This year, all four award winners are faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences.

• Jessi Grieser, assistant professor of English linguistics in the Department of English
• Susan Riechert, Distinguished Service Professor and Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Lynn Sacco, professor in the Department of History
• Erin Elizabeth Smith, Distinguished Lecturer in the Department of English

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Alumni Public Service Award

Erin Darby, associate professor of religious studies, focusing on early Judaism and near eastern archaeology, received the 2020 Alumni Public Service Award, which honors a faculty or staff member whose work has made a significant impact on the Knoxville-area community. Read More

Angie Warren Perkins Award

Kalynn Schulz, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received the 2020 Angie Warren Perkins Award. Named for the first dean of women at UT, the award honors outstanding leadership in campus governance or administration at the level of department head, director, or below. Read More

Excellence in Advising

Bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate, these awards honor outstanding work in advising. Alexandra Brewer, academic advisor in the Department of Political Science, is one of four recipients of the 2020 award. Read More

Excellence in Teaching

Bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate, these awards honor outstanding work in the classroom. Miroslav Hristov, professor of violin in the School of Music, is one of four recipients of the 2020 award. Read More

Hardy Liston Jr. Symbol of Hope Award

This award goes to a faculty member, staff member, or friend of the university who demonstrates a commitment to diversity, multiculturalism, and appreciation of the differences in people and cultures on our campus. Brandon K. Winford is the recipient of the 2020 award. An assistant professor in the Department of History, Winford is a historian of late 19th- and 20th-century US and African American history specializing in civil rights and black business history. Read More

Jefferson Prize

Jon Shefner, the Betty Lynne Hendrickson Professor of Social Science and head of the Department of Sociology, received the 2020 Jefferson Prize, which honors a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in research and creative activity. Read More

Macebearer

The Macebearer is the highest faculty honor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is symbolic of the faculty’s commitment of service to students, to scholarship, and to society. The 2020 Macebearer is Gary McCracken, professor and former head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Read More

Notable UT Woman Award

Gladys Alexandre, professor and the head of the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, received the 2020 Notable UT Woman Award, which recognizes a female faculty or staff member, student, or alumna whose accomplishments bring great distinction to the university. Read More

Research and Creative Achievement

Daniel Feller, a professor in the Department of History and an American historian with a specialty in the 19th century, is one of four recipients of the 2020 Research and Creative Achievement honors, which are bestowed to senior faculty in recognition of excellence in research, scholarship, and creative achievement. Read More

Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement

Research and Creative Achievement—Professional Promise Awards honor faculty members who are early in their careers for excellence in research, scholarship, and creative achievement. Two faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences are among the 2020 recipients.

• Steven Johnston, an assistant professor of theoretical condensed matter in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, studies the properties of novel quantum materials using state-of-the-art computational methods.
• Alison Vacca is an associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of History. A historian of the early Islamic world, Vacca works with Arabic and Armenian sources to investigate the medieval Caucasus (modern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan).

Undergraduate Research Mentors of the Year

Erin Darby, associate professor of religious studies focusing on early Judaism and near eastern archaeology, received the 2020 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year award, which honors a faculty member who has shown outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate research students. Read More

Success in Multidisciplinary Research

Erin Hardin, professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology, and her colleague Melinda Gibbons, professor of counselor education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, received the 2020 Success in Multidisciplinary Research, which is given to a team of faculty members in more than one academic college who have succeeded in gaining major external resources and recognition for multidisciplinary research. Read More

Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service

The Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service awards recognize graduating students who are extraordinary campus leaders for their significant service to others. Of the seven students honored this year, five are from the College of Arts and Sciences.

• Caroline Arias is graduating with both a BS in neuroscience and a BA in psychology.
• Sterling Field is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
• Owen Flomberg is a senior in the Chancellor’s Honors Program studying political economy and development through the College Scholars Program.
• Caitlin Lloyd is a senior majoring in film production studies with an emphasis in diversity and inclusion through the College Scholars Program.
• Uriah Richey is a senior majoring in Africana studies and sociology.

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Extraordinary Community Service

The Extraordinary Community Service Award honors students and student organizations that exhibit the Volunteer spirit in the community. Of the four students honored, three are from the College of Arts and Sciences.

• Michael Almond is a senior studying biochemistry and German.
• Maya Neal recently completed her bachelor’s degree in political science.
• Shannon Perrone is a senior studying language world business, Hispanic studies, and global studies with minors in Latin American and Caribbean studies and in international agriculture and natural resources.

Graduate Student Teaching Award

Three of the four graduate students honored for excellence in instruction as part of the 2020 Chancellor’s Honors are from the College of Arts and Sciences.

• Ethan Bottone is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Geography.
• Chloe Lash is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
• Paige Walker successfully defended her dissertation in March to attain her PhD in English with a concentration in rhetoric, writing, and linguistics focusing on composition.

LGBTQ Student Leadership Award

The Commission for LGBT People awards the LGBTQ Student Leadership Award to a student who demonstrates a commitment to advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues on campus. Sterling Field, a PhD candidate in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, is the 2020 recipient. Read More

Undergraduate Researchers of the Year

Audrey Jean “AJ” Culpepper, a senior majoring in Russian literature, researches the intersections between literature, visual art, and science, is one of two undergraduate students who received the 2020 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year award, which honors a junior or senior who has demonstrated excellence in undergraduate research through independent inquiry, classes, and student employment. Read More

The 2020 Extraordinary Professional Promise honors are awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research, or other contributions. View the list of students from the College of Arts and Sciences here.

The 2020 Extraordinary Academic Achievement honors are awarded to undergraduates who exhibit extraordinary scholarship. View the list of students from the College of Arts and Sciences here.

The 2020 Top Collegiate Scholars Awards honor undergraduates who exhibit extraordinary scholarship. View the list of students from the College of Arts and Sciences here.