Honoring Outstanding Faculty

May 13, 2022 Emily Packard 4-min. read

The Celebration of Faculty Excellence is held each spring to recognize outstanding faculty who have received prestigious state, national and international awards, accolades or other distinctions during the previous year. This year, NC State honored nearly 40 faculty members during the 2022 Celebration of Faculty Excellence on May 4. This was the first time since 2019 that the event was held in person.

Chancellor Randy Woodson presented the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, NC State’s highest award recognizing faculty achievement.

The 2022 honorees were:

Audrey Jaeger, William Dallas Herring Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development
James Kiwanuka-Tondo, professor, Department of Communication
James Lester, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Computer Science
Veena Misra, Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Richard Spontak, Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Three NC State Board of Trustees members — chair Stanhope Kelly, Ann Goodnight and NC State Student Body President McKenzy Heavlin — assisted in the presentation.

Laura Clarke, a professor in the Department of Physics, was recognized for receiving the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the most prestigious award given to faculty for teaching excellence. Clarke has been with NC State since 2003 and was named an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor in 2018. She teaches introductory-level and major-level physics courses and has brought experiential learning opportunities to the physics major curriculum. These opportunities have better prepared students to enter the workforce, teaching them time-management, teamwork and the application of technical knowledge to various problems. Clarke’s teaching philosophy includes ensuring students in STEM fields develop ethical mindsets, effective communication and multicultural skills and confidence for their ultimate success.

Lisa Bullard, a teaching professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, won the inaugural Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the most prestigious award for exceptional teaching given to professional full-time faculty from among NC State’s 10 colleges and the University College. The award was established in 2021 to underscore the importance of teaching and to encourage, identify, recognize, reward, and support teaching within the university. Bullard received the award for being a nationally-recognized teacher and advisor in engineering education. A faculty member at NC State since 2000, Bullard is an NC State Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor and has won the NC State Faculty Advising Award and Outstanding Teacher Award. She is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education, and is an associate editor of Chemical Engineering Education.

Jane Hoppin, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, won the 2021 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service. The Holshouser Award is given to one UNC System faculty member each year who “exemplifies public service toward improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians.”

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden also recognized the following honored faculty:

Morton Barlaz, Distinguished University Professor and head, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
K.C. Busch, assistant professor, Department of STEM Education: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2021)
Ashly Cabas, assistant professor, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Eduardo Corral, associate professor, Department of English: Guggenheim Fellowship (2022)
Marc Cubeta, professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Karen Daniels, Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Jason Delborne, professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Candace Haigler, professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Ayman Hawari, Distinguished Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Lilian Hsiao, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
Shuijin Hu, professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
Iqbal Husain, ABB Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Fulbright Future Scholarship
Alexandros Kapravelos, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2021)
Blair Kelley, associate pofessor, Department of History, and assistant dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and International Programs, College of Humanities and Social Sciences: National Humanities Center Fellow (2022)
Albert Keung, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Fred Kish, M.C. Dean Inc. Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: National Academy of Inventors Fellow
Sebastian Koenig, assistant professor, Department of Physics: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Hollylynne Lee, Distinguished Professor, Department of STEM Education: Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching
Fanxing Li, Alcoa Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Humboldt Research Fellowship
Jason Miller, professor, Department of English: National Humanities Center Fellow (2022)
Natalie Nelson, assistant professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2021)
Spyros Pavlidis, assistant professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Caroline Proulx, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2021)
Bradley Reaves, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Rubén Rellán-Álvarez, assistant professor, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry: Department of Energy Early Career Research Award
Julia Rudolph, professor, Department of History: Guggenheim Fellowship (2021)
Tim Stinson, associate professor, Department of English: National Humanities Center Fellow (2021)
Dali Sun, assistant professor, Department of Physics: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Wenyuan Tang, assistant professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2022)
Mary Watzin, professor emerita, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Ruozhou Yu, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2021)

2022 marks the eleventh year of the Celebration of Faculty Excellence. In recognition of all honored faculty, the university lit the Memorial Belltower red for the night on May 4.