This award is given annually to honor a chair/director who epitomizes the highest levels of excellence in pursuit of the unit’s mission and strategic goals. Winners are announced at the annual Academic Achievement Awards Ceremony in the spring. The award is administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs.
2024 Recipient
Joseph Morgan
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education
College of Education
Dr. Morgan is being recognized for his strong leadership skills, effective administration, outstanding interpersonal communication, and collegiality. He has contributed to a positive trajectory of department metrics that include a focus on increasing enrollments, improving completion rates, and supporting access to higher education through innovative educator preparation programs. “The word ‘outstanding’ perfectly describes Dr. Morgan’s accomplishments and work as a department chair,” said his nominator.
Past Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rajiv Kishore | Department of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MET) |
| 2022 | Sajjad Ahmad | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction |
| 2021 | Zhijian Wu | Department of Mathematical Sciences |
| 2020 | Chris Kearney | Department of Psychology |
| 2019 | Robert Futrell | Department of Sociology |
| 2018 | Barbara Roth | Department of Anthropology |
| 2017 | Merrill Landers | Department of Physical Therapy |
| 2016 | Paulette Tandy | Department of Accounting |
| 2015 | Joel Lieberman | Department of Criminal Justice |
| 2014 | Gillian Galbraith | Department of Biomedical Studies |
| 2013 | John Tuman | Department of Political Science |