USI faculty recognized at annual University Fall Meeting

During its annual University Fall Meeting on Tuesday, August 13, the University of Southern Indiana recognized the following faculty members as award recipients:

Distinguished Professor Award

Dr. Tamara Hunt (left), Professor of History, was named the 2024 Distinguished Professor Award recipient. Hunt began her time at USI in 2003, serving as the History Department Chair from 2003-12. Along with teaching courses in British and European history, world history and historiography (the history of writing history), Hunt is recognized for her dedication to her students. In recent years she has developed graduate and undergraduate courses on history topics that enable students to learn history and historiography with untraditional topics. She has also been a champion of USI’s online course development and led USI’s assessment initiatives when Core 39 was adopted, facilitating a campus-wide committee to define assessment.

The Distinguished Professor Award was established in 1983 and is USI's highest award given in recognition of significant achievement in teaching, scholarship and service.

H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award

Dr. Bohan Ye (right), Assistant Professor of Economics, is the 2024 H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award recipient. Ye joined the University in 2020 and is recognized for her level of creativity in teaching, her expertise in economics and desire to provide the best learning environment for students as possible.

The H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award was established in 2000 and honors USI faculty members whose work in University Core Courses (UCC) has been especially creative and successful in furthering UCC goals.

Outstanding Teaching Award by Faculty

Dr. Eric Greenwood (left), Associate Professor of Physics, has been awarded the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award by Faculty. Greenwood joined USI in 2014 and is recognized for his commitment to teaching with a high level of quality for all students of physics, working to fill them with an understanding of our physical world. As a teaching colleague, he brings a breadth of capability that few degree programs enjoy.

Outstanding Teaching Award by New Faculty

Dr. Milad Rezvani-Rad (right), Assistant Professor of Engineering, has been awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award by New Faculty. He joined the University in 2021 and has been recognized for going above and beyond the standard of teaching for students but also showing kindness and respect while inspiring those in his classes.

Outstanding Teaching Award by Adjunct Faculty

Aaron Pryor (left), Adjunct Instructor in Social Work and the Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, is the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award by Adjunct Faculty. A member of the USI staff since 2014 and a USI alum, Pryor was recognized for being a beacon of support and inspiration for his students, fostering an open and inclusive classroom environment where every question is met with enthusiasm and every student’s perspective is valued.

M. Edward Jones Engagement Award

USI Outreach and Engagement has awarded the 2024 M. Edward Jones Engagement Award to Dr. Jill Raisor (right), Professor of Education, in the Teacher Education Department in the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education.

Raisor joined USI faculty full-time in 2010 and has served as a Children's Learning Center Liaison and Coordinator, Chair of Teacher Education and currently as Professor of Education. She has demonstrated her commitment to lifelong learning through her work with undergraduate students to develop curriculum packages for several local businesses and her leadership roles in nine different community organizations.

The M. Edward Jones Engagement Award recognizes USI employees (current and retired), students, alumni, board members, and trustees who inspire others to engage, have made a positive impact in the USI community and the region and demonstrate tireless service and dedication to lifelong learning in fulfilling the outreach mission of USI.