UNO Recognizes Outstanding Faculty

Our educators' passion and dedication makes a difference in the classroom every day.

On Thursday, April 13, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) celebrated the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding faculty at the Faculty Honors Convocation, a key Honors Month event at UNO.

Faculty Honors Convocation recognizes faculty who work to make UNO a unique place for Mavericks to learn and thrive.

Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards

The UNO Alumni Association kicked off the ceremony, presenting Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards to nine faculty members from each of UNO’s six colleges. This is the 21st year of the Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards.

Meet the 2017 Outstanding Teaching Award recipients.

Recognized by Peers

Next, four awardees who had been nominated and selected by their peers were recognized.

Excellence In Teaching Award – Tammie M. Kennedy

Each year, the Excellence in Teaching Award is presented to a faculty member whose extraordinary performance in the classroom is exemplified by their ability to educate and motivate students.

Awardee Tammie M. Kennedy, Ph.D., is an associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. Kennedy joined the UNO faculty in 2009. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in rhetoric and film, memory studies, creative nonfiction, and writing theory and pedagogy.

“My passion is teaching, so everything I do, including my research, connects with my teaching,” Kennedy said.

“I’m a first generation college student, so there are a lot of the students at UNO who I have that affinity with. I feel like I can give back to the students here. I’m really honored. I can’t even say how much this means to me.”

Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award – Dhundy Bastola

The Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award recognizes a faculty member for their tremendous dedication to graduate students' success, through individual attention and encouragement.

Awardee Dhundy Bastola, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Bioinformatics in the College of Information Science & Technology. His research interests include gene regulation, public health, metabolism, and mitochondria biology.

“I am a biologist by training, but I feel my comfort is interacting with students,” Bastola said.

“The most rewarding thing for me in dealing with graduate students is when they go to their jobs, they come back. They see what that one-on-one time meant.”

Distinguished Research or Creative Activity Award – Raj Dasgupta

The Distinguished Research or Creative Activity Award is UNO's top research award, recognizing the excellence and impact of a faculty member's research or creative activity endeavors.

Awardee Raj Dasgupta, Ph.D., is the Mutual of Omaha endowed professor in the Department of Computer Science in the College of Information Science & Technology. He founded the CMANTIC Robotics Lab at UNO, which conducts research in multi-robot/multi-agent systems for defense- and space-related applications. His research interests include intelligent physical systems and applications of game theory to robots.

“What I have achieved now, I could not have done without my team (of students and faculty),” Dasgupta said.

“I would also like to thank Dean Hesham Ali. Although it is an award that I have received, it is essentially a team effort.”

Outstanding Service Learning Faculty Award – Mitzi J. Ritzman

The Outstanding Service Learning Faculty Award goes to a faculty member who has lived out UNO's mission of service learning, community service, and civic engagement.

Awardee Mitzi J. Ritzman is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in the College of Education. She is the co-director of a peer-meditated program for young adults on the autism spectrum. Her philosophy of teaching is grounded in critical thinking, dialogue, and strengthening students’ sense of personal responsibility.

“Honestly I can’t imagine teaching without service learning,” said Ritzman.

“Paul Sather, the director of the Service Learning Academy, has been absolutely instrumental in bringing service learning to campus. In addition, Julie Dierberger, the P-16 project coordinator, has been an instrumental part of my experience.”

Outstanding Professorships

The event also included recognition of faculty whose professorships were awarded or renewed in 2016-2017. Funded by generous individuals and organizations, professorships facilitate research, support specific educational endeavors, provide emphasis on critical content, and enhance efforts to recruit and retain exceptional faculty.

Honorees include:

Jack Armitage, Accounting

-Distinguished Alumni Professorship of Accounting

Christine Beard, Music

-Regents/Foundation Professorship

William Blizek, Philosophy

-Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professorship

David Carter, Counseling

-Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professorship

Mark Celinscak, History

-Louis and Francis Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Carol Ebdon, Public Administration

-Regents/Foundation Professorship

Angela Eikenberry, Public Administration

-David Scott Diamond Professorship

Neal Grandgenett, Teacher Education

-Dr. George and Sally Haddix Community Chair in STEM Education

David Helm, Art and Art History

-Edwin Clark Diamond Professorship

Lyn Holley, Gerontology

-Dr. Chuck Powell Memorial Professorship

Charles Johanningsmeier, English

-Ralph Wardle Diamond Professorship

Bruce Johansen, Communication

-Kayser Chair

Lisa Kelly-Vance, Psychology

-Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professorship

Jeremy Lipschultz, Communication

-Isaacson Professorship

Julie Masters, Gerontology

-Terry Haney Chair of Gerontology

Wai-Ning Mei, Physics

-Milo Bail Chair in Physics

Elliott Ostler, Educational Leadership

-Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professorship

Wei Rowe, Finance, Banking and Real Estate

-Nebraska Bankers Association Professorship

Lisa Sample, Criminology and Criminal Justice

-Elizabeth H. Reynolds and Beverly B. Reynolds Professor of Public Affairs and Community Service

Yong Shi, Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis

-Isaacson Professorship

Mark Wohar, Economics

-College of Business Administration Distinguished Professorship

Peter Wolcott, Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis

-Mutual of Omaha Distinguished Chair of Information Science and Technology

Qiuming Zhu, Computer Science

-Union Pacific Chair of Information Science and Technology

Thank you to all of our dedicated and caring faculty! Your passion for education makes a difference in our students' lives.