UW News

April 4, 2012

Recipients announced: UW recognizes outstanding contributions to learning, service

News and Information

The award winners will be honored during the annual Awards of Excellence event, scheduled for 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, in Meany Hall, with a reception to follow in the foyer. The ceremony is free and open to the public. UW Today will publish a special wrap-up of the awards ceremony shortly after the event.

Seven faculty will receive the Distinguished Teaching Award, given to individuals who show “a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor and a passion for teaching.” This year’s winners are Dr. Hugh Foy, surgery; Sarah Elwood-Faustino, geography; Maria Elena Garcia, comparative history of ideas; Jeff Berman, civil and environmental engineering; Andrew Loveless, mathematics; Leslie Ashbaugh, interdisciplinary arts and sciences (Bothell); and Christine Stevens, nursing (Tacoma).

Two graduate teaching assistants – Michael Bowman, educational leadership and policy studies, and, Jeffry Klika, social work — will receive the Excellence in Teaching Award for demonstrating outstanding skills in the classroom.

Peter May, political science, will receive the Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, recognizing faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of graduate students.

Four individual staff members and one team of five will receive Distinguished Staff Awards. The winners are Deborah Harper, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology; Julie Valley, radiation oncology; Billy Colburn, psychiatry; Freddie Tapuro, campus engineering and operations; and the team of Karin Huster, Patricia McElveny, Jodie Prescott, Jo Ann Rodgers and Holly Broadbent-Horvat, trauma surgical intensive care unit. These awards are given to staff who “contribute to the mission of their unit or the University, respond creatively to challenges, maintain the highest standards in their work, establish productive working relationships and promote a respectful and supportive workplace.”

Jacqueline McMurtrie, law, is the winner of the Outstanding Public Service Award, which is presented to a faculty or staff member to honor extensive local and/or national and international service. Also being honored for service is Gillian Harkins, English, who will receive the S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award. The award is given to a faculty member demonstrating exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including service learning, public service internships and community partnership projects.

Mamidala Ramulu, engineering, is the winner of the Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award, which is given to faculty who have taught for at least two years in non-degree programs sponsored by the UW and aimed at adults for professional development, personal interest or career redirection.

Tim Jewell, University Libraries, is this years Distinguished Librarian. The award recognizes excellence in librarianship, especially as it benefits the academic community through teaching, research, learning and innovative approaches to practice.

Dr. Alex Cahana, anesthesiology and pain medicine, is the recipient of the David B. Thorud Leadership Award for faculty. Joyce Yen, engineering, is the recipient of the Thorud Leadership Award for staff. The awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire and collaborate with broad impact.

This year, for the first time, the university and the UW Retirement Association are presenting the Distinguished Retiree Excellence in Community Service Award. The first recipient is Nancy Amidei, who retired from her appointment in social work in 2008.

Steven Holl, architect and watercolorist, is the winner of this year’s Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus, an award given for a lifetime record of achievement. It is the highest honor that the UW can bestow on a graduate. Holl holds a bachelors degree in architecture from the UW. He has taught at Columbia University since 1981.

Frazer Cook, a volunteer for the UW Alumni Association, is being honored with the Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. The award is given to individuals who make outstanding efforts on behalf of the association.

The university faculty lecturer and presidents medalists will be announced later this spring.