For more information, contact Michelle Williams at (919) 843-5365

April 13, 2004

UNC Board of Governors Presents University-wide Awards for Teaching Excellence

CHAPEL HILL – The Board of Governors of the 16-campus University of North Carolina has selected some of its most outstanding faculty to receive the tenth annual Awards for Excellence in Teaching. During a recognition luncheon to be held in conjunction with the Board’s May meeting, a faculty member from each UNC campus will receive a commemorative bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize.

The 16 recipients, representing an array of academic disciplines, were nominated by special committees on their home campuses and selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Personnel and Tenure, chaired by John W. Davis III of Winston-Salem. The awards will be presented by UNC President Molly Corbett Broad and Board of Governors Chairman J. Bradley Wilson of Cary.

Winners include Barbara Yale-Read, professor of art, Appalachian State University; Michael J. Spurr, associate professor of mathematics, East Carolina University; Samuel C. Moore, professor of language, literature, and communication, Elizabeth City State University; Marvin V. Curtis, professor of music, Fayetteville State University; Patricia Shelton, associate professor of nursing, NC A&T State University; Harvey L. McMurray, Sr., associate professor of criminal justice, NC Central University; Henry R. Grillo, assistant dean of design and production, NC School of the Arts; and Robert P. Patterson, professor of crop science, NC State University.

Other winners are Michael J. Ruiz, professor of physics, UNC Asheville; Gary M. Armstrong, professor of marketing, UNC-Chapel Hill; Tyrel G. Moore, associate professor of geography, UNC Charlotte; Kelly J. Burke, professor of music, UNC Greensboro; Patricia D. Valenti, professor of English, UNC Pembroke; W. Frank Ainsley, professor of geography, UNC Wilmington; Mary Catherine Fenton, associate professor of English, Western Carolina University; and Himanshu Gopalan, associate professor of therapeutic recreation, Winston-Salem State University.

Established by the Board of Governors in April 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the University, the awards are given annually to a tenured faculty member from each UNC campus. Winners must have taught at their present institutions at least seven years. No one may receive the award more than once.

Yale-Read is an expert in hand design, but has also incorporated computer-based design techniques into her classes, even developing an 80-page website as a student resource. She has supervised numerous student interns and teaching assistants and led student trips to New York and Switzerland. An accomplished professional designer, Yale-Read has had works included in national and international juried exhibition and publications. At ASU since 1986, Professor Yale-Read’s contributions to her students were recognized with the Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

Spurr has been a leader in curriculum development in his department, including introducing instructional technology. He has developed a computer-enhanced calculus curriculum, supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation for hardware and software for the math department computer lab. Overall, he has brought in more than $146,000 in grant support from both NSF and the ECU Student Technology Program. At ECU since 1989, Spurr has been recognized with the math department’s teaching award, the Alumni Teaching Award, and the campus-based Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching award.

An Elizabeth City native, Moore returned to ECSU in 1984 to teach children’s and adolescent literature and world literature. He also advises and supervises student interns in the local schools. He has served as a program reviewer for the National Council of Teachers of English in several states and on the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education standards committee. Moore currently serves as chair of the English department’s Curriculum Committee and also chairs the Faculty Senate.

In addition to his role as director of the University Choir, Curtis also chairs the Fayetteville State fine arts department. Under his leadership, the University Choir has toured in Europe and in Vancouver, British Columbia, where they performed Curtis’ composition The City on the Hill. This year, they will perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Curtis’ other responsibilities at FSU include coordinating the Lyceum/Fine Arts Concert Series, and directing both the annual opera production and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Concert. He also planned and developed a new degree program in general music. He has been named Teacher of the Year by the College of Arts and Sciences and the university and has received a number of awards for outstanding service to Fayetteville State.

A NC A&T graduate, Shelton began her teaching career there in 1978. She currently serves on the board of A&T’s Academy of Teaching and Learning, where she is able to contribute to faculty development efforts across the campus. She led the effort to establish a chapter of the nursing international honorary society at A&T, the first for a southeastern African American university, and serves on the University Honors Council. Her numerous awards include the N.C. Nursing Great 100 Award for Nursing Excellence, the Thelma Vines Award from the Sigma Chi Theta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., and the Governor’s Doctoral Study Assignment Award.

Since coming to NC Central in 1987, McMurray has developed several research methods courses for undergraduates and graduates in the Criminal Justice program as well as established the University Undergraduate Research Program. In addition, he serves as executive director for the NCCU Center for Domestic and International Criminal Justice Research and Policy. McMurray was selected to serve as Fulbright Senior Scholar at Makerere University in Uganda and has also worked with several Caribbean countries. He was invited to serve as a delegate and observer at the United National African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI) in Ethiopia in 2003 and coordinated the signing of a memorandum of understanding for collaboration between UNAFRI and NCCU.

At NC School of the Arts since 1983, Grillo directs the Technical Training Program and teaches a variety of design and production courses, many of which he developed. He developed and taught the first CAD class and first 3D CAD class at NCSA, as well as a sequence of three math courses for technical students. He also participated in the development of the school’s wig and makeup program, sound design program, and film design program. Grillo continues his professional endeavors, working in technical, lighting, and sound design for productions by groups including the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, the North Carolina Black Repertory, and the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem. He also advises the student chapter of the U. S. Institute for Theatre Technology.

In addition to crop science and biology courses, Patterson also teaches in the multidisciplinary studies and Master of Liberal Studies programs. His international experiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Peru, Poland, Moldova, and many other countries provide a broad spectrum of illustrations of the problems his courses address. At NC State since 1968, the campus has recognized Patterson’s teaching accomplishments by inducting him into the Academy of Outstanding Teachers. He also has won professional awards from associations including the Agronomic Resident Education Award, the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit, and the USDA National Award for Excellence in College Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences.

While Ruiz’s career has focused on teaching and research within the discipline of physics, he also has spent much of his time developing courses and programs outside traditional physics. He co-founded the institution’s nationally recognized Undergraduate Research Program, which led to his co-founding a National Conference on Undergraduate Research to highlight the collaborative research of undergraduates and faculty across the country. Ruiz has pioneered the use of computer-based multimedia resources for his classes. His website includes not only supplemental materials and quizzes, but also videotapes of scientific demonstrations to illustrate what students are studying. His use of streaming video on the Internet attracted the attention of CNN, which featured Ruiz in one of its top stories on science and technology in 2002. At UNC Asheville since 1978, Ruiz has received UNCA’s Distinguished Teacher Award.

Armstrong has twice served as the Associate Director of the BSBA program in the Kenan Flagler Business School and has won numerous awards for undergraduate teaching, including UNC-Chapel Hill’s Nicolas Salgo Award for Excellence in Inspirational Teaching of Undergraduate Students, the Kenan-Flagler Business School Teaching All-Star award, and the Kenan-Flagler Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Undergraduate Program. At UNC-Chapel Hill since 1973, Armstrong was named the Crist W. Blackwell Distinguished Professor of Undergraduate Education in 1996 and has twice been a finalist for the campus-wide Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement for teaching, learning, and mentoring beyond the classroom.

At UNC Charlotte since 1982, Moore is the coordinator for the master’s program in geography and teaches a wide variety of courses ranging from small town planning and development to world regional geography. He is active in strengthening geography in the public schools, directing summer institutes for teachers sponsored by the North Carolina Geographic Alliance and assisting with workshops and projects for students and teachers throughout the region. Moore has received the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, the highest award for teaching at UNC Charlotte. He has also been recognized with an Outstanding Service Award from the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers and a Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council for Geographic Education.

An accomplished musician who has performed internationally and across the United States, Burke is the principal clarinetist with the Greensboro Symphony and also has recorded several solo performances. To offer more opportunities for her students to learn from her and their peers, she implemented an open door policy for all lessons: any student may attend the lesson of any other student, a practice adopted by the entire woodwind faculty. At UNCG since 1989, she has been honored with the Outstanding Teacher Award by the School of Music and the Alumni Teaching Excellence Award from the university.

An important element of Valenti’s professional activities is assisting in the development of other teachers and faculty members. She successfully applied for a National Endowment for the Humanities Focus Grant to work with area teachers to develop techniques for effectively teaching The Scarlet Letter. An active scholar, Valenti received a year-long research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities to work on a two-volume biography of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, wife of Nathanial Hawthorne. At UNCP since 1984, Valenti has received its Outstanding Teacher Award and several faculty development grants. She also has served as a visiting professor at both the Air Force Academy and West Point Military Academy.

Since coming to UNC Wilmington in 1973, Ainsley has played a major role in the development of the geography program, helping to develop new courses and the geography major, as well as working with honors students, graduate students, and regional public school teachers. He also has taught at the University of the West Indies’ campus in Barbados and led UNCW’s residential study seminar for honors students at Swansea, Wales. Ainsley has contributed significantly to geographic education in the public schools, organizing and teaching several Summer Institutes for teachers sponsored by the North Carolina Geographic Alliance and presenting workshops for the North Carolina Social Studies Conference and a number of school districts. In 2003, the North Carolina Geographic Society named him its Educator of the Year.

In addition to her English courses, Fenton has also developed a freshman seminar in which students explore an increasingly wider world, from the WCU campus to the western North Carolina region, including hiking trips and white water rafting. She has also introduced WCU students to international experiences, serving as a chaperone for the University Teaching Fellows on a trip to England and Ireland. A course on the Italian Renaissance that she developed with an art historian culminates in a 10-day trip to Italy and Greece. At WCU since 1992, Fenton’s contributions have been recognized by the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award, and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring, given by the WCU Graduate School.

At WSSU since 1995, Gopalan is coordinator of the therapeutic recreation program and has been active in revising and developing curriculum to meet the professional accreditation standards of the National Recreation and Park Association. He also has developed several distance-learning courses in environmental education for WSSU students that are also available to other students and teachers across the state. He currently is developing a minor/certificate program in environmental education. His courses include active participation and experiential learning opportunities such as group projects, presentations, panel discussions, and outdoor activities. His courses also emphasize environmental literacy and ethics.

The oldest public university in America, the University of North Carolina today encompasses all 16 of North Carolina’s public institutions that grant baccalaureate degrees and enrolls more than 183,000 students. UNC campuses support a broad array of distinguished liberal-arts programs, two medical schools and one teaching hospital, two law schools, a veterinary school, a school of pharmacy, ten nursing programs, 15 schools of education, three schools of engineering, and a specialized school for performing artists. Also under the University umbrella are the UNC Center for Public Television with its 11-station statewide broadcast network, and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation’s first public residential high school for gifted students.

###