This guest article was written by Dr. Judith Quander, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development.

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) held its annual Faculty Awards Ceremony. Hosted by the UHD Faculty Senate, this prestigious event recognized the exceptional contributions of faculty members across various domains.

Attendees gathered to honor the recipients of awards for teaching, service, and scholarship/creative activity. These faculty submit materials and are reviewed by the Faculty Awards Committee, led this year by Dr. Krista Gehring, the Teaching Award winner from Spring 2023. The committee has the difficult job of choosing the winner in each of the three categories. This year’s winners were: Dr. Laura Cerarco Eglin (English) in Scholarship and Creative Activity, Dr. Heather Goltz (Social Work) for Service, and Dr. Godwin Agboka (English) for Teaching.

The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member whose impact transcends the classroom, leaving an indelible legacy on UHD. This year’s winner was Dr. Windy Lawrence, a Professor of Communication Studies, and the founding director of the UHD Center for Public Deliberation (CPD).

The awardees of Funded Faculty Leave awards were honored, as well. These faculty members will have the opportunity to focus their attention on research, writing, or other scholarly activities during their leave, contributing to the advancement of knowledge.

Finally, the faculty members who had dedicated decades of service to UHD were recognized and honored. These included faculty who have served UHD for the past 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years.

Senior Lecturer Promotions

The University of Houston-Downtown acknowledges the essential contributions of our lecturers in fulfilling our mission. These dedicated faculty members significantly demonstrate teaching excellence, contribute to student success, and serve their departments, colleges, and the university through their service and their continued commitment. Senior Lecturer is a designation bestowed on those Lecturers who have demonstrated a pattern of excellence in teaching and serve as leaders in their departments. This year, the following faculty members were promoted to Senior Lecturer:

• Dr. Albert DeJesus (History, Humanities, and Languages)
• Professor Bonnie Blumberg (Mathematics and Statistics)
• Dr. Ha Nguyen (Mathematics and Statistics)
• Dr. Joan Wedes (English)
• Dr. Julie Wilson (Social Sciences)
• Dr. Michael Pettiette (General Business, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management)
• Professor Olga Feliciano (English)
• Professor Priya Jayansankar (General Business, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management)
• Dr. Sylvia Bennett (Finance and Management Information Systems
• Dr. Vaishali Chaubal (Natural Sciences)
• Dr. Claudia Smith (English)