Media Contact:
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-3470

May 17, 2006

NC State Alumni Association Honors Faculty With Prestigious Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

During the past 35 years, the North Carolina State University Alumni Association has developed one of the most prestigious programs in the country to honor excellence in teaching, research, extension and outreach. This year, the Alumni Association honors 18 faculty members in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the university with awards totaling $70,000.

The cornerstone of this program, the Alumni Distinguished Professorship, honors the “best of the best” in undergraduate and graduate instruction. Eight faculty members out of about 1,700 receive the distinction this year; the award includes a $3,000 stipend for two years and a door plaque.

Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professors must have at least seven years of teaching experience at NC State and have been previously inducted into NC State’s Academy of
Outstanding Teachers. Each college can nominate two candidates for this award. Alumni
Distinguished Graduate Professors are nominated by their colleges and are selected by a
Graduate School committee. These awards recognize professors who provide outstanding service in teaching graduate courses and in supervising the thesis and/or dissertation research of graduate students. Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate and Graduate Professors retain their titles throughout their careers at NC State. Including this year’s recipients, 168 NC State professors have been honored as Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professors and 45 have been deemed Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professors.

The 2006 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professors are

• Dr. Moody Chu, Department of Mathematics, College of Physical and Mathematical
  Sciences;
• Dr. Shannon Davis, Department of Business Management, College of Management;
• Dr. William Grant, Department of Zoology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Dr. William Kimler, Department of History, College of Humanities and Social Sciences;
• Dr. Bryan Laffitte, Department of Industrial Design, College of Design; and
• Dr. Arnold Oltmans, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The 2006 Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professors are

• Dr. Frank Blazich, Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and
• Dr. Saad Khan, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of
  Engineering.

The Alumni Outstanding Research Awards were first presented in 1981. These awards provide a one-time stipend of $3,000. Faculty who make significant advances in their field of study or research are eligible for this award. This year’s recipients are

• Dr. Vincent Chiang, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources;
• Dr. Allen Foegeding, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life
  Sciences; and
• Dr. Mary Schweitzer, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

The Alumni Outstanding Outreach and Extension Awards, established in 1978, provide a one-time stipend of $3,000. Extension agents and specialists who make an outstanding effort to bring research and technology to the people and businesses of North Carolina are eligible. The 2006 recipients are

• Dr. Leila Gonazlez-Sullivan, Department of Adult and Higher Education, College of Education;
• Dr. Gerald Holmes, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Life
  Sciences; and
• Roberto Nunez, senior construction extension specialist, College of Engineering.

Four faculty are chosen from among the winners of Outstanding Teacher Awards to receive a one-year, $1,000 award. They are

• Dr. Jill Barnes, Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary
  Medicine;
• Dr. Brian Farkas, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Dr. Douglas Jesseph, Department of Philosophy and Religion, College of Humanities
  and Social Sciences; and
• Dr. Jeff Joines, Department of Textile Engineering, College of Textiles.

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