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Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education recently honored several faculty and staff members with the college’s Teaching Excellence Awards.

Each spring, representatives are selected from academic units within each of SFA’s six colleges to receive Teaching Excellence Awards. Then, each college selects one academic unit faculty member to represent his/her college at the university’s annual Teaching Excellence Convocation.

The Teaching Excellence Award recognizes outstanding tenure-track faculty members who demonstrate extensive knowledge of subject matter, quality lectures and assignments, enthusiasm for teaching, interest in and availability to students, commitment to continuous improvement and contribution to the quality of teaching at SFA by assisting and encouraging other faculty members.

Honorees in the James I. Perkins College of Education include Dr. Leah Kahn, assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education; Dr. Paige Mask, associate professor in the Department of Human Services; Dr. Mary Olle, assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences; and Dr. Christina Sinclair, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science and interim associate dean for assessment and accountability within the college. Among the honorees, Sinclair was selected to represent the Perkins College of Education at the university’s Teaching Excellence Convocation, which will be held in April.

“I’m honored to receive this award and accept on behalf of all the incredible teachers, coaches and professors I have known and currently work with here at SFA,” Sinclair said. “At SFA, commitment to students is not the exception; it is the norm.”

The college also recognized Teaching Excellence Award recipients for non-tenure track faculty members. Those honorees include Patty Berthot, lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science; Deborah Cady, clinical instructor in the Department of Human Services; Erica Dillard, lecturer in the Department of Elementary Education; and Sarah Drake, clinical instructor in the School of Human Sciences.

Stephen F. Austin State University was recognized recently by two organizations — Educational Advertising Awards and Collegiate Advertising Awards — for the quality of marketing materials produced on behalf of the university. The honors included gold, silver, bronze and merit awards in 12 categories for work created by SFA’s offices of University Marketing Communications and Admissions, as well as the Houston-based Richards/Carlberg agency.

A recruiting booklet titled, “You’re Going to Be a Lumberjack!” created by the marketing office and the admissions office received an Educational Advertising gold award. The SFA viewbook, a companion piece to the booklet, was recognized with a merit award.

Additionally, Educational Advertising presented UMC with three merit awards for a residence life brochure, a cheer guide booklet, and a graduate degree program brochure for the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

The Richards/Carlberg agency won a gold award for the university’s website, a bronze for the “Lumberjacks Make Great Chemists” billboard and a merit award for “We are the Lumberjacks,” a video featured on the homepage of the SFA website.

The Collegiate Advertising Awards presented UMC with a silver award for a video showcasing the university’s first-year student residence halls, as well as a silver award for the SFA Varsity Club brochure.

The Richards/Carlberg agency also received two Collegiate Advertising Awards: a silver for billboard series and a silver for internet advertising series.

“The awards programs are judged by a national panel of higher education marketers and advertising professionals,” said Dr. Shirley Luna, SFA executive director of University Marketing Communications. “Receiving these awards validates that the marketing and advertising materials created for SFA are among the best in the country.”

The 32nd annual Educational Advertising Awards, sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report, received more than 2,250 entries this year from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries.

The Collegiate Advertising Awards received more than 900 entries from across the U.S. representing a diverse plethora of educational facilities from small community colleges to large schools and universities.

SFA employees who contributed to the projects included Donna Parish, UMC assistant director for creative services; Jason Johnstone, UMC assistant director for web services; Hardy Meredith, photographic services; Bill Cox, Robin Johnson and Jocelyn Stephens, graphic design; Christine Broussard, marketing communications specialist; and Trey Cartwright, senior media producer.

Agency principals Chuck and Gayl Carlberg led the work produced by the Richards/Carlberg agency team members Michelle McLeod, Nick Munoz and Josh Powers.

“A wide range of categories cover virtually all possible entries from branding, social media, recruiting and fundraising to multimedia campaigns, educational fairs and blogs,” Luna said. “The awards competitions recognize the best of the best. I’m very proud that SFA’s entries were recognized from among the more than 3,000 received.”