The end of the academic year brought announcements of three prestigious awards for Eckerd faculty.
Two awards were presented during Commencement on Sunday, May 17: The Robert A. Staub Distinguished Teacher Award, to Professor of Psychology Lauren E. Highfill; and the John Satterfield Outstanding Mentor Award, to Professor of Psychology Jeff Howard.
The Lloyd W. Chapin Award for Excellence in Scholarship and the Arts was presented during the Celebration of Scholarship reception on Friday, May 15, to Professor of Marine Science and Chemistry David Hastings.
The Staub Award emphasizes the primary importance of teaching in the College, recognizes teaching excellence in an individual faculty member and encourages the pursuit of teaching excellence by the faculty as a whole.
Highfill was honored for, among other things, “making the study of psychology exciting” and for “developing innovative classroom activities to develop students’ understanding of the integration of biology and psychology in the field of biopsychology.” Read the citation.
The Satterfield Award honors the special and vital role of the mentor in a student’s life at Eckerd. Howard was honored for, among other things, “being everything a mentor should be and more—caring, helpful, invested, informative, approachable, professional, thoughtful, friendly, and encouraging.” Read the citation.
The Chapin award honors individual faculty members whose scholarship or creative art have made a significant contribution to the field in which they work. Hastings was honored for, among other things, his research of the aftermath of the BP oil disaster, his public advocacy of issues related to climate change and “for bringing to your scientific study of our world’s difficult challenges a generous spirit of collaboration, a cheerfully optimistic belief in the human capacity for learning and changing, and a passion that inspires those around you.” Read the citation.