SKIP TO PAGE CONTENT

Faculty Members Awarded at University Spring Meeting

Jun 03, 2019

CONTACT: Dr. Wade Shaffer, 806-651-2044, wshaffer@wtamu.edu

COPY BY: Brittany Castillo, 806-651-2682, bcastillo@wtamu.edu

 

Faculty Awards Given at University Spring Meeting

CANYON, Texas—Three out of 335 faculty members were recognized at the end of the spring 2019 semester for faculty excellence at West Texas A&M University. Each of the winners also was awarded in their respective colleges as all college winners are considered for the University awards. These awards are in recognition of achievements in professional service, intellectual contributions and instructional responsibilities.

Dr. Carolyn Bouma, associate professor of biology, received the University award for Professional Service. Since 2006, Bouma has contributed to WT by supporting students in roles such as coordinator of the Texas Tech Mentor Program, advisor for the Pre-Healthcare Club, past-chair of the Texas Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, a mentor in the Joint Admission Medical Program, a statewide scholarship program for pre-medicine students, and as an academic adviser. Bouma not only assists students enrolling in courses, but she also supports students through the medical school application process, which amounts to approximately 40 pre-medical students annually.

As chair of the College Health Professions Advisory Committee, she prepared 24 evaluation letters for 17 students applying to graduate schools, scholarships, full-time employment and summer programs in 2019. On average, more than 50 percent of WT students who applied to medical school were accepted, above the 42 percent national average.

Dr. Byron Pearson, professor of history, received the University award for Intellectual Contributions. This year, Pearson will publish two book-length works: his historical monograph titled "Saving Grand Canyon: Dams, Deals, and a Noble Myth," with the University of Nevada Press in October, and an anthology commemorating the centennial of the Grand Canyon National Park with the Journal of Arizona History in December. Pearson served as a guest editor in addition to writing the introduction, headnotes and anchor essay for the latter work. In addition to the anthology article, he has had two other refereed articles accepted for publication this year.

Pearson also planned, moderated and/or spoke at four different events related to the centennial of World War One, planned the fall Remnant Trust event and served as a historical consultant/fact checker for an article published in New Yorker Magazine in 2019.

Dr. Robert King, assistant professor of marketing, received the University award for Instructional Responsibilities. King’s course load provided a diversity of demands each semester ranging from two courses in the fall to six in the spring and varying from stacked courses to cross-listed as well as varying levels both on-campus and online. As one of the more demanding jobs in the college, King is honored for his consistent quality to students. In addition to his colleagues, he’s highly-regarded by his students in favorable evaluations.

King is a sought after academic adviser and the advisor for Alpha Mu Alpha, an honorary society focused on marketing. He co-leads study abroad trips for the Paul Engler College of Business and recently took students to Germany, Switzerland and Austria in summer 2017 and Scandinavia in summer 2019. He and students will go to China in later this summer.  

 

—WTAMU—