LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2022) — Eleven university faculty and teaching assistants were recognized by the University of Kentucky with the 2022 Outstanding Teaching Awards on Thursday, April 21, in the J. David Rosenberg College of Law Grand Courtroom.
This annual award program recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.
Each winner received an award certificate, a commemorative engraved gift and a cash award in recognition of their teaching excellence.
The 2022 winners are:
Category 1: Regular and Special Title Series Faculty
Regina Hamilton-Townsend — College of Arts and Sciences (English Department).
Cindy Jong — College of Education.
Nari Senanayake — College of Arts and Sciences (Geography Department).
Melissa Stein — College of Arts and Sciences (Gender and Women's Studies Department).
Category 2: Lecturers and Clinical Title Series Faculty
Whitney Blackburn-Lynch — College of Engineering.
Sarah Cprek — College of Public Health.
Joni Meade — College of Education.
Erica Whitaker — College of Arts and Sciences (Mathematics Department).
Category 3: Graduate TAs and Instructors
Justin Barhite — College of Arts and Sciences (Mathematics Department).
Kelly Grenier — College of Arts and Sciences (Political Science Department).
Emily Naser-Hall — College of Arts and Sciences (English Department).
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.