Saluting Scholarly Excellence

The inaugural Provost's Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching and for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors were announced on May 26. Following is the full text of Provost Isiaah Crawford's announcement.   

Dear Seattle University Community:

I am pleased to announce the recipients of two new awards that recognize outstanding contributions of faculty.

Dr. Henry Louie, in the College of Science and Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is the first to be honored with the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, in the College of Arts and Sciences Departments of Modern Languages and Women and Gender Studies, is the first recipient of the Provost's Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors. 

Dr. Louie involves students in his teaching and research on how social enterprises can provide electricity to the energy impoverished in sub-Saharan Africa through small-scale utilities. He instills in students a sense of compassion and duty that is exhibited through their active service to humanity. Dr. Gutiérrez y Muhs is considered an innovative intellectual, literary critic and poet known for her work on identity and intersectionality, the study of intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. She further reformulates scholarship and community through her prolific writing and presentations. 

The Provost's Awards recognize full-time faculty who have been members of the SU faculty for at least three years. Among the teaching excellence award criteria are the quality of course design, student relations, learning assessment effectiveness and creativity, innovation and impact of teaching. For excellence in research, scholarship and creative endeavor, the award criteria include both quantitative (such as books, journal articles, exhibits, performances) and qualitative (evidence of impact in the field and practice), successful collaborations and connection with the mission.

The two inaugural award recipients will be recognized at the undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 14 at KeyArena, and at the Provost's Convocation in the fall. They also will receive honoraria. 

Please join me in thanking the members of the awards committee, chaired by Chemistry Professor Kristy Skogerboe, for their willingness to help further recognize excellence among our faculty and for contributing their time and talent: 

• Brenda Broussard, Ph.D. (College of Nursing)
• Lynn Deeken, M.L.I.S. (Lemieux Library & McGoldrick Learning Commons)
• David Leigh, S.J., Ph.D. (Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences)
• Emily Lieb, Ph.D. (Matteo Ricci College)
• Greg Magnan, Ph.D. (Department of Management, Albers School of Business and Economics)
• Natasha Martin, J.D. (School of Law)
• Kristen Skogerboe, Ph.D. (Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering)
• Heath Spencer, Ph.D. (Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences)
• Mark Taylor, Ph.D. (School of Theology and Ministry)
• Pamela Taylor, Ph.D. (College of Education)

Sincerely,

Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D.
Provost