Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences honored nine faculty members for accomplishments in teaching and research while adding a new service category to its annual spring awards.

For faculty who have demonstrated exemplary institutional service, the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Service Award was created this year to recognize meritorious service contributions that fulfilled the core vision of the college. The inaugural award was presented to Cheryl Chambers, an instructor in the Department of Communication, for her contributions to her department, college and the university.

Created in 2014 in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert E. Wolverton, an MSU professor of classics for more than four decades, the Wolverton Legacy Award recognizes faculty, staff and friends who have made long-term contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences and have advocated the ideals of liberal arts education. 2024 Robert E. Wolverton Legacy Award winners include:

—Mohsen Razzaghi, professor and head, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

—Mary Celeste Reese, director, Health Professions Resource Center

Given to faculty whose work contributes significantly to increasing awareness of the university’s research programs and capabilities, recipients of annual Research Awards include:

—Scott DiGiulio, associate professor, Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Humanities Award

—Hilary DeShong, assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Social and Behavioral Sciences Award

—Shrinidhi Ambinakudige, assistant professor, Department of Geosciences, Natural and Physical Sciences Award

For faculty who have demonstrated exemplary performance in and out of the classroom or in leading their department and college in identifying more effective ways to improve overall pedagogy, outstanding teaching service awardees include:

—Tonya Hays, professor, Department of Communication, Humanities Award

—Kristen Campbell, assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Social and Behavioral Sciences Award

—Sean Stokes, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, Natural and Physical Sciences Award

MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,000 students, 325 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs, 14 master’s programs and 27 undergraduate academic majors offered in 14 departments. It also is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences are available at www.cas.msstate.edu.  

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