College of Education and Health Professions Celebrates Outstanding Faculty Award Winners


School award winners, from left, ended up G. David Gearhart, Suzanne Kucharczyk, Michael T. Miller, Jim Maddox, Gema Zamarro, Charlene Johnson Carter and Kara Lasater. Not pictured: Allison Ames Boykin.
Faculty of Schooling and Health and fitness Professions Dean Brian Primack just lately honored 2021-22 remarkable college award winners at an stop-of-12 months celebration function.
Just about every year, the college Faculty Council assessments apps for different awards, targeting important features of professorial lifetime and work. “Every single of these recipients has manufactured fantastic contributions to their fields,” Primack said. “We thank them for their dedication to training, mentoring and investigation.”
Allison Ames Boykin, assistant professor of academic stats and investigation approaches

Rising STAR Award

Given that becoming a member of the Educational Data and Research Solutions Method in 2018, Boykin has created substantial contributions to the measurement and methodological scientific tests discipline. “Dr. Boykin’s scholarly output is not only shown in its quantity but also acclaimed for its substantial high quality,” nominators noted. Boykin was also praised for her grant do the job (unique among the junior college customers), exceptional pupil evaluation scores, and mentorship. She mentored a number of doctoral students who then secured summertime internships or professional careers. Boykin also excels at supervising graduate assistants who present schooling workshops for college students studying statistical software. She oversees the Statistical and Measurement Help Companies method that gives investigate support to the college’s school, learners and personnel.
Charlene Johnson Carter, associate professor of education and learning

School Vocation Award

About her a long time-extensive occupation at the U of A, Carter has demonstrated leadership as an administrator, trainer, researcher, and mentor that has been essential to the success of numerous college students and faculty, nominators stated. “She worries all of us to be superior teachers, learners, and researchers. She has labored tirelessly to greatly enhance awareness of how society influences instructing and instructional procedures and procedures,” a person mentioned. Another cited her commitment to range, equity and inclusion, noting that “it is not a buzzword, phenomenon, nor new initiative for her it is a substantial lens of exploration and educating that permeates each and every element of her academic lifestyle. She has published, offered, and taught extensively about race, tradition, and marginalization. Most importantly, her prowess to elevate and give voice to the encounters of marginalized communities empowers others to do furthermore.” Carter earned praise as an active scholar and devoted instructor educator who promotes pupil results.
G. David Gearhart, chancellor emeritus and professor of increased instruction

School Career Award

Gearhart, who has a longstanding history of superb provider, has been a tenured professor in the faculty considering that 1997. He was appointed U of A chancellor in 2008 and served in that purpose till 2015. He then joined the college’s Better Instruction System. As a faculty member, he designed 3 new classes and accomplished large composite university student scores across all his programs. In 2019, Gearhart obtained an Exceptional School Award from the Involved Scholar Governing administration and an Outstanding Trainer Award from the Division of Rehabilitation, Human Means, and Interaction Issues. Gearhart has posted 24 refereed articles or blog posts and 4 publications and completed 9 convention presentations.
Suzanne Kucharczyk, associate professor of special education

Denny STAR Award

In addition to teaching, Kucharczyk serves as software coordinator for Inclusive Educational and Medical Applications in the Office of Curriculum & Instruction. She also serves as chair of the department’s Variety, Fairness, and Inclusion Committee. Nominators lauded Kucharczyk’s mentorship, exploration and progressive teaching techniques. She was awarded a Wally Cordes Teaching and College Assistance Center grant in 2021 to produce new systems for online fieldwork instruction. She is the principal investigator on 3 grants from the U.S. Division of Training and has posted 7 refereed manuscripts this 12 months. Kucharczyk was awarded the Tom E. Smith Early Job Award by the Council for Extraordinary Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities in 2021.
Kara Lasater, assistant professor of educational leadership

Climbing Star Award

Lasater is the advisor for the Educational Leadership Program’s Ed.D. college students until finally they choose a committee chair. She serves on the department’s Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion group and prospects its operate in framing investigate by way of established shared values and rules. Nominators noted that Lasater’s training analysis scores are consistently bigger than the U of A ordinary. Pupils consistently commented on the excellent of feedback and accessibility, they reported. At the countrywide stage, Lasater is a chief in the American Educational Exploration Association’s specific desire team on Knowledge-Pushed Determination Making in Education and learning. She also has a potent publication file. “It is exceptional for a junior professor to have these an effect on support at both equally the nearby and countrywide degrees,” one nominator mentioned. Lasater’s exploration has appeared in Academic Administration Quarterly, a top journal in the industry. She has also printed 20 peer-reviewed articles and 4 book chapters as the direct or sole writer for 15 of those people publications.
Jim Maddox, educating assistant professor of human source and workforce progress

Outstanding Educating and Mentoring Award

Nominators cited Maddox’s modern teaching techniques, including a weekly podcast, “Chatting About Change with Dr. Jim Maddox.” The podcast functions a vast vary of guest interviews that share strategies that individuals and organizations can use to engage in constructive, transformational change. College students are inspired to go on the discussion with Maddox’s distinguished friends on LinkedIn so finding out can continue beyond the designated assignments. Learners observed that the podcast improves their educational encounter and is a source for them through their occupations. The podcast aligns with Maddox’s instructing philosophy, which states, in element, “pupils discover best when they see utility and software of the supplies.”
Michael T. Miller, professor of better instruction

Excellent Advising and Mentoring Award

Miller suggested 21 doctoral and 15 master’s students and chaired seven effective dissertations in 2021. His learners describe him as assisting them turn into the ideal attainable variation of by themselves. 1 stated when the worldwide pandemic led lots of college students to experience overwhelmed and anxious, Miller challenged his advisees to “accomplish additional than they at any time believed feasible when creating room for each and every student to be human.”
Gema Zamarro, professor of economics and instruction reform, Endowed Chair in Instructor Excellent

Considerable Research Award

Nominators mentioned that Zamarro has emerged as a person of the nation’s major scientists about the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly its impacts on teacher labor marketplaces, academic alternatives for family members, and gender distinctions in get the job done existence, house life, and psychological wellbeing. Her scholarship has been posted in first-tier academic journals this kind of as Educational Researcher and featured in notable media outlets such as Scientific American, The New York Instances, and The Washington Write-up. Zamarro’s exploration carries on to be cited as students examine the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the School of Education and learning and Well being Professions: The College or university of Instruction and Health Professions provides superior tutorial degrees as very well as professional progress opportunities and discovering communities in support to the education and health and fitness systems of Arkansas and past. The faculty offers the training and ordeals for a selection of specialist roles, ranging from community mental overall health counselors to school instructors and leaders. Courses in grownup and larger instruction, alongside with instructional technological know-how and activity management, provide a broad array of solutions. In addition to education and learning-similar chances, the school prepares nurses, speech-language pathologists, well being educators and administrators, recreation pros, rehabilitation counselors and human efficiency scientists.