ISSUED: 29 September 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Foundation provided more than $54,000 through endowed faculty excellence funds during the 2019-2020 academic year. These faculty excellence awards spanned 12 recipients in seven departments across campus.
Faculty excellence endowments help further professional development by covering costs such as travel, conference registration fees, and reimbursement for supplies. Additionally, Shepherd University’s two endowed chairs—the Edward L. Snyder Endowed Chair for Business and the Ray and Madeline Johnston American History Chair Endowment—provide funds which enable Shepherd to attract, recognize and retain exceptional scholars and academic leaders.
The 2019-2020 faculty excellence recipients were:
- Cindy Vance, chair, Department of Accounting—Jerry and Carol Kerr Faculty Excellence for Accounting
- Michelle Files, assistant professor of accounting—Jerry and Carol Kerr Faculty Excellence for Accounting
- Yanhong Wang, Lecturer/associate librarian-coordinator of systems—Scarborough Faculty Excellence Fund
- Rhonda Donaldson, lecturer/assistant librarian-electronic resources/collection development librarian—Scarborough Faculty Excellence Fund
- Yu-Hsuan Liao, associate professor of music—Guy Frank Memorial Faculty Enrichment Fund
- Naomi Gades- Annette H. Murphy English Faculty Excellence Fund
- Anthony Schiera, lecturer of English—Annette H. Murphy English Faculty Excellence Fund
- Valerie Stevens, lecturer of English—Annette H. Murphy English Faculty Excellence Fund
- Yildiz Nuredinoski, clinical faculty for English—Annette H. Murphy English Faculty Excellence Fund
- Jennifer Penland, director, School of Education—Create the Future Faculty Excellence Award
- William “Ben” Martz, dean, College of Business—Edward L. Snyder Endowed Chair for Business
- Julia Sandy, associate professor of history—Ray and Madeline Johnston American History Chair Endowment
In addition to the above recipients, Dr. Benjamin Bankhurst was awarded the Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching during the virtual Faculty Awards Ceremony in spring 2020. The $1,000 annual Mentzer Award is given to a full-time professor in recognition for having profound impact on his/her students.
The university’s success in advancing breakthrough research and developing the next generation of leaders depends on recruiting, retaining, and advancing great faculty through faculty excellence endowments like the ones named above. To learn more about donating to an existing or creating a new faculty excellence fund, visit shepherduniversityfoundation.org or contact Monica Lingenfelter, executive vice president, at 304-876-5286, mlingenf@shepherd.edu, or Sherri Janelle, executive director of development, at 304-876-5043, sjanell@shepherd.edu.
— 30 —
