teacher_of_the_year_awardFour University of Arkansas professors were named Teachers of the Year during the 10th annual Faculty Appreciation Banquet on February 24,  2009, at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. The banquet is planned by the Student Alumni Board Faculty Appreciation Banquet Committee and Associated Student Government.

During the dinner, University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart, addressed the audience followed by alumna Celia Anderson, a former women’s Razorback basketball player who also played in Greece before working for New York Times bestselling author E. Lynn Harris, also a UA graduate.

Out of 58 faculty members nominated by their students, the top 27 were invited to the dinner and received a plaque. From the list of nominees, four were chosen as outstanding professors and were given an apple trophy.

ivey_mackDr. Mack Ivey, associate professor of biological sciences. He teaches prokaryote biology and cell physiology in addition to a bibliographic practicum that teaches students how to effectively research scientific literature, write a topical biography and write an annotation for their research. He received his doctorate from the University of Georgia in 1987. Since then he has focused on research with graduate and undergraduate students that deals with biochemical and genetic mechanisms by which bacteria respond to their ionic environment. His personal research is done on Clostridium Difficile.

paradise_tomDr. Tom Paradise, who joined the University of Arkansas faculty in the geography division of geosciences in Fall 2000. As the director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, he teaches classes in the area of Middle East and North Africa geography, natural disaster assessment, mitigation and policy, hazards perception and risk, and Islamic art and architecture. He also contributes to the department’s geomorphology program and has taught in Morocco, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia. He received a bachelor of science degree in geosciences and mining from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1979, a master’s degree in physical geography and cartography from Georgia State University in 1990 and a doctorate in geomorphology & Cultural Heritage Management from Arizona State University in 1993.

rennie_craigDr. Craig Rennie, who joined the University of Arkansas faculty in 2001 as an assistant professor of finance. Between the portfolio management class and the Shollmier Fund, Rennie and his students manage about $1.6 million. Before coming to Fayetteville, Rennie taught principles of finance, corporate financial management and micro-economics while working on his doctorate at the University of Oregon. His prior experience includes 14 years of service in a variety of operational and support positions with the Canadian Armed Forces, where he reached the rank of major.

tucker_terrenceDr. Terrence Tucker, an associate professor of English. He teaches contemporary African American literature, American drama, 20th century American Literature and popular culture. He has been published in Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature for his essay, “Teaching Race to Students Who Think the World is Free: Aging and Race as Social Change.” His essay, “American Negroes Revisited: The Intellectual and The Badman in Walter Moseley’s Fearless Jones Novels,” was published in a collection of essays in 2008.

Other nominees invited to the banquet included: Neil Allison, Ed Clausen, Kathleen Condray, Lisa Corrigan, Fiona Davidson, Inza Fort, David Frederick, Greg Herman, Nancy Jack, Molly Jensen, Kathi Jogan, Don Johnson, Brenda Magnetti, Omar Manasreh, Michel Peven, Hoyt Purvis, Molly Rapert, Veronikha Salazar, David Schroeder, John Stewart, Patrick Stone, Timothy Thompson and Duane Wolf.