November 17, 2003

Alumni Association Awards Announced

The Alumni Association recently announced its 2003 faculty awards.

The Excellence in Teaching Award encourages excellence in the classroom to assist the University in continuing its efforts to achieve the highest academic recognition. The Excellence in Research Award encourages scholarly research in the sciences and liberal arts or creative works in the fields of art, music, and writing.

The Distinguished Alumni Professorship Award recognizes "an excellent teacher, as well as an individual of international reputation whose scholarship reflects substantial credit to the University of Connecticut - 'a Renaissance person'." The recipient receives the title, "Distinguished Alumni Professor," for a three-year period.

This year's recipients are:

Faculty Excellence in Research Award (Humanities)
Bette Talvacchia, Department of Art & Art History, School of Fine Arts

Faculty Excellence in Research Award (Sciences)
Peter Turchin, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Faculty Excellence in Teaching (Undergraduate Level) Award
Thomas Terry, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Distinguished Alumni Professorship Award
Janine Caira, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The association also announced this year's awards to alumni of the University:

Connecticut Alumni Service Award
Presented to an alumnus who has consistently provided exemplary service to the University community, enhancing the stature, success, and well being of the University of Connecticut Alumni Association and providing inspiration to the campus community.
Lorraine Wetherell '58, Retired Home Economics Teacher

Distinguished Alumni Award
This award recognizes the outstanding professional, personal and civic achievements of men and women who are former students of the University of Connecticut.
Gwendolyn Long Harris '72, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services

Outstanding Young Alumni Award
This award recognizes the outstanding service and accomplishments of an exceptional young alumna/alumnus of the University. For the purposes of this award, a young alumna/alumnus is any person who graduated from the UConn between 1992 and 2002.
Capt. Michael Scott Holcomb '94, operational law attorney, U.S. Army

University Service Award
Presented to an alumnus or non-alumnus not currently employed by the University, whose exceptional contributions to the UConn community strengthen and support the values and the mission of the institution.
Lynette Bobb-Koths '44, retired dietician and real estate owner
Patrick Sheehan '67, VP of investments, A.G. Edwards and Sons