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Distinguished Service Professors Honored
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 23, 2010) − The Provost's Distinguished Service Professors were honored today during a recognition ceremony hosted by University of Kentucky Provost Kumble Subbaswamy. The professorship recognizes and honors professors for their consistently high level of achievement in their contributions to their disciplines and the university.
The professors were nominated by the deans of their colleges or departments and the awards are based on excellence in all areas of assignment, including service to the university as well as public service. The term of appointment is three years, and each professor will receive $10,000 per year, which may be used as a research or professional development fund, or as a salary stipend.
Also, for the first time, Subbawamy presented the Provost's Public Scholar award which is open to a faculty or professional staff member who has demonstrated sustained exemplary community engagement
This year’s recipients of the Distinguished Service Professors Award are: Robert Yokel of the College of Pharmacy; Jonathon Glixon of the School of Music in the College of Fine Arts; Craig Miller from the College of Dentistry; Karl Raitz of the Geography Department in the College of Arts and Sciences; Ellen Rosenman of the English Department from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Robert Yokel joined the faculty of the College of Pharmacy in March, 1979, as an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology. He is currently a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and also maintains a joint appointment with the Graduate Center for Toxicology. He was associate dean for Research and Graduate Education from 2003 until April of this year. He is a mentor in the classroom and laboratory to his students and is involved in the professional and graduate programs in the College of Pharmacy.
Jonathon Glixon began his career in the School of Music in 1983 as an assistant professor, rising to the rank of professor, and he holds a joint appointment in the Honors Program. Among his vast published works, Glixon has authored a book, co-authored another and written 18 articles in various journals and books contributing to the understanding of the Venetian music and culture. He has also served as a research professor at UK. Glixon holds a doctorate from Princeton University.
Craig Miller graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 1982 with distinction. He currently teaches in the Division of Oral Diagnosis/Oral Medicine/Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, in the Department of Oral Health Practice. Miller has served on many different college, university, state and national committees during his tenure as a faculty member of the UK College of Dentistry. He has also served as president of the Kentucky Section of the American Association of Dental Research.
Karl Raitz served as the chair of the Department of Geography twice, for a total of 17 years and helped lead the department in becoming a Top 20 geography department nationally. The widely published professor who specializes in cultural and historical geography has garnered numerous grants and teaching and research awards during his tenure as well as serving in various capacities within the university and nationally in professional organizations. Raitz, who currently teaches while researching for the geography department also has twice been appointed Kentucky state geographer. He holds a doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
Ellen Rosenman has been an English professor at the University of Kentucky for more than 25 years. She has taught 11 different undergraduate courses and 15 different graduate seminars. Rosenman served one term as chair of the department, receiving high evaluations from her colleagues for her efforts to facilitate research and foster high-quality teaching. She has also served multiple times on both the graduate and undergraduate committees; putting in time both as director of Graduate Studies and director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of English.
The recipient of the Provost's Public Scholar award is Paul Eakin, professor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Criteria for the award include at least 10 years total of community engagement with a minimum of two distinct engagement initiatives with actively involved community partners. Nominees must also achieve multiple successful outcomes that advance the public good in priority areas and are recognized by academia and the community.
In his nomination of Eakin, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh described the former chair of the math department as a "pioneer in the improvement of and use of technology in mathematics education in high schools, colleges and the transition between them." Eakin has worked since the 1980s on improving math education in high schools in an effort to reduce the need for remedial math classes at the college level.
He has worked on a number of grant funded projects and partnerships that bring electronic technology to the forefront of assistance with math education improvement. Most recently, Eakin is involved in a Commonwealth Collaborative, projects approved by UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. to directly impact the quality of life in Kentucky. The project fosters academic outreach by providing a free online testing and placement system whereby community colleges and other colleges can work with their local high schools to create a math course and online exam for high school seniors to get them ready for college math.
For more information on the provost's awards visit the Web site of the Office of the Provost.
