Professional News

UK recognizes faculty and teaching assistants with 2024 Outstanding Teaching Awards

The 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award winners. From left: (back) Jack Groppo, Kristine Urschel, Daria Goncharova, (center) Thaddeus Salmon, Lukas Bullock, Bradley Elliott, (front) Anastasia Hauser, John "Jack" Swab and Martha Yip. Carter Skaggs | UK Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2024) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2024 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Thursday, April 25.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards annually recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who go above and beyond what is expected and demonstrate outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a selection committee empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

There are two categories of faculty awards and a teaching assistant award. Winners received award certificates, pewter bowls and cash awards of $4,000 for regular and special title series faculty and $1,500 for teaching assistants.

The following explains the types and number of awards.

Category One Faculty Award

  • Purpose: To recognize regular and special-title series faculty for outstanding teaching performance.
  • Number of Awards: Up to five awards
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance as a teacher, as documented by students and peers - cannot have received this award in the past 8 years

Category Two Faculty Award

  • Purpose: To recognize lecturer and clinical title series faculty for outstanding performance in the classroom, laboratory, or clinical settings
  • Number of Awards: Up to five awards 
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance in the classroom, laboratory, or clinical setting as documented by students and peers- cannot have received this award in the past 4 years

Teaching Assistant Award

  • Purpose: To recognize teaching assistants for outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory
  • Number of Awards: Up to five awards 
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance in the classroom and/or laboratory, as documented by faculty and students - recipients may receive this award one time.

Winners in each category include: 

Category 1 (Regular and Special Title Series Faculty):

  • Jack Groppo, Department of Mining Engineering; Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
  • Kristine Urschel, Department of Animal and Food Sciences; Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
  • Martha Yip, Department of Mathematics; College of Arts and Sciences

Category 2 (Lecturers and Clinical Title Series Faculty):

  • Bradley Elliott, Department of Mathematics; College of Arts and Sciences
  • Anastasia Hauser, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; Pigman College of Engineering
  • Thaddeus Salmon, Department of Internal Medicine; College of Medicine

Category 3 (Teaching Assistants):

  • Lukas Bullock, Department of Gender and Women's Studies; College of Arts and Sciences
  • Daria Goncharova, Department of English; College of Arts and Sciences
  • John "Jack" Swab, Department of Geography; College of Arts and Sciences

Starting in May, UKNow will highlight each of the winners of the Outstanding Teaching Awards.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.