Clemson’s College of Education holds first annual awards celebration

On Sept. 20, the College of Education held its first annual awards celebration at the Owen Pavilion at the Madren Conference Center and Inn in Clemson. College leadership recognized faculty in a variety of categories and celebrated faculty milestones related to journal citations and grant achievement.

George J. Petersen, founding dean of the college, welcomed guests at the event before awarding Darla Moore with the first Distinguished Friend of the College Award. The college’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education is made possible by a gift from Darla Moore, whose father, the school’s namesake, had a distinguished career as a teacher, coach and principal in Lake City, South Carolina. The Moore family’s $10 million endowment made the school’s teacher residency program possible, and the funds will continue to support and ensure the program’s success in the future.

Petersen said the award honors Moore’s focused support and her commitment to making a significant difference in education, transforming current practices to yield improved results, and supporting the vision and goals of the College of Education.

“Her gift, support and friendship have imprinted a legacy on the College of Education through her commitment to excellence,” Petersen said.

Faculty recognized in each category at the celebration are listed below:

Awards of Excellence

Award of Excellence in Teaching

Winner: Shanita Anderson

Finalists: Dani Herro and Misty Soles

Dr. Shanita Anderson’s excellence has been noted by students, faculty, staff and classroom teachers — quite impressive for her first year at Clemson. With expertise spanning both online and face-to-face learning environments, she is a leader in the instructional coaching specialization, she worked with the Master Teacher Institute and received glowing remarks from teachers, and she has been essential to the growth of a fourth specialization area in the M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning that focuses on preparing teachers for National Board Teacher Certification.

 

 

Award of Excellence in Service

Senior Faculty: Pamela Stecker

Dr. Stecker has dedicated 22 years to Clemson. Currently, she serves as program coordinator for Special Education and has submitted multiple grants to help grow the doctoral program in Special Education. She serves on tenure and promotion committees and consistently mentors new and mid-career faculty.

Junior Faculty: Natasha Croom

Dr. Natasha Croom joined the College of Education in 2016. At Clemson, she serves as program coordinator for the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, served on Status of Women Faculty, co-coordinates the NSF ADVANCE Trailblazer’s Program, and is a representative for the Graduate Advisory Committee. These, among other contributions, demonstrate the level of her service over the past three years.

 

 

Award of Excellence in Research

Senior Faculty: Antonis Katsiyannis

Dr. Antonis Katsiyannis has demonstrated scholarly success and impact. Author of more than 200 articles (5,956 citations) about legal and policy issues in special education and juvenile delinquency, he served as a co-investigator on the $1 million Exemplary Personnel for Education, Research and Teaching in Special Education (ExPERTiSE) grant with Drs. Ryan and Hodge and was the recipient of the 2018 Frederick J. Weintraub Outstanding CEC Leadership Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.

Junior Faculty: Sandra Linder

Dr. Sandra Linder joined Clemson in 2009 and researches the intersections between improving teacher quality, supporting student understandings, and increasing family interactions in mathematics for young children. She is a collaborator on curriculum implemented in every Primrose School across the country. Aligned to the mission of the college and Clemson, she has received internal (seven awards) and external (15 awards) funding totaling $921,591.

 

 

 

Award of Excellence – The Insight Award

The Insight Award acknowledges projects, programs and innovations that have significant impact on realizing the College of Education mission and the ClemsonForward strategic plan.The 2019 Insight Award goes to the M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning, which reaches educators in 48 states and six nations with a primary target audience of South Carolina rural districts where attaining a rigorous, high quality education was previously not possible without an online format. The program has grown to include 160 students studying across three specialization areas, and its accolades are an example of excellence in online education that provide confirmation to its quality. The program has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the #1 Online Graduate Education Program for the past two years. The excellence achieved by the faculty, coupled with the guidance and support from Clemson Online, have resulted in a program that provides the model on campus and across the nation for how academic excellence can be achieved in an online environment.

 

 

Award of Excellence in Doctoral Advising – Tony Cawthon

Alumni Distinguished Professor Dr. Tony Cawthon provides extraordinary support to doctoral students. In addition to earning multiple awards in the area of student affairs, he graduated six Ph.D. students this past year alone. Students describe Dr. Cawthon’s guidance as extraordinary — he is caring and empathetic but real. He is an exemplar at holding students to deadlines while encouraging them through the rigorous and demanding process of completing their degree. Despite a heavy load and a busy schedule, Dr. Cawthon never changes his process for advising students, which requires a tremendous amount of time with each student. He requires a lot from his students, but he gives a lot of effort in return.

Milestones

Total Citation Achievement

Honorary Distinction – Over 5,000 Citations: Antonis Katsiyannis – 5,956 citations

Honorary Distinction – Over 2,500 Citations: George J. Petersen – 2,712 citations

Honorary Distinction – Over 1,000 Citations: Joe B. Ryan – 1,832 citations

Honorary Distinction – Over 1,000 Citations: Jeff C. Marshall – 1,009 citations

Top Citation Achievement (for a single article)

Honorary Distinction – Over 500 Citations: Michelle Cook – 505 citations

Honorary Distinction – Over 250 Citations: George J. Petersen – 291 citations

Cumulative Grant Achievement

Honorary Distinction – Over $5 million in grants: C.C. Bates – $7,310,967

Honorary Distinction – Over $5 million in grants: Kris Frady – $5,955,928

Single Grant Achievement

Honorary Distinction – Over $1 million in grants: C.C. Bates – $1,707,139

Top Sellers

Honorary Distinction – Over 5,000 Copies Sold

8,200 copies – Marshall, J.C. (2013). Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD and NSTA

7,500 copies – Marshall, J.C. (2016). The Highly Effective Teacher: 7 Classroom-Tested Practices That Foster Student Success. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. [Featured book for members, April, 2016]

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