University College Faculty & Staff Awards
2025 Award Recipients
University College held its inaugural Staff and Faculty Awards event on April 16. Awards recognized the community鈥檚 spirit of collaboration, teaching excellence, scholarship, innovation, and commitment to student success.
鈥淯niversity College staff and faculty are deeply committed to OHIO students' academic, personal, and social success. The recipients of this year鈥檚 honors highlight the many ways in which we impact and support our mission and commitment,鈥 said David Nguyen, dean of University College.
The Student Support Champion Award
Recognizing outstanding advocacy and support of students' academic and personal success.
The award was presented to Dr. Shauna Torrington, Coordinator of Student Leaders in the Learning Communities program. Her commitment to her staff's well-being and success has made her an invaluable asset to the office team and the students they serve.
The Strategic Innovation Award
Honoring bold, forward-thinking ideas that bring significant advancements.
Dr. James McKean, Associate Professor in the Law Enforcement Technology (LET) program, was recognized for his innovative work. He spearheaded an expedited credit path policy for students with prior training which set the stage for other programs to follow. Students now receive University credit for training and for licenses earned.
The Outstanding Creative Activity and Scholarship Award
Recognizing excellence in research and creative scholarship.
Dr. Elizabeth Fallon, Executive Director for Academic Achievement, received the award for her publication titled, 鈥淎pplying Strategic Planning to College Learning Center Management鈥 in Learning Assistance Review. This article examines the role of strategic planning in effectively managing university learning centers, illustrating how strategic planning fosters a culture of continuous improvement and positions learning centers for sustained success in higher education.
The Spirit of Collaboration Award
Celebrating teamwork and partnerships that drive success.
Keely Davin, Associate Director in the Office of Global Opportunity, was recognized for being an exemplary example of putting collaboration into practice. 鈥淲ithin the Office of Global Opportunity and University College, her creativity and problem-solving coupled with her interpersonal and communication skills have long been valued by her colleagues and campus partners and are key to the smooth operation of our study abroad programs and the positive student experiences the Office of Global Opportunity strives to provide.鈥 Thank you for all you do, Keely!
The Excellence in Teaching Award
Acknowledging exceptional teaching practices and student engagement.
- Consistently praised for his outstanding teaching, Dr. James Smith, associate professor of technical and applied studies, was honored for his commitment. As an experienced practitioner, Dr. James Smith employs teaching practices that easily inspire student engagement.
- Didi Chilcott and Rob Rennich were recognized for their collaboration on a project that made a tremendous impact on University College and OHIO students. During the 2023-24 academic year, they piloted a new course titled, 鈥淒etermining Your Major and Career Pathway for exploring University College students.鈥 Following a successful pilot of the course, they collaborated to officially design and propose a new course through OHIO's curriculum development process. To date, nearly 60 students have completed or are currently enrolled in UC 2110.