Six members of the faculty from CEPS, COLA, COLSA and UNH Law were honored recently with Presidential Chairs and Professorship Awards.
Made available through the President’s Fund for Excellence, Presidential Chairs are awarded for a period of 10 years at $15,000 per year, with the option of renewal. Recipients of Presidential Chairs are full professors who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship and service and are “highly regarded for having made substantial contributions to the knowledge or aesthetic understanding of their respective disciplines.”
The three 2018 Presidential Chairs were awarded to history professor Ellen Fitzpatrick, space plasma physics professor Nathan Schwadron and molecular, cellular and biomedical sciences professor W. Kelley Thomas for outstanding contributions not only to each of their fields but also to the many students they’ve taught and the university community as a whole.
Three additional faculty members received Professorship Awards. With the help of the UNH Foundation, the professorship program was created in 1990 to help support faculty members in their teaching, public service and research. Most professorships are awarded for a term of one to three years and carry supplemental allowances that usually range from $5,000 to $10,000 per year. Faculty may spend those funds in support of their academic activities.
Mechanical and ocean engineering professor Diane Foster was recognized with the Class of 1940 Professorship for outstanding interdisciplinary teaching and research. Established in honor of the 50th reunion of the Class of 1940, the award includes an allowance of $8,000 per year for three years.
Jesse Stabile Morrell, principal lecturer of agriculture, nutrition and food systems, received the Roland H. O’Neal Professorship. Established by Virginia O'Neal in memory of her husband Roland ’34, the three-year award of $8,000 per year recognizes an outstanding untenured member of the teaching faculty.
UNH law professor Sophie Sparrow received the Class of 1938 Professorship. Funded by the Class of 1938, this three-year award of $8,000 per year recognizes excellence in teaching.
Wayne E. Jones Jr., interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, formally announced this year's awards earlier this summer, effective July 1.
