Board of Regents honors three Texas State professors

Posted by Mark Hendricks
University News Service
August 16, 2007

ALPINE, Texas -- In a unanimous vote today, the Texas State University System (TSUS) Board of Regents recognized six outstanding faculty members as the first recipients of the Regents’ Professor Award.

The TSUS professors recognized with the Regents’ Professor Award for exemplary performance and contributions in teaching, research and publication, and service include:

1. Dr. Byron D. Augustin, Texas State University-San Marcos, Department of Geography, for his 39 years of teaching experience; more than 50 teaching awards, including the Piper Professor Award; accessibility and availability to students; creative genius in photography; writing for the Journal of Geography and other scholarly journals; articles on Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East; work in improving Arab-American relations; and the wide-spread esteem in which he is held by students and colleagues;

2. Dr. Steven A. Beebe, Texas State University-San Marcos, Department of Communication, for his skill as a master communication instructor and author, dedicating more than 21 years to teaching at Texas State University-San Marcos, and serving as Chair of the Department of Communication Studies and Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts; national recognition as the Outstanding Communication Professor by the National Speaker’s Association; authoring of numerous books and articles on communication skills; and service with distinction on numerous national and international associations;

3. Dr. Nancy F. Chavkin, Texas State University-San Marcos, School of Social Work, for her expertise in social work issues and practice, particularly in the area of family involvement in education and partnership programs; numerous teaching awards and honors, including the Piper Professor award; innovative work with the Center for Children and Families; nationally recognized research and publications; and commitment to her students and the betterment of society;

4. Dr. Rolando V. del Carmen, Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, for his contributions to the field of criminal justice; ability to combine scholarship with practicality in his teaching and writing; collaboration and mentoring of students; internationally recognized expertise in institutional and community corrections, law enforcement and the judicial system; recognition as one of only two individuals to receive all three major awards from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences; and the widespread admiration and appreciation of his colleagues and criminal justice professionals;

5. Dr. Thomas C. Ho, Lamar University, Department of Chemical Engineering, for his significant research publications and projects; contributions to professional societies; numerous teaching awards, including being a four-time recipient of the International Incineration Conference’s Outstanding Service Award; exceptional student evaluations through his 25 years of teaching at Lamar University; and unique and challenging teaching projects, methods and his unfailing desire to work with students to help them be successful; and

6. Dr. James S. Olson, Sam Houston State University, Department of History, for his Piper Professor award as well as his Carnegie Foundation Texas Professor Award; authoring or editing 47 books on such diverse topics as the Vietnam War, John Wayne, native American civil rights struggles, Roman Catholic immigrants, and the history of cancer; and funding and establishing scholarships at Sam Houston State University, as well as serving on numerous faculty and administrative committees.

“We are pleased to honor and reward such excellence,” said Kent M. Adams, chairman of the TSUS Board of Regents. “Every recipient named today is well deserving of this high honor. They are the ‘best of the best’, regardless of system affiliation.”

With this announcement today by the Board of Regents, these six professors will receive a $5,000 award and commemorative medallion. They will also maintain the title of TSUS Regents’ Professor for the duration of their service. All recipients will be honored at their respective campus convocations this month and will also attend a special presentation at the next Board of Regents meeting to be held in November at Sam Houston State University.

“Recommending only six individuals from the nominees received was an extremely difficult task,” said TSUS Regent John E. Dudley, who serves as the chairman of the Texas State University System Foundation which will provide the cash award and medallion. “We set the bar high for nominations, and our institutions delivered some of the most accomplished and distinguished educators you will find on any campus.”

To be considered for the distinction of the Regents’ Professor Award, nominees must be full-time faculty members for no less than five consecutive years at a TSUS campus and demonstrate:

• A record of distinguished teaching as well as accomplishments in research and other scholarly activities;

• An outstanding record of service at the local, state, and national levels; and

• A record of commitment to the college or university.

While the Board of Regents and the Chancellor provided the vision for this recognition, the Board of Directors for the Texas State University System Foundation was instrumental in the creation of and funding for this award. The Regents’ Professor Award will be presented annually.

The Texas State University System is the oldest multi-campus system in Texas and plays a critical role in the educational and economic development of this state. It is governed by a nine member Board of Regents appointed by the Governor. In addition, a nonvoting student regent is appointed annually to the Board.

TSUS’s nine component institutions are committed to serving the people of Texas through education. The Texas State University System institutions include: Angelo State University; Lamar Institute of Technology; Lamar State College-Orange; Lamar State College-Port Arthur; Lamar University; Sam Houston State University; Sul Ross State University; Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College; and Texas State University-San Marcos.

For more information on TSUS, visit www.tsus.edu.