What: Salute to Faculty Excellence Awards Dinner & Ceremony
When: September 22 (Thursday) Reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by awards dinner and celebration at 7 p.m.
Where: HUB Club, Apogee Stadium, level three; 251 S. Bonnie Brae Street, Denton, Texas, 76207
Cost: $35
More information: To register online.
DENTON (UNT), Texas – Three University of North Texas faculty members will be among more than 20 educators celebrated for their dedication to excellence through research, service and education. The awards will be presented during the fifth annual Salute to Faculty Excellence Awards Dinner & Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22 (Thursday) at the HUB Club at Apogee Stadium.
David Mason
Mason, professor of political science, is being awarded the Eminent Faculty Award. He will receive a $15,000 check, commemorative engraved gift and the honor of being an Eminent Faculty Awardee. In his 35-year career, Mason has taught nearly 30 courses. He is also the Director of UNT's Castleberry Peach Institute, the first institute in Texas designed to foster discussion regarding democracy, human rights and women in those roles. Mason has written extensively regarding economic trade issues in Southeast Asia and international civil wars. Last year, Mason was honored with UNT's Faculty Leadership Award.
Narendra Dahotre
This year's Faculty Leadership Award winner is Narendra Dahotre, a Distinguished Research Professor in Engineering and former Chairman of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has been recognized for his pioneering contributions to the understanding and engineering of laser-materials in processing and manufacturing. His research has generated funding support in excess of $7.5 million from government and industrial organizations. He is the author of four books, has been issued 16 U.S. patents and has published nearly 300 articles in professional journals.
Jean Keller
The Faculty Community Service Award that Jean Keller, professor of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, is being honored with recognizes her dedication to working with underserved schools. Her work prepares students for academic success throughout their lives and educates families on how to better prepare their children for good education. Keller's accomplishments also include creating and implementing the Allied Health Pathways. This program partners regional early college high schools with UNT and UNT Health Science Center to support minority students to earn their doctoral degrees in physical therapy and address health disparity issues in north Texas.
Wendy Watson
Watson, a senior lecture in the Department of Political Science, is this year's winner of the Outstanding Lecturer Award, the highest honor awarded to UNT lecturers. Watson is a senior lecturer and pre-law advisor who has been with the university for six years. Her creative style of teaching political science includes a class where students must create a new constitution following a zombie apocalypse.
Keller, Watson and Dahotre will each receive $5,000 and a commemorative gift. In all, 24 professors will be honored during the evening. Faculty will be bestowed with Regent Professor Awards, Research Awards, Teaching Awards and Service Awards. These awards are funded by UNT Foundation and conclude a week-long celebration of UNT's faculty members.