I’m thrilled to share that I am a 2022 Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Award honoree!

From Morningside University: “Thanks to the continued generosity and love for Morningside shared by Jim and Sharon Walker ‘70, three faculty members were honored with a Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Award. The 2022 honorees are Dr. Kim Christopherson, educational technologist and a professor in the Sharon Walker School of Education; Dr. Tom Paulsen, a professor and department head for the Regina Roth Applied Ag and Food Studies program; and Shelby Prindaville, art department chair, director of the art galleries, and associate professor in the School of Visual & Performing Arts.

Established in 2003, recipients for the Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards are selected from a field of applicants by a panel of three outside evaluators. Each receive a $10,000 honorarium and $2,000 to use for faculty development. Several themes guide the Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards process:

• The committee firmly believes that there must be a holistic approach to examining the criteria (teaching, scholarship, advising, and service) and no single item should be seen in opposition to another. Indeed, effective teaching is enhanced by quality advising, active scholarship, and dedicated service to the university.

• These awards are meant to celebrate Morningside University’s extraordinary faculty by recognizing up to three exemplary recipients each year.

• The committee takes its charge from the President and the donors very seriously and recognizes the difficulty of the selection process.”

The application requires a minimum of seven letter of recommendation writers, and I am really grateful for all of my letter writers’ time and support! I’m very happy both personally and because this is the first time anyone in the art department has received this honor, which feels like important representation.