Coastal Carolina University recognized 17 faculty members at the annual Faculty Innovation and Excellence Awards ceremony, hosted by the Office of the Provost in Blanton Park on April 18. Awards were given to those with distinction in the categories of teaching; research, scholarly, and creative achievements; outreach and service; and those who have spread global awareness through student mobility and community engagement.

President Michael T. Benson and Provost and Executive Vice President Daniel J. Ennis presented the awards to the following CCU faculty members:

Global Awareness through Community Engagement
Xinyi Tan, assistant professor of Chinese and French
Excellence in promoting global awareness across communities through the Intercultural Language Resource Center.

Global Awareness through Student Mobility
Cari Borisuk, lecturer of management and decision sciences
Excellence in leadership of study abroad to Italy.

Graduate Teaching Excellence Award
Sheena A. Kauppila, assistant professor of higher education administration, Education Sciences and Organizations
Excellence in graduate teaching in the Ph.D. in Education Sciences program.

Inclusive Pedagogy Award
Benjamin Sota, associate professor of theatre
Excellence in inclusive practice in study abroad and travel experiences for students.

Anna E. Mukamal, assistant professor of digital culture and design, English
Excellence in inclusive practice in the field of digital culture and design.

Kristi R. McIntyre, senior lecturer of theatre
Excellence in inclusive practice in the theatre arts.

International Research, Scholarly and/or Creative Collaboration
Kate Stringer Clary, assistant professor in interdisciplinary studies
Excellence in international collaboration and recognition in the field of death and museum studies.

Public Engagement, Outreach, and Service Award
Jennifer Mokos, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies, HTC Honors College
Engagement with the Bucksport Community to address local flooding issues.

Jaime McCauley, associate professor of sociology
Engagement with the Bucksport community to address local flooding issues.

Research Excellence Award
Charles R. Clary, associate professor of visual arts
Excellence as an internationally recognized artist and scholar.

April N. Abbott, assistant professor of marine science
Excellence in trace metal cycling research in the marine environment.

Student Success Award
Cheng-Yuan “Corey” Lee, associate professor of educational studies
Excellence in evaluating student preparation and readiness for online learning.

Teaching Innovation and Excellence Award
Amber D. McWilliams, senior lecturer of chemistry
Excellence in the application of chemistry education principles to support student success.

Emma M. Howes, associate professor of English
Excellence in teaching using inclusive practice in writing classes and study abroad experiences.

Arianna Fognani, assistant professor of Italian
Excellence in teaching language classes using student-centered approaches.

Joshua L. Knight, teaching associate in visual arts
Excellence in teaching the visual arts.

University Service Award
Wendy M. Weinhold, associate professor of communication, media, and culture
Excellence in leadership of the award-winning Chanticleer newspaper.