Belk College presents annual awards honoring outstanding faculty, staff

April 23, 2012
Categories: News

The Belk College of Business recently presented its annual awards for faculty and staff.

Monica Johar, Business Information Systems & Operations Management (BISOM), received the Best Paper Award for her paper titled “Analyzing Sharing in Peer-to-Peer Networks Under Varioius Congestion Measures,” which was published in Information Systems Research, considered a premier journal for the IS discipline. Dr. Johar joined the Belk College faculty in 2006 and received a PhD degree in Management Science with a concentration in MIS from University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include optimal software development methodologies, content delivery systems and web personalization. She is an active member of the Association of Information Systems and INFORMS. Her teaching interests include management information systems, database management and business data communication.

The Belk College presents two distinct teaching awards to recognize excellence in teaching undergraduate and graduate students. For both awards, selection is based on teaching effectiveness as demonstrated by courses taught, curriculum development, successful use of teaching innovations, and student evaluations. These awards are based on a record of sustained performance that, in the estimation of the selection committee, has significantly contributed to the College’s teaching mission.

  • Hui-Kuan Alice Tseng, Economics, received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. Nominated by a student, she was described as an instructor who displays a passion for teaching and a holistic approach to her discipline. The student nomination noted her attention to detail in preparing lectures and the kindness and humor she displays in engaging with students. The student said, “There is nowhere to hide in her class, and participation is a must.” Dr. Tseng joined the Belk College in 1988 and was a previous recipient of this award, in 2008.
  • Dmitry Shapiro, Economics, received the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award. He was recognized in his nomination for innovation in both course development and teaching methods. Dr Shapiro uses a wide range of teaching techniques and testing procedures, depending on the type of course, and works constantly on updating material for his courses to ensure that students are aware of advances in the field. He consistently receives very high scores on student evaluations. Dr. Shapiro joined the Belk College in 2006 and was last year’s recipient of the Best Paper Award.

Moutaz Khouja, BISOM, received the Outstanding Service Award, presented to a faculty member who has distinguished himself/herself through service to the University, College, Department or community. The award is based upon a record of sustained performance that, in the estimation of the committee, has significantly contributed to the College’s service mission. Dr. Khouja was recognized for his service on committes at the department, college and university level; his commitement to students and connections to industry; and for his commitment to service while maintaining a distinguished research and publication record. Dr. Khouja’s nominator said, “He manages all these responsibilities with commitment, compassion and an incomparable sense of humor.”

Jeremiah Nelson,director of graduate student services, received the Belk College Staff Member of the Year Award, which. honors a staff member who exhibits exceptional job performance, a commitment to quality, a positive attitude, a focus on teamwork and a dedication to serve the students, faculty, staff and external constituencies of the Belk College.

In his nomination, Nelson was described as “a wonderful ambassador for the university.” His nominators noted his tireless work, excellent communication skills, adaptability and positive spirit. He was also commended for his student-centered approach, high level of commitment and strong work ethic.

Additionally, two faculty members received the Dean’s Scholar research award:

  • Jared Hansen, Marketing, for “Market Orientation, Dynamic Capabilities, and Incremental vs. Radical New Product Focus”;

  • Dmitry Shapiro, Economics, for “The Impact of Non-Linear Tariffs on Efficiency: an Application to Hospitals Economics.”