Belk College recognizes excellence in faculty teaching, research and service

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Belk College of Business recently presented its annual faculty awards for teaching, research and service.

Peter Schwarz, professor of economics, received the Outstanding Service Award.Dr. Schwarz has provided valuable service to his department, the college and UNC Charlotte throughout the years,servingas department chair and chair of the undergraduate curriculum committee in Economics. Heserved on the Belk College’s Undergraduate Affairs Committee for many years and also was a member of the task force that created the Diversity and Inclusion Council.Dr. Schwarz has served the university as a member of many committees and as a senior faculty associate with the Global Institute of Energy and Environmental Systems.In the community, hehas been a reliable expert for media covering stories pertaining to energy and transportation issues.

Alice Tseng, associate professor of economics, received the Excellence in Teaching Award.Dr.Tsenghas made teaching and educating her students at the top of her priorities.She has made notable contributions in both the delivery of courses and curriculum development andconsistently earns outstanding student evaluations.Dr. Tsenghas taken on the challenge of teaching large courses andhas embraced technology in the classroom. Dr. Tsengalso teaches in our M.B.A. programs in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Benjamin Russo, associate professor of economics, received theDistinguished Scholarship Award. Dr.Russo has made many valuable scholarly contributions in his areas of specialization, notonlyby publishing in both elite and high-quality journals in economics and finance butalsoby undertaking substantial research for the government sector.Dr. Russo's specialization is the economics of taxation, and he is regarded as a national expert on the topic.In addition, hehas established a second area of interest, financial economics, andhas published articles on this topic in several elite journals. Dr. Russohas conducted significant research for the government sector, including the North Carolina tax commission, the Institute for Emerging Issues and the Canadian federal government.