UNT Dallas is loaded with first-class faculty members, so selecting winners for the annual Faculty Awards is no easy task. Somehow, the Faculty Awards Committee, comprised of six past winners from the last two years, managed to pick winners in the categories of Teaching, Research and Service. The new winners span three semesters from Spring 2017 - Spring 2018 (future awards wil be based on the academic year).
And now, without further ado, the winners are:
- Teaching: Dr. Eric Coleman, Lecturer of Criminal Justice (and Political Science)
- Research: Dr. Anthony Chaney, Lecturer in English and History
- Service: Dr. Julie Siddique, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Each professor went above and beyond to earn this distinction. Here's a glance at each's accomplishments:
Dr. Coleman: He challenged his students by arranging the first-ever imbedded “research internship” for his class on the Presidency with the National Archives located at The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. It marked the first time the National Archives allowed for an imbedded internship with any college class in the nation. With special permission granted, 13 students from UNT Dallas completed the internship after presenting their research findings at the Presidential Center in the spring of 2018. In addition, Dr. Coleman used other resources and tools at the Presidential Center such as “crisis simulation” to give students a real-world application of how the government responds to national security challenges. Dr. Coleman routinely receives high marks from his students on his course evaluations as being innovative in his teaching strategies.
"I was very honored to win the award," Dr. Coleman said. "From my perspective, the students are so grateful for what we can do to help them further their academic careers here, so the students are just a pleasure to work with. That’s what makes it enjoyable."
Dr. Chaney: In the fall of 2017, his book, Runaway: Gregory Bateson, the Double Bind, and the Rise of Ecological Consciousness, was published on The University of North Carolina Press, one of the most prestigious
academic publishers of books of history. Runaway draws on research across multiple disciplines, including the western tradition of
natural philosophy, the hard sciences, the social sciences, the fine arts and the
culture and politics of the late 1960s. Concurrent with the publication of his book,
Dr. Chaney was invited to become a contributing author to the 12-year-old, award-winning
Society for U.S. Intellectual History Blog, where he continues to write about his
research exploring the connections between eco-criticism, the environmental humanities and
the history of thought and culture.
Dr. Chaney, in his third year at UNT Dallas, is a longtime southern Dallas resident, which he said makes teaching at UNT Dallas all the more special. "I like the mission here, I like the fact that we are serving a particular south Dallas community," he said. "Being able to teach here is meeting my goal of working at a job that does something to improve the community and help everybody here. I appreciate the fact that Dean Balas and Provost Stewart are supporting that research, and are giving it attention."
Dr. Siddique: The service award constitutes the amount of time, effort and commitment one gives back to the campus and the community. Dr. Siddique's plate, so to speak, has been full. She served as the Graduate Director for the Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program, was actively involved with Faculty Alliance, chairing the Faculty Worklife Committee in 2017 and Dr. Siddique is currently serving on the Executive Committee. She has also chaired the planning committee for the Student Research Symposium in 2017 and 2018, and served the local community by providing research and program assistance to the Second Chance Community Improvement Court (with UNT Dallas' Urban SERCH Institute).
Why does she do it all?
“I feel that this university is a very special place in South Dallas," Dr. Siddique said. "We serve a very large population of first-generation college students and many who come from relative disadvantage. Our students come to UNT Dallas with a lot talent and potential and it’s really a privilege to work with this student population to help them achieve their potential.”