The Provost Awards, presented each year, recognize faculty and academic units for exemplary work in the areas of teaching, advising and community engagement. These three areas remain vital to UNC Charlotte’s mission to educate and prepare students for chosen careers and to address community needs in the greater Charlotte region.
“As UNC Charlotte grows along with the Charlotte region, the University has earned a reputation for the active and engaged role our faculty play in community problem solving. The way we educate and engage students has also changed as we institutionalize innovative practices,” said Provost Joan Lorden. “Above all, we remain committed to student success and value our mission to ensure all students are equipped to overcome any challenges. Consistent, proactive advising from caring advisors is essential to this mission.”
The Provost’s Awards include: the Bonnie E. Cone Professorship in Civic Engagement and the Bonnie E. Cone Early Career Professorship for Teaching along with recognition of excellence in teaching and excellence in undergraduate academic advising.
Janaka Lewis, associate professor of English, received the Bonnie E. Cone Early Career Professorship for Teaching in recognition of her strong commitment to teaching. While the award goes to a member of faculty who has been awarded tenure within the last three years, Lewis already has established herself as a campus leader in the area of interdisciplinary studies. She was named director of UNC Charlotte’s Women’s and Gender Studies program in 2017 and is currently leading efforts to establish a major for the program. Lewis is known for her passionate teaching style and for developing coursework that engages students with the university and the community.
Mark West, professor and chair of the Department of English, is the 2019 Bonnie E. Cone Professorship in Civic Engagement recipient for his ongoing commitment to civic involvement that has positively impacted the University’s relationship with the community. Throughout his career, West has been a strong advocate for children’s and adult literacy and has brought his expertise into the community with his work with Charlotte-area schools, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and others. His commitment to civic engagement is underscored by a recent grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council for the project, “The Child Character in Southern Literature and Film,” a partnership with area schools and the Charlotte Public Library to raise awareness about diversity and the history of childhood in the South as reflected in children’s literature.
The Cato College of Education Department of Reading and Elementary Education is this year’s recipient of the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for its collective dedication to high-quality teaching and improvements to student learning and outcomes. The department underwent a unique program redesign to create a series of learning progressions across four semesters that were then compiled in a program handbook that articulates the program structure and sequence and establishes a professional common language and vocabulary to support coherence across coursework. The department also has authentically rooted equity and social justice into its coursework and developed a culturally sustaining teaching certificate program—the first of its kind in the UNC System. The department also led the college in developing the University’s laboratory school, which will open next fall to serve students assigned to low-performing elementary schools.
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Office of Advising and Student Services was recognized for its efforts to assist students in achieving their educational goals with the 2019 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising. The office consolidated the advising and student services functions to provide a centralized approach to establish early and sustained connections with students to help them navigate their academic careers. With an assistant dean of student services in close proximity to advisors, students benefit from “just in time” advising without the need for referrals or follow-up appointments. Advisors also teach freshmen courses in the college to further build early connections with students.