UK recognizes faculty and teaching assistants with 2024 Outstanding Teaching Awards

By Ryan Girves 

The 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award winners. From left: (back) Jack Groppo, Kristine Urschel, Daria Goncharova, (center) Thaddeus Salmon, Lukas Bullock, Bradley Elliott, (front) Anastasia Hauser, John "Jack" Swab and Martha Yip. Carter Skaggs | UK Photo<br>

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2024) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2024 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony onApril 25.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who go above and beyond what is expected and demonstrate outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a selection committee empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

Winners received award certificates, pewter bowls and cash awards of $4,000 for regular and special title series faculty and $1,500 for teaching assistants.

The following explains the types and number of awards:

Category One Faculty Award

  • Purpose: To recognize regular and special-title series faculty for outstanding teaching performance.
  • Number of Awards: Up to five.
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance as a teacher as documented by students and peers.

Category Two Faculty Award

  • Purpose: To recognize lecturer and clinical title series faculty for outstanding performance in the classroom, laboratory or clinical settings.
  • Number of Awards: Up to five.
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance in the classroom, laboratory, or clinical setting as documented by students and peers.

Teaching Assistant Award

  • Purpose: To recognize teaching assistants for outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory,
  • Number of Awards: Up to five awards, 
  • Criteria: Evidence of outstanding performance in the classroom and/or laboratory, as documented by faculty and students - recipients may receive this award one time.

Winners in each category are: 

Category 1 (Regular and Special Title Series Faculty):

  • Jack Groppo, Department of Mining Engineering; Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
  • Kristine Urschel, Department of Animal and Food Sciences; Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
  • Martha Yip, Department of Mathematics; College of Arts and Sciences.

Category 2 (Lecturers and Clinical Title Series Faculty):

  • Bradley Elliott, Department of Mathematics; College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Anastasia Hauser, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; Pigman College of Engineering.
  • Thaddeus Salmon, Department of Internal Medicine; College of Medicine.

Category 3 (Teaching Assistants):

  • Lukas Bullock, Department of Gender and Women's Studies; College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Daria Goncharova, Department of English; College of Arts and Sciences.
  • John "Jack" Swab, Department of Geography; College of Arts and Sciences.