No doubt University of Mississippi faculty members find outstanding scholarship, distinguished research and creative service are rewarding in their own right. That said, being selected for campuswide recognition – not to mention the monetary prize – must certainly add something to their gratification.
Nominations for the 2015 Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award are being accepted in the chancellor’s office through March 1. The recipient will be announced May 9 during the university’s main Commencement ceremony.
As the name implies, the DR&CA Award differs slightly from other honors presented at the university. Originating in 2008, it is younger than the departmental recognitions, the campuswide Outstanding Teacher of the Year and Elsie M. Hood Awards presented annually during Commencement in recognition of teaching and service.
The DR&CA honor recognizes a faculty member who has shown outstanding accomplishment in research, scholarship and/or creative activity. Much like Hall of Fame inductions, recipients can receive the honor only once. Nominees must be an associate or full professor (including research associate professors or research professors who are not tenure-track faculty) and must have been continuously employed full-time by the university for a minimum of five years.
Past DR&CA Award honorees include Sam Shu-Yi Wang, F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Emeritus; Larry Walker, director of the National Center for National Products Research; Charles Reagan Wilson, the Kelly Gene Cook Chair Emeritus of History and professor emeritus of Southern studies, Dale Flesher, Arthur Anderson Lecturer in the Patterson School of Accountancy; Atef Elsherbeni, professor of electrical engineering and associate dean of research and graduate programs in the School of Engineering; and Robert Van Ness, Bruce Moore Scholar of Finance and director of the Doctor of Finance program.
Time is running out to submit nominations. For more information, visit https://www.research.olemiss.edu/distinguishedresearch.