Faculty Awards Recognize Excellence in Advising, Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
April 1, 2025
On Monday, March 31, Interim Dean of the College Betsy Sandlin and Interim Associate Dean of the College Deon Miles honored the dedication and impact of Sewanee’s exceptional faculty with the presentation of the 2025 Faculty Awards. These awards recognize outstanding contributions to advising, scholarship, service, and teaching.
Associate Professor of Chemistry Evan Joslin received the Award for Excellence in Academic Advising or Mentoring. In support of Joslin’s nomination, students noted her willingness to go above and beyond to help her students and recognized her support of student-athletes in her role as faculty athletic representative. Wrote one student, “[Joslin] is someone that I know I can count on to help me through troubling times that arise, personal or academic-related.”
Assistant Professor of French and French Studies Julian Ledford was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Service to the Institution. Nominated for this award by his faculty colleagues, Ledford was honored for his work on University committees including the Vice-Chancellor Search Committee. In support of his nomination, one colleague wrote, “[Ledford] has taken on an enormous load of service across the institution and over his years here. He is organized and committed, and should really be rewarded for his service to this institution.”
Professor of History Andrea Mansker won the Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Research, or Creative Activity. Mansker’s scholarly work includes Matchmaking and the Marriage Market in Postrevolutionary France, published in 2024 by Cornell University Press. In an endorsement of Mansker’s book, University of South Carolina historian Carol E. Harrison wrote, “[It] is a successful and original approach to the history of marriage. The connections that Mansker draws to our own moment—in which the anomie of the early-nineteenth-century city now characterizes our digital lives—invite all readers into this engaging history.”
The Award for Excellence in Teaching was shared by two faculty members: Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Shuler Hopkins and Professor of English Bill Engel. In support of Hopkins’ teaching, one student wrote, “Hopkins is a golden standard for professors. His calm demeanor, combined with his uncanny ability to simplify topics creates an awesome learning environment.” About Engel’s teaching, another student wrote, “Engel's insistence on student-centered constructivist learning has helped me gain confidence in and outside of the classroom. He has helped me believe in the knowledge I have acquired and trust my ability to share it with others.”
At the ceremony, Miles also recognized the three College faculty members who received external grant awards in the previous year: Professor of Politics Andrea Hatcher, who received an Appalachian Colleges Collaborating for Equity Grant from the Appalachian Colleges Association; and Professor of Biology Elise Kikis and Professor of Biology Kirk Zigler, who both received Appalachian Colleges Association Faculty Fellowships.
Students in the College and faculty colleagues collectively submitted 130 nominations for consideration for this year’s awards. The winners were selected by faculty committees composed of previous honorees for each award. View previous award recipients here.
