UNC Board of Governors presents Awards for Teaching Excellence

Joni B. Worthington
April 25, 2007

The Board of Governors of the 16-campus University of North Carolina has selected 16 of its most outstanding faculty to receive the 13th Annual Awards for Excellence in Teaching. During a recognition luncheon to be held in conjunction with the Board’s May 11 meeting, a faculty member from each UNC campus will receive a commemorative bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize. The 16 recipients, representing an array of academic disciplines, were nominated by special committees on their home campuses and selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Personnel and Tenure, chaired by Charles Mercer of Raleigh. The awards will be presented by UNC President Erskine Bowles and Board of Governors Chairman Jim Phillips of Greensboro. Dr. Claudie Mackey, a professor in the ECSU School of Education and Psychology, is the recipient of the award at Elizabeth City State University. For over 40 years, Dr. Mackey has dedicated himself to public education, motivated by a personal philosophy that &quoteducation is a process in which individuals help each other to clarify personal learning.&quot That interaction, combined with high expectations, are the reasons so many students and campus peers respond to Dr. Mackey’s leadership. At ECSU since 1977, he was honored in 2005-2006 as the faculty mentor who generated the largest dollar amount for new campus programs. Dr. Mackey earned his baccalaureate degree in business education from ECSU, a master’s degree in education from Hofstra University, and a certificate of advanced graduate studies and a doctoral degree in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Mackey has rendered professional service to students and faculty as a professor and interim Dean of the School of Education and Psychology. Additionally, he has served as Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and External Relations. Dr. Mackey has served on numerous university and state committees to facilitate grant funded educational programs for prospective students at ECSU. Dr. Mackey has successfully written proposals which have yielded in excess of approximately $4 million. Currently, Dr. Mackey serves on the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction steering committee. He has also served as the Faculty Athletics representative at ECSU. Dr. Mackey is co-founder of the Down East Viking Football Classic and a member of its executive steering committee. Other winners in the UNC system include: Melanie Greene, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, Appalachian State University Matthew Mahar, associate professor of exercise and sport science, East Carolina University Dianne White Oyler, associate professor of history, Fayetteville State University Mary Smith, associate professor of biology, NC A&ampT State University Sylvia Jacobs, professor of history, NC Central University John Toia, director of stage management, NC School of the Arts and William Swallow, professor of statistics, NC State University. Additional recipients are Melissa Himelein, professor of psychology, UNC Asheville Stephen Birdsall, professor of geography, UNC-Chapel Hill James Holt McGavran, Jr., professor of English, UNC Charlotte Kevin Lowe, associate professor of business administration, UNC Greensboro Jose D’Arruda, professor of physics, UNC Pembroke Sherrill Martin, professor of music, UNC Wilmington Julia Barnes, associate professor of mathematics, Western Carolina University and Irene Phillips, associate professor of occupational therapy, Winston-Salem State University. Established by the Board of Governors in 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the University, the awards are given annually to a tenured faculty member from each UNC campus. Winners must have taught at their present institutions at least seven years. No one may receive the award more than once. Joni B. Worthington, Associate Vice President for Communications &amp Special Assistant to the UNC President, contributed to this press release.