Faculty and staff receive awards at annual dinner

President Bruce McLarty congratulates Aramark cashier Norma Hilliard on receiving the “Above and Beyond” service award.

April 26, 2016 |

Eight Harding University faculty members and six University staff members were presented with awards during the annual faculty and staff dinner on campus April 22.

Steve Baber, Phil Brown, Ava Conley, Shawn Daggett, Jared Dockery, Melanie Lowry, Rebekah Rampey and Cheri Smith are the 2015-16 award recipients of the Teacher Achievement Award. Virginia Bradley, Tammy Brukardt, Roddy Mote, Barbara Newsom, Scott Pritchett and Donna Welch are the 2015-16 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award.

• Bradley has been a member of the Harding staff since 1998. She is a clerk for federal postal services.
• Brukardt joined the Harding staff in 2001. She is an accounting assistant in the business office.
• Mote is a Bible and science teacher and head football coach at Harding Academy. He has worked for the University for 21 years.
• Newsom has been working at the University since 1987. She is an administrative assistant in the Center for Charitable Estate Planning.
• Pritchett is a manager in the Center for Learning with Technology. He joined the University staff in 2002.
• Welch has been a member of the Harding staff since 1996. She is a secretary in the department of mathematics and computer science.
• Baber is a professor of computer science in the College of Sciences. He has been a member of the faculty since 1983. He received a B.S. from Harding, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
• Brown is a professor of accounting and serves as department chair for accounting and finance in the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration. He has been teaching at the University since 1987. He received his B.B.A. from Harding, an MBA from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.
• Conley has been a faculty member since 1973 and is a professor of foreign languages in the College of Arts and Humanities. Conley received a B.A. in Spanish from Harding and an M.A. and Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Kansas.
• Daggett has been with the University since 1996 and is an associate professor in the College of Bible and Ministry. He received a bachelor’s degree from Harding and a master’s from Harding Graduate School of Theology. He also holds a Ph.D. in history of missions and New Testament studies from Boston University.
• Dockery is an associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Humanities and joined the faculty in 2008. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harding, and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Arkansas.
• Lowry is an assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders in the College of Allied Health, joining the faculty in 2008. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Harding and a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She holds a doctorate in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Central Arkansas.
• Rampey has been with the University since 2005 as an associate professor of biology in the College of Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry and cell biology at Rice University.
• Smith has been with a faculty member since 2004. She is an assistant professor of education as well as chair of teacher education and director of elementary education in the Cannon-Clary College of Education. She received a B.A. in elementary and special education and an M.Ed. in reading from Harding as well as an Ed.D. in instruction and curriculum leadership from the University of Memphis.

Each award recipient was presented with a $5,000 check and framed certificate commemorating the award. In addition to the Distinguished Service Awards, the University presented an “Above and Beyond” service award to Norma Hilliard. Hilliard is cashier for Aramark who has been working at the University since 2013.