HU honors outstanding faculty and staff

April 27, 2018 |

Nine Harding University faculty members received Teacher Achievement Awards and six staff members received Distinguished Services Awards at the annual faculty and staff dinner on campus Friday, April 20. These annual awards are presented to faculty members for demonstrating excellence in teaching and staff members who showcase great ability, dedicated service and tremendous contribution to the work and purpose of the University.

Faculty members Amy Adair, Ginger Blackstone, Kristi Bond, Rich Brown, Debbie Duke, Lana Gettman, Don Sanders, Patty Smith and Kevin Youngblood, are the 2017-18 Teacher Achievement Award recipients. Staff members Lee Allen, Jeanne Castleberry, Tammy Hall, Alan Nesbitt, Mark Prior and Brenda Seawel are the 2017-18 Distinguished Service Award recipients.

Adair is director of field experience and assistant professor of education in the Cannon-Clary College of Education. She has been a faculty member since 2007. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harding and doctorate in education from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2016.

Allen has been a member of the Harding staff since 1991. He is a master electrician for physical resources.

Blackstone is assistant professor of communication in the College of Arts and Humanities. She has been teaching at the University since 2010. She received her bachelor’s from Harding in 1991, master’s from the University of Arkansas Little Rock in 2011, and Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Florida in 2017.

Bond has been with the University since 2011 and is chair of foreign languages and international studies department in the College of Arts and Humanities. She received her bachelor’s from Harding in 1994 and a M.A. in 2011 and Ph.D. in linguistics in 2013 from the University of Kansas.

Brown is professor and chair of the marketing department in the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration. He has been teaching at the University since 2008. He received his bachelor’s from Harding in 1988, master’s from Texas A&M University in 1992, and Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1999.

Castleberry is director of admissions for the Carr College of Nursing. She has worked for the University since 1999.

Duke is assistant dean of preprofessional health science programs and professor of mathematics in the College of Sciences. She joined the faculty in 1982. She received her bachelor’s in 1972 and master’s in mathematics in 1985 from Harding and a doctorate in education from Memphis State University in 1992.

Gettman is associate professor in the College of Pharmacy. She has taught at the University since 2008. She received her bachelor’s from the University of California Los Angeles in 1996 and Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California in 2002.

Hall has worked at Harding for 15 years. She is assistant vice president of finance.

Nesbitt has been a member of the Harding staff since 2003. He is band director and Bible teacher at Harding Academy.

Prior is director of HU16 and VideoWorks. He has worked for the University since 1999.

Sanders joined the Harding faculty in 2008 and is an assistant professor of biology in the College of Sciences. He received his bachelor’s from Oklahoma Christian University in 1974, master’s in education from Harding in 1979, and master’s in biology from Murray State University in 1981.

Seawel is assistant athletic director. She has worked at the University since 1999.

Smith is assistant professor of nursing in the Carr College of Nursing. She has been teaching at the University since 2007. She received her bachelor’s in nursing from Abilene Christian University in 1984 and Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences in 2016.

Youngblood has been with the University since 2010 and is an associate professor of Hebrew and biblical studies in the College of Bible and Ministry. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1991 and master’s degree in 1992 from Lipscomb University, Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1994, and Ph.D. in Old Testament language and literature from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004.

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 Judith Hart. Hart is food services director for Aramark who has been working at the University since 2001.