2005 Teaching Excellence Awards

Held April 14, 2005

Dr. Al Greule

Dr. Al Greule is the College of Applied Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award recipient.

An associate professor of communication, Greule has taught at SFA since 1989. He earned a bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Oswego and a master's from Ohio University with an emphasis in broadcast management. His doctorate is from Texas A&M.

Greule served as vice president of alumni and professional services for the National Broadcasting Society from 2001 through 2004 and served on the board of directors for the Texas Broadcast Education Foundation from 2001 to 2002.  He served as president of the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators from 1998 to 2000.

In January 2000, Greule was one of 25 radio/television faculty members selected worldwide as a fellow of the National Association of Television Program Executives.

"Dr. Greule's current students steadily record excellent showings in productions, and his former students are a lineup of successful media professionals," said Dr. Robert Ramsey, chair of the SFA Department of Communication. "Many graduates credit Dr. Greule with making a significant contribution to their careers."

Dr. Marlene Kahla
Dr. Marlene Kahla is the Teaching Excellence Award recipient of SFA's Nelson Rusche College of Business.

An assistant professor of marketing, Kahla has taught at SFA since 1979. She earned a bachelor's degree and master's in business administration from Sam Houston State University. Her doctorate is from Texas A&M.

Kahla has served as a reviewer for the International Academy for Case Studies business journal since 2002.  

Kahla serves as adviser to SFA students competing in American Marketing Association international competitions, and her teams have been named finalists in each of the past five years, including third-place finishes in 2003 and 2004. A student group under her supervision designed the campaign for JackBucks, a student debit card program utilized by local businesses.

"Dr. Kahla believes that one important aspect of teaching marketing is learning by doing, and that the real world of marketing is fun, exciting and should be shared with our students," said Dr. Violet Rogers, SFA business dean. "Therefore, her classes are full of activities, plans, presentations and case studies. She delivers a complete understanding of not only marketing, but how marketing fits in with the rest of the business and with the success of a company or institution."

Dr. Alan Sowards
The Teaching Excellence Award recipient for the SFA College of Education is Dr. Alan Sowards.

An assistant professor of elementary education, Sowards joined the SFA faculty in 1995. Sowards received a bachelor's degree from SFA in science, a master's degree in environmental science from the University of Texas at Dallas and his doctorate from Texas A&M University – Commerce.

In 2004, Sowards received the Sadie Ray Graff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Texas Environmental Education from Keep Texas Beautiful and an Alumni Ambassador Award from Texas A&M – Commerce. He received a state environmental award in 2002 from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.

More than 12,000 Texas school students in the past six years have participated in Sowards' program, "Bugs, Butterflies and Blossoms," at the SFA Arboretum. Approximately 2,000 students during the past three years have participated in his "Water Works: A Wetland Adventure" program at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center near Athens, and through the program, a partnership between the center and SFA has been established for internships, scholarships and research. Each year, local third-graders learn about life in the past at the "Day of Adventure" organized by Sowards at Millard's Crossing Historic Village.

"For the college students, these special events not only teach science, but provide first-hand experiences with children as they are learning science," said Dr. Janice Pattillo, chair of the Department of Elementary Education. "Dr. Sowards has demonstrated through his excellent student evaluations, many published professional articles, and work on numerous university, state and national committees that he is a valuable asset to the College of Education and SFA."

Dr. Tim King
Dr. Tim King is the College of Fine Arts Teaching Excellence Award recipient.

A professor of music, King has served as director of choral programs at SFA for a total of 17 years, first from 1983 through 1989 and returning to the campus in 1994. He earned a bachelor's degree and master's degree from Texas Tech University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Illinois.

King's choirs have entertained East Texas residents for years with productions of the Messiah, the Madrigal Dinner and other concerts. His groups have been invited to sing for the American Choral Directors Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Music Educators National Conference and with the Manhattan Philharmonic Symphony at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York.

In 2003, King led SFA's A Cappella Choir on a tour of Europe, singing in Vienna for its 1,000-year celebration, at the International Festival in Marostica, in Salzburg's Cathedral and in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. Dr. Richard Berry, dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts, traveled with the choir.

"It was fascinating to watch Dr. King guide the choir to remarkable performances in concert after concert," Berry said. "To accomplish this using the basic repertoire day after day is no mean achievement. Dr. King has the gift of relating to students that enables him to do so."

Dr. Hans Williams
Dr. Hans Williams is the Teaching Excellence Award winner for the SFA Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.

Williams joined the faculty in 1993 and serves as the Kenneth Nelson Distinguished Professor of Forestry at SFA. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Purdue University and a master's degree from Clemson University. The emphasis for his doctorate from Auburn was forest ecophysiology and seedling quality.

In addition to serving as secretary-treasurer of the Texas Society of American Forestry, Williams serves as the faculty adviser of the SFA International Society of Arboriculture student chapter and is a member of the board of directors of the Texas Forestry Association.

Williams received the college's teaching excellence award in 1998 and 2002, and was a finalist in 1998 for the Student Organization Faculty Adviser of the Year award and the SFA Faculty Foundation Achievement Award. He has co-authored 40 papers and made presentations at 57 professional meetings. Dr. Scott Beasley, dean of the college, said that Williams' research has strengthened his classroom teaching.

"His students are assured of receiving 'state-of-the-art' science information in his courses, and many of those students work part time on his research projects, which benefits them educationally and monetarily," Beasley said. "Dr. Williams is a true professional who has committed, and continues to commit, his full-time attention, talents and energy to being the best teacher, researcher and 'team member' that he can possibly be."

Dr. Joyce Ann Carlton Johnston
The Teaching Excellence Award recipient for the College of Liberal Arts is Dr. Joyce Ann Carlton Johnston.

Johnston joined the SFA faculty in 2002 and is an assistant professor of French and Spanish. She earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity University and a master's degree and doctorate in French literature from Indiana University at Bloomington. She also taught at Bloomington, where she received teaching excellence awards in 1997 and 1998.

In addition to serving as faculty adviser for the SFA French Club, Johnston established and maintains the "French at SFA" Web site. She also established a French conversation group that includes SFA students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Nacogdoches community, in weekly gatherings at a local coffee house.

Since her arrival at SFA, Johnston has written three articles accepted for publication and is working on a critical edition of the theatrical works of a significant 19th-century French female journalist and poet, Delphine Gay de Girardin.

"Dr. Johnston's use of materials from Africa and the Caribbean offers SFA students important insights into the variety of Francophone culture, introducing them not only to different kinds of French, but to different views of the world," said Dr. Ann Doyle-Anderson, chair of the Department of Modern Languages. "Students from her advanced literature classes comment on the breadth and depth of her knowledge, as well as her enthusiasm."

Dr. James Stamey
Dr. James Stamey is the Teaching Excellence Award recipient for the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

Stamey is an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics and joined the SFA faculty in 2001. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Northwestern State University. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree and a doctorate in statistics from Baylor University. He was nominated for the Baylor ODK Young Men and Women of Merit award.

Since earning his doctorate, Stamey has completed 14 refereed publications. He has received research grants each year at SFA and was named a Mathematical Association of American Project NexT (New Experiences in Teaching) fellow. He has served as a mentor to middle-school teachers participating in the math department's program funded by the National Science Foundation to enhance mathematics education.

"Students recognize Dr. Stamey's ability to motivate and inspire them to work extraordinarily hard to attain a high level of success in his courses," said Dr. Jasper Adams, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. "They know that Dr. Stamey truly cares about them as individuals and is willing to invest his time and efforts on their behalf."