Posted on May 21, 2013 by Wendy Frost
The College of Business recognized the outstanding contributions of faculty and staff members during an awards ceremony held on May 9.
The evening began by recognizing four retiring faculty members. Faculty retirees were John Darling, distinguished senior lecturer in management; Rudy Sandoval, associate professor of business law; Dianne Stone, professor of management; and Eugene Stone-Romero, professor of management. Combined the retirees had more than 50 years of service at UTSA. Sandoval was the longest-serving faculty member with 32 years of service.
Ten faculty members were honored for excellence in the areas of teaching, research and service.
Rick Utecht, associate professor of marketing, received the E. Lou Curry Teaching Excellence Award. The college’s premier teaching award, the E. Lou Curry Award is presented in memory of Lou Curry, a respected faculty member who passed away in 1995. Utecht, who received this award for the fourth time, is a passionate faculty member who continues to inspire and engage students.
Dennis Lopez, assistant professor of accounting, was named the recipient of the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award for Tenure-Track Faculty. Lopez is the lead instructor for the Accounting Principles II class, teaches the Spanish section of that class and has led numerous student immersions.
Based on the strength of this year’s nominees, two recipients were selected for the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty. Ron Sweet, a lecturer in finance, endeavors to make a difference in the lives of his students through teaching, tutoring and mentorship. He also serves as an advisor for the Investment Society. Stephanie Cano, senior lecturer in management science and statistics, conveys advanced topics using concise and intuitive explanations, and she challenges students to think independently.
Edgar Ghossoub, assistant professor of economics, was the recipient of the Dean’s Research Excellence Award for Tenure-Track Faculty. His work studies the interaction between financial development, economic development and monetary policy. Since 2010 he has had seven articles published in high-quality journals. In the area of research excellence, John Wald, professor of finance, was named the Col. Jean Piccione and Lt. Col. Philip Piccione Endowed Research Award recipient. Wald is engaged in cutting-edge research in the intersection of law, politics and finance. He has published in elite journals, and his work has brought national visibility to the college and department.
Recognizing a career of service to UTSA, Mark Leung, associate professor of management science and statistics, received the Patrick J. Clynes Endowed College of Business Excellence in Service Award. Leung is always willing to participate in any service activity at the university, college or department level. The majority of his service is in support of the department’s undergraduate programs.
Tom Cannon, senior lecturer in marketing, was named the recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award for University Service for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty. He was also the recipient of the President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in University Service. Cannon contributes both his time and expertise to a wide range of service activities at UTSA—most in a leadership capacity. During his 15 years at UTSA, he has served on more than 40 committees.
Highlighting the strategic importance of international issues, the college established the Dean’s Excellence Award for Advancing Globalization. This year’s recipient is Don Lien, the Richard S. Liu Distinguished Chair in Business. Lien has brought international visibility to UTSA and has established relationships with universities and businesses in East Asia.
The college’s Endowed 1969 Commemorative Faculty Award for Overall Faculty Excellence honors a faculty member for their accomplishments in teaching, research and service. The award was established by benefactors Philip and Jean Piccione to commemorate the founding year of the university. This year’s recipient is Palani-Rajan Kadapakkam, professor of finance. Kadapakkam has been instrumental in redefining the undergraduate finance curriculum, has consistently published in the highest-quality journals and has been a main contributor to the department’s research efforts. He has also given back to UTSA by serving on the Faculty Senate and actively participating with the Midwest Finance Association.
In addition to the faculty awards, two staff members were honored for their contributions to the college. Angela Prescher, senior administrative associate in the Undergraduate Advising Office, was a recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award. Nominated by four individuals, Prescher works in one of the highest student traffic offices in the college. Her colleagues describe her as a treasure, and she goes above and beyond the call of duty to assist students and staff.
The second Dean’s Excellence Award was presented to Caron Kiley, assistant director of graduate fiscal services and Ph.D. program manager. Kiley is solely responsible for all Ph.D. recruitment, admissions and program coordination. She also oversees the budget for the Office of Graduate Studies and ensures that funds are effectively and appropriately utilized.
Finally, the evening concluded by recognizing Daniel Hollas for serving as interim dean in the college since January 2012. He provided leadership to keep the college on course and was responsible for the successful recruitment of new faculty, college development efforts as well as internal administrative functions. Most importantly, he successfully led the college’s AACSB accreditation efforts last spring.
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Wendy Frost
