Posted on May 30, 2018 by Joanna Carver
The UTSA College of Business recognized the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff and retirees during the annual College of Business Awards Ceremony.
Seven faculty members were honored for excellence in the areas of teaching, research and service.
Deepa Chandrasekaran with Dean Gerry Sanders
David Han, associate professor of management science and statistics, 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. Teaching at UTSA since 2009, Han’s passion for teaching and his ability to help students understand complex topics has made him a student favorite. He takes the time to ensure that no student is left behind, while also maintaining the rigor of his courses.
Deepa Chandrasekaran, assistant professor of marketing, was named the recipient of the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award for Tenure-Track Faculty. Teaching international marketing, Chandrasekaran incorporates her research experience in the areas of new product development and branding and marketing research analysis into the classroom.
The recipient of the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty is Vipin Agrawal, associate professor of practice in finance. Interacting with more than 500 students each semester, Agrawal’s goal is to ensure that students learn, not just memorize, the highly quantitative concepts that he covers in his finance courses. He challenges his students to think critically and provides the resources needed for them to be successful.
Raymond Choo with Dean Gerry Sanders
In the area of research excellence, Raymond Choo, associate professor and Cloud Technology Endowed Professor in cyber security, was named the Col. Jean Piccione and Lt. Col. Philip Piccione Endowed Research Award recipient. He conducts research in the areas of data analytics, cyber security and digital forensics. Since 2016 he has edited five books and published over 150 refereed journal articles in top journals. He also conducts funded research including a recent $400,000 grant from CPS Energy to study smart grid security.
At the tenure-track level, Jonathan Clark, assistant professor of management, received the Dean’s Research Excellence Award. His research examines how leaders create and manage the conditions under which individuals, groups and organizations learn, innovate and improve their performance. His research record includes 17 journal publications, with five of these articles appearing in elite publications.
Karen Williams, professor in practice in information systems, received the Patrick J. Clynes Endowed College of Business Excellence in Service Award. Williams desires to make a difference by providing her time and skills to help shape the policies and culture of her department, college and university. She served as chairperson of the State Employee Charitable Campaign, treasurer of the Roadrunner Cat Coalition, member of the MBA and undergraduate curriculum committees and course coordinator for two information systems courses.
Jeff Boone with Dean Gerry Sanders
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 to commemorate the founding year of the university. This year’s recipient is Jeff Boone, professor of accounting.
Since joining the faculty in 2005, Boone has made notable and sustained contributions in the areas of teaching, research and service. He is a highly-effective teacher who works to keep his courses relevant. His research interests are focused on the economics of financial reporting and audit services, and he has maintained a steady stream of publications in high-quality journals. He is ranked in the top five percent of accounting faculty based on the BYU faculty ranking database. And, by far his greatest service contribution was as advisor to the college’s accounting doctoral program—which resulted in 23 graduates under his tenure and two placements at flagship institutions.
Bernadette Henderson with Dean Gerry Sanders
In addition to the faculty awards, two staff members were honored for their contributions to the college. Bernadette Henderson, administrative associate II in the Dean’s Office, was a recipient of the Dean’s Staff Excellence Award. Henderson manages the college’s scholarship program, which awards more than 175 scholarships each year. She excels in working under pressure and is a wonderful resource to our students.
The second Dean’s Staff Excellence Award was presented to Jenni Simonsen, grants and contracts coordinator for the college and senior program coordinator for The Cyber Center. Simonsen has worked to improve grant contract processes which has resulted in a 17 percent increase in submissions and a 200 percent increase in awards for The Cyber Center. She makes things happen, and her work has increased the college’s productivity and impact in the field of research.
The college also honored seven colleagues who are retiring from academia and combined have over 140 years of service at UTSA. They are Chino Rao, information systems and cyber security; David Silvera, marketing; Don Simmons, management science and statistics; Jude Valdez, management; Paula Varson, finance; Diane Walz, information systems and cyber security; and John Warren, information systems and cyber security.
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Joanna Carver
