HOLLAND – Hope College presented awards honoring teaching, service and scholarship to multiple faculty members during the college’s annual recognition luncheon on Monday, Jan. 7.

Named a “Towsley Research Scholar” was Beth Anderson, assistant professor of chemistry.

The “Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Award” was presented to Mike Seymour, professor of chemistry, who has been a member of the faculty since 1978.

The “Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Awards” were presented to Susan Dunn, associate professor of nursing and chairperson of the department, who has taught at Hope since 1997, and Fred Johnson, associate professor of history, who has taught at Hope since 2000.

The “Academic Computing Advisory Team (ACAT) Innovation Award” was presented to Will Polik, who is the Edward and Elizabeth Hofma Professor of Chemistry and chairperson of the department, and has been a member of the faculty since 1988.

The “Provost’s Award for Service to the Academic Program” was presented to Peter Schakel, who is the Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English and chairperson of the department, and has taught at Hope since 1969.

The Motoichiro Oghimi Global Courage Award was presented to Alfredo Gonzales, who is associate provost and dean for international and multicultural education, and has been at Hope since 1979, and Chuck Green, who is a professor of psychology and director of the Phelps Scholars Program, and has been a member of the faculty since 1983.

The Towsley Research Scholars Program is funded through an endowment made possible through a grant from the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation of Midland. Through the program, newer Hope faculty members receive support for a project for four years. The foundation’s awards to the college have also included grants for the construction of the Van Wylen Library and the Schaap Science Center, faculty development in the pre-medical sciences and support for an endowed chair in communication.

The Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Awards are presented to faculty members who have been teaching at Hope for at least seven years and who have demonstrated recognizable excellence in specific activities or aspects of teaching. The award is named in memory of Dr. Janet Andersen, a professor of mathematics at Hope who died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005.

The Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Awards recognize members of the Hope faculty who are superior teachers and have also contributed significantly in some other area of professional life. The award was established in memory of Dr. Ruth Yzenbaard Reed, a 1965 Hope graduate who was associate dean of Macomb Community College. Reed died in August 1999 at age 55.

The Academic Computing Advisory Team (ACAT) Innovation Award is presented to a faculty or staff member who exemplifies innovation and ingenuity in the application of technology to the academic program.  The innovation may have been used in the classroom or out, in teaching or in research, or in any form of academic support or performance.

The Provost’s Award for Service to the Academic Program is presented to individuals who have provided special contributions to the academic program through student academic support, general education, assessment work, implementation of programs that support/enhance the curriculum, and any activity outside of formal teaching that contributes to the overall excellence of the academic program.

The Motoichiro Oghimi Global Courage Award is presented to individuals who exhibit the intercultural courage exemplified by Motoichiro Oghimi, a member of the college’s Class of 1879 who came from Japan as one of Hope’s first international students.  It is given to faculty or academic staff members who exemplify deep engagement with the part of the college’s mission that calls for preparing students for leadership and service in a global society; bold risk-taking in creating new ways and opportunities to help students engage with other people, places and cultures; and engagement in global initiatives that go above and beyond their normal responsibilities.