April 24, 1998
Contact: Beth Fox
(615) 343-3210
| |
April 24, 1998 Contact: Beth Fox (615) 343-3210 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vanderbilt University Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt announced the winners of four faculty awards presented annually for excellence and outstanding achievement April 24.
During a luncheon for members of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, Wyatt named Distinguished Professor of History Paul K. Conkin this year's Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor for "distinctive contributions to the understanding of problems of contemporary society." John A. Oates, Thomas F. Frist Professor of Medicine and professor of pharmacology, was named the Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor for "distinguished accomplishment in furthering the aims of Vanderbilt University."
The Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching was awarded to Larry Griffin, professor of sociology and political science. Robert Drews, professor and chair of classics and professor of history, received the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.
Conkin and Oates, who will hold their honorary titles for one year, each received an engraved silver tray and $2,500. Griffin and Drews each received $2,500 and an engraved pewter cup as winners of the Sarratt and Ingalls awards. Griffin's name will be included on a permanent plaque in the Sarratt Student Center.
Following is a brief listing of the winners' professional accomplishments as they relate to their particular award:
Paul Conkin, Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor - For more than four decades, Conkin has been a historian, teacher and mentor. Distinguished Professor of History and former chair of the history department at Vanderbilt, Conkin has received numerous awards and distinctions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a senior fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He was named the Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor last year and received the Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research in 1989.
Conkin first came to Vanderbilt more than 45 years ago as a student in history, earning his master's degree and then his doctorate. He is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including "Gone With The Ivy: A Biography of Vanderbilt University," the last and most comprehensive institutional history. His colleagues recognized his leadership by electing him president of the Southern Historical Association for 1996-97.
John Oates, Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor - As chairman of the department of medicine from 1983 until last year, Oates helped double the size of the faculty and nearly quadruple the amount of external funding to more than $20 million. He has also maintained an active research program focusing on the link between hypertension and smoking.
Oates has been recognized with countless honors, awards and memberships in professional societies. Last year, his colleagues held a celebration in his honor that brought back former students and trainees from around the world. Oates joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1963.
Larry Griffin, Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching - Recipient of one of last year's Chairs of Teaching Excellence awards, Griffin consistently receives among the highest and most enthusiastic course evaluations in the sociology department. Griffin arrived at Vanderbilt in 1990 after serving at Indiana University and the University of Minnesota. He was honored for his excellence in the classroom at both schools. Last spring, he was a visiting professor at the College of William and Mary. Griffin has been a fellow and co-director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities Fellows program, "The South As an American Problem."
Robert Drews, Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching - A classical historian who has written extensively on Near Eastern history, one of Drews' most recent books, "In Search of the Shroud of Turin," has been the focus of recent media attention.
Drews, who joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1961, has served on the Graduate Faculty Council, the Arts and Science Faculty Council and the Faculty Senate. He was chairman of the Department of Classical Studies from 1975-80 and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1980. One student wrote in a course evaluation, "Professor Drews is one of the best instructors at Vanderbilt, and I count myself fortunate to have studied with him."
-VU-
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in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute,
a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
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education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range
of graduate and professional degrees.
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