Radford announces recipients of the University’s most prestigious awards for faculty excellence
Radford University has announced the five faculty members who won the 2019 Dalton Eminent Scholar Awards. The annual awards provide faculty members opportunities to go above and beyond in their chosen academic fields and for Radford University to recruit and retain the best faculty, as each faculty winner receives a $10,000 award to fund research travel and materials, along with a $5,000 award following successful completion of research and scholarly activity.
The Dalton Eminent Scholars Fund, which provides financial support for the prestigious awards, was originally established in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a way to honor United States District Judge Ted Dalton and former Governor of Virginia John Dalton. Through a grassroots fundraising campaign, more than $700,000 was raised for the endowment, which now has funds totaling nearly $2 million.
“Radford University is well-known and highly-regarded for the close bonds and lasting relationships between our talented students and world-class faculty. Following the transition from students to graduates and alumni, Highlanders have a deep-rooted connection to the faculty who share their expertise and enable individual dreams. That relationship is what separates Radford from other institutions of our scope and size. The winners of the Dalton Eminent Scholar Awards truly embody the spirit of the Radford family and the uniqueness of the Highlander experience,” said President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kenna M. Colley, Ed.D. added, “Radford University is fortunate to have many dedicated and outstanding faculty who are proud to call Radford University their professional home. They challenge and inspire our students each and every day and contribute to their academic disciplines in extraordinary ways. The Dalton Eminent Scholar Awards are one way that our campus community pays tribute to Radford University’s strong legacy of teaching excellence.”
The recipients of the 2019 Dalton Eminent Scholar Awards are:
- Donna Boyd, Ph.D., Eminent Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director of the Radford University Forensic Science Institute in the Artis College of Science and Technology;
- Matthew DeCarlo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Work and Site Coordinator of the Roanoke Master of Social Work Program in the Waldron College of Health and Human Services;
- Seife Dendir, Ph.D., Professor of Economics in the Davis College of Business and Economics;
- Agida Manizade, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics and Statistics in the Artis College of Science and Technology; and
- Thomas Pierce, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences.
Boyd, who is nationally renowned in her field, including a long-standing role as an American Academy of Forensic Sciences Fellow, said, “I am very proud to represent the Artis College of Science and Technology in providing more opportunities for student and faculty collaborative research in the Forensic and Anthropological Sciences. I am most thankful for Radford University’s support of faculty and student translational interdisciplinary biomedical research at both RU and RUC.”
DeCarlo, who was selected for the Rising Star Award, said, “I am very grateful to be recognized for my work. The Rising Star Award demonstrates Radford University’s commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning in service of our mission as a teaching-focused university. My work is non-traditional in my discipline, and I am immensely thankful for the support of my director, dean and provost for supporting my work, which aims to make higher education more financially accessible both within my discipline and across all of Radford University.”
Dendir, who joined the Radford family in 2005, said, “I am delighted. I am sure there were many worthy nominees, so it is a great honor to be selected to receive this year’s award alongside four other outstanding scholars. The Dalton Eminent Scholar Awards further signify Radford University’s strong commitment to support and advance faculty research and scholarship.”
Manizade, who received an Outstanding Faculty Award, the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities, earlier this year, said, “I am greatly honored to receive the Dalton Eminent Scholar Award and want to express my deep gratitude to the Dalton family, Radford University Foundation, Radford University and the Artis College of Science and Technology for the support and recognition of my research that has direct implications on teaching in the new Digital Era. It is a truly humbling experience to join a talented group of academics who have been recognized by this award.”
Pierce, who joined the Radford family in 1992, said, “I am deeply honored to win this award, especially knowing how many deserving faculty members we have on this campus. I’m especially excited to receive it because it will allow the students in my lab to use resources to record and analyze EEG data that we wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”
See additional information about Radford University’s strong tradition of teaching excellence and faculty achievement.