College of Engineering / Awards / William F. Walker Teaching Awards
William F. Walker Teaching Awards
About
The William F. Walker Teaching Awards recognize and motivate outstanding achievement by faculty members involved in the education of engineering students at Auburn. There are two levels of recognition – Merit and Superior. The latter represents the highest honor for instruction in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and is presented to one faculty member annually. It carries a $10,000 stipend.
The merit award is also presented to faculty who exemplify excellence in teaching and a deep commitment to the education of our students. It includes a $5,000 stipend, and may be awarded to more than one faculty member, based on the availability of funds in the endowment.
Renamed for Walker in 2000 when he served the university as provost and vice president of academic affairs, these prestigious awards were originally known as the Fred and Mary Lou Birdsong Teaching Awards from their inception in 1990. A 1934 graduate in chemical engineering, Fred noted that he and Mary Lou sought to enable the kinds of experiences that would produce well rounded students.
Walker, who became president of Auburn in 2001, also served as dean of engineering from 1988-98. The Birdsongs cited Walker’s outstanding service as dean in renaming the awards.
Eligibility
Faculty members throughout the university are eligible for the Walker awards, with the provision that they have taught engineering students and made a lasting impact on their academic studies. Superior Teaching Award recipients cannot repeat within a three-year period; Merit Teaching Award recipients are not eligible for consideration in consecutive years.
Criteria
Nominations for the William F. Walker Teaching Awards may be made by faculty members, students and alumni. Nomination packets must be no more than 12 pages and include:
- A letter of support from the department chair (limited to four pages)
- Two or three additional letters of support
- Student evaluations from the past three to five years (summary table)
- Current curriculum vita
- Summary relating the relevance of courses that do not carry engineering designations, as they apply to the education of engineering students
- A thorough evaluation of teaching competence and effectiveness should anchor the nomination
Nomination deadline
Packets are submitted initially to the department chair for committee review. Further review is at the dean’s level, with a committee composed of the previous year's Superior Teaching Award recipient, and representatives from the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, the Engineering Student Council and the Office of the Provost.
The Walker Teaching Awards are presented at the College of Engineering's spring awards ceremony.
If you have any questions about the online nomination process, please contact Angie Lemke at lemkean@auburn.edu.
Previous recipients
2022: Superior: Jeffrey LaMondia
Merit: Richard Sesek, Russell Mailen
2021: Superior: Jonathan Davis
Merit: Molly Hughes, Bill Josephson
2020: Superior: Thaddeus Roppel
Merit: Sanjeev Baskiyar, Mark Dougherty, Jordan Roberts
2019: Superior: Rick Williams
Merit: Asha-Dee Celestine, Michael Zabala
2018: Superior: Joseph Shaeiwitz
Merit: Anahita Ayasoufi, Richard Sesek
2017: Superior: Stan Reeves
Merit: Sushil Bhavnani, Robert Barnes
2016: Superior: Nels Madsen
Merit: Joseph Shaeiwitz, Stuart Wentworth
2015: Superior: Molly Hughes
Merit: James Cross, Elizabeth Lipke, Richard Williams
2014: Superior: Dean Hendrix
Merit: Mario R. Eden, Roy W. Knight, Andrew J. Sinclair, Jeffrey J. LaMondia
2013: Superior: Lewis N. Payton
Merit: Mark E. Byrne, R. Steven Gross
2012: Superior: Andrew Shelton
Merit: Bart Prorok, Anton K. Schindler, Hareesh Tippur
2011: Superior: Roy W. Knight
Merit: Dean Hendrix, David Cicci
2010: Superior: Dan Wilamowski
Merit: Robert Barnes, David Bevly, Bill Josephson
2009: Superior: Steve R. Duke
Merit: Subhash Sinha, Brian S. Thurow
2008: Superior: Stuart M. Wentworth
Merit: Rod E. Turochy, David A. Umphress, W. Robert Ashurst
2007: Superior: Mario R. Eden
Merit: Charles Stroud, Sushil Bhavnani, Robert Chambers
2006: Superior: Mark E. Byrne, Jorge Valenzuela
2005: Superior: Steve R. Duke
Merit: Robert W. Barnes, John Y. Hung, Gisela Buschle-Diller
2004: Superior: William F. Gale
Merit: Y. Y. Leem, Mark Nelms, Adit D. Singh, George T. Flowers
2003: Merit: David Mills, Jay Khodadadi
2002: Superior: Mahmoud El-Halwagi
Merit: Ronald M. Barrett, Christopher B. Roberts, Victor P. Nelson
2001: Superior: Sushil H. Bhavnani
Merit: Thomas S. Denney, Jr., Gopal A. Krishnagopalan, Robert E. Thomas, Jr.
