Excellence in teaching, advising awards honor MSU faculty, staff

Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State is recognizing faculty and staff with annual awards for exceptional teaching, mentoring and advising, honoring those making a difference in students’ lives.

“Mississippi State’s outstanding award winners exemplify excellence, and they understand that the highest quality teaching is core to our university’s mission,” said MSU Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan. “The faculty and staff dedicated to teaching, advising and mentoring are critical in helping students achieve their goals.”

This year’s honorees include:

Jeff Davis presents the Alumni Association Awards to 2022 honorees
Alumni Association Executive Director Jeff Davis (second from left) is pictured with award recipients (l-r) Jake Shivley, John Ramirez-Avila and Braden Leap. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

Alumni Association Graduate and Professional Teaching Excellence Award

Braden Leap, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Jake Shivley, associate clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award

John Ramirez-Avila, associate professor in the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.

Donald Zacharias Early Career Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award recipients are (l-r) Scott DiGiulio, Ryan Green, Jeff Leffler and Carley Morrison. (Photo by Beth Wynn)
Donald Zacharias Early Career Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award recipients are (l-r) Scott DiGiulio, Ryan Green, Jeff Leffler and Carley Morrison. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

Donald Zacharias Early Career Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award

Scott DiGiulio, assistant professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ryan Green, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Bagley College of Engineering.

Jeff Leffler, assistant professor in the Division of Education at MSU-Meridian.

Carley Morrison, assistant professor of agricultural education, leadership and communications in the School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Susan Seal presents Christa Haney the Online Teaching Excellence Award
Center for Distance Education Executive Director Susan Seal presents Christa Haney with the CDE Online Teaching Excellence Award. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

Center for Distance Education Online Teaching Excellence Award

Christa Haney, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Geosciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Advising award recipients (l-r) Lori Elmore-Staton, Haylee Crouch, Kristine Evans, and Kali Dunlap are pictured with Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan. (Photo by Beth Wynn)
Advising award recipients (l-r) Lori Elmore-Staton, Haylee Crouch, Kristine Evans, and Kali Dunlap are pictured with Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award, Staff Recipient

Kali Dunlap, academic advisor with the Center for Distance Education.

Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award, Faculty Recipient

Lori Elmore-Staton, associate professor of human development and family science in the School of Human Sciences.

Wesley Ammon Outstanding New Staff Advisor Award

Haylee Crouch, academic coordinator for the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Foil-Wyatt Outstanding New Faculty Advisor Award

Kristine Evans, assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture in the College of Forest Resources.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.