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:

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

—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.

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.

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.