Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences is spotlighting eight current and one retired faculty member for their scholarly commitments to the university with the Robert E. Wolverton Legacy Award and six research and teaching awards.

Created in 2014 in honor of Wolverton, an MSU professor of classics for more than four decades, the Wolverton Legacy Award recognizes faculty, staff and friends who have made long-term contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences and have advocated the ideals of liberal arts education.

The 2023 Robert E. Wolverton Legacy Award winners include:

—Adele Crudden, recently retired professor, Department of Sociology

—John Forde, professor, Department of Communication.

—Kimberly Walters, instructor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Given to faculty whose work contributes significantly to increasing awareness of the university’s research programs and capabilities, the annual research awardees include:

—Melody Fisher, associate professor, Department of Communication, humanities award

—Braden Leap, associate professor, Department of Sociology, social and behavioral sciences award

—Johna Rudzin, assistant professor, Department of Geosciences, natural and physical sciences award

Outstanding teaching service awardees include:

—Carly Bahler, instructor, Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, humanities award

—Barrett Gutter, assistant clinical professor, Department of Geosciences, natural and physical sciences award

—Ben Tkach, assistant professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, social and behavioral sciences award

MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,000 students, 325 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs, 14 master’s programs, and 27 undergraduate academic majors offered in 14 departments. It also is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences may be found at www.cas.msstate.edu.  

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