UHCL faculty honored for innovation, research, and student impact

University of Houston-Clear Lake’s (UHCL) Center for Faculty Development (CFD) recently hosted its 2025 Faculty Development Week, culminating in the annual Faculty Development Awards ceremony. The event recognized outstanding faculty who have made significant contributions to teaching excellence, research innovation, and student success.

Dr. Marci McMahon, executive director of the CFD, highlighted its mission to offer diverse opportunities that enhance UHCL faculty members' teaching and research roles and honor their contributions to the university.

“Honoring UHCL faculty through our annual awards ceremony is a highlight of our Center's programming,” said McMahon. “Our CFD Awards program ensures that faculty feel seen, heard, and recognized for their numerous contributions that elevate and enhance student success at UHCL.”

During the program, faculty members were honored in categories, including “Number of Students Taught,” “Go to 11 Award,” “Scholarship to Improve Higher Education,” “Early Career Award,” and the “Texas Research & Scholarship Award,” among others.

This year, the “College Cup” was presented to the College of Human Sciences and Humanities, awarded to a College with the highest faculty participation in CFD activities.

The annual CFD Awards program promotes a campus culture that values intellectual inquiry, scholarship, and creative engagement. This year’s winners are as follows:

Number of Students Taught

Faculty who have taught 5000+ students

Barry Marks, Alfredo-Perez Davila, Clifton Mayfield, Susan Sorensen, Faiza Zalila

Faculty who have taught 2500+ students

Krishani Abeysekera, Stephen Gruber, Jeffrey Lash, Ahmed Abukmail, Laura Guerrero, Judith Marquez, Said Bettayeb, Michael Heerey, Brian Stephens, Nelson Carter, Raymond Khoury, Felicia Thomas, William Kilgore

Faculty who have taught 1000+ students

 Manki Cho, Marjorie Paben, Sheila Schatzke, Rachel Hensley, Deani Quick, Joseph Stromberg, Anne Marcoline, Unal “Zak” Sakoglu, Steven Sutherland

“Go to 11” Award: Faculty who earned 11 or more credits for activities sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

 Sheila Baker, Giazú Enciso Domínguez, Michael LaMontagne, Donglai Bao, Leslie Gauna, Ashley MacPherson, Robert Bartsch, Anne Gessler, Shreerekha Pillai, Kazi Billah, Michelle Giles, Uttam Pokharel, Caroline Crawford, Shanna Graves, Roberta Raymond, Mary Curtis, Shivani Gupta, Christal Seahorn, Soma Datta, Kelsey James, Xiaojun “Gene” Shan, Kent Divoll, Lisa Jones, Christine Walther, Angela Kelling, Anna Klyueva, Jeffery Whitworth

“Go to 11” All-Stars: Faculty who earned the most credits in the “Go to 11” award category sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

Christine Walther, Angela Kelling, Gene “Xiaojun” Shan

 CFD Early Career Faculty Awards: Recognizing early career faculty who have performed at a very high level before they apply for promotion.

Jane Cooper, Giazú Enciso Domínguez, Charuksha Walgama 

Instructional Innovation Award: Recognizing faculty for stimulating a spirit of experimentation and creativity in trying out new ideas to enhance teaching and learning in specific, practical, and generalizable ways.

Kathleen Garland, Food Deserts Scavenger Hunt

Kimberly McGough, Counseling Intervention Infomercials: Shark Tank©Style

Daniel Silvermintz, Antigone vs Creon: Staging a Mock Trial to Develop Ethical Problem

Solving

Allyssa Wadsworth, 2008 Financial Crisis Interview and Round Table Discussion 

Scholarship to Improve Higher Education: Recognizing faculty for publishing or presenting scholarship to improve academia.

Dina Abdel-Zaher, Building Synergistic Mindsets in International Business Education: The Unmet Demands of a VUCA Marketplace

Debra Clark, A Case Study Discussion of ‘Strange Fruit’: Teaching an Interdisciplinary-Multimedia Lesson Regarding Vigilante Justice and Racism in the United States

Soma Datta, Using Kolb's Experiential Learning in Agile Software Development Course

Wanalee Romero, Abolishing the Language of Slavery: Critical Pedagogy for Anti-Racist Conversations 

Texas Research & Scholarship Award: Recognizing faculty for high level of scholarship on topics concerning the state of Texas.

Kimberly Dodson, Transforming Research into Practice: Holding Police Accountable by Examining Officer’s Attitudes Regarding Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) in a Border Community

Jennifer Grace, ‘Not Looking to Blame, Shame or Horrify People’: Texas Educational Leaders Reflect on Employing Anti-Racism in Everyday School Leadership

Lisa Gossett, Dow’s Reservoir and the Realities of Flooding in Texas

Michelle Peters, The Influence of COVID-19 on Campus Leaders’ Curriculum Integration, Perceptions Towards, and Acquired Expertise in Technology

CFD Staff Appreciation Award: Awarded annually to a distinguished staff member who has shown outstanding excellence and superior performance in assisting the Center for Faculty Development in accomplishing its goals.

Lee Hilyer, Executive Director, Alfred R. Neumann Library 

College Cup: Awarded annually to a UHCL college with highest faculty participation in Center for Faculty Development activities.

College of Human Sciences and Humanities

For more information about UHCL’s CFD, visit www.uhcl.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-development/.