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Tech faculty honored with service pins for years of service to university
As the 2022-2023 academic year kicked off at Tennessee Tech University, faculty members
were recognized for their years of dedication at the annual faculty service pin celebration.
“Tech is a top-performing public university in the state,” said President Oldham. “Our faculty show such a dedication to our students and to their success. As a university, we work to create an environment that benefits students, a place where they learn, grow and, ultimately, become career-ready graduates. It’s a direct result of the hard work of our students and faculty members.”
The awards presented at the ceremony included 22 pins for 10 years of service, nine pins for 15 years of service, 11 pins for 20 years of service, four pins for 25 years of service, two pins for 30 years of service, six pins for 35 years of service, one pin for 40 years of service and two pins for 45 years of service.
“My favorite part of working at Tech has been the people and the opportunity to try to present math in a coherent, interesting and useful way,” said associate math professor Brian O’Connor, one of the 45-year pin recipients.
In his time at Tech, O’Connor has spent 40 years on the Faculty Senate and Academic Council, been a member on more than 100 engineering Ph.D. committees, moderated the WCTE High School Academic Bowl for 15 years and sang in the student groups – Chorale and Concert Choir – for 40 years.
Mark Creter, theater professor and artistic director of Tech’s Backdoor Playhouse, was one of the faculty awarded a 30-year pin. Over his years at Tech, he’s won awards such as Tech’s College of Arts & Sciences Award for Research and Creative Activity, Tech’s Excellence in Creative Inquiry Award, as well as awards for outstanding directing and acting from the Knoxville Area Theatre Coalition.
"I feel so fortunate to reach this milestone at this wonderful university,” Creter said. “I am grateful to those colleagues who have supported my work over these many years. I dedicate this pin to all the students whose lives I have affected and who kept inspiring me to improve my work on stage and in the classroom."
Ray Kozub, physics professor, who received a pin for 45 years of teaching at Tech, says his favorite part of his career has been working with students, both in the classroom and on research projects.
“A number of my former students have gone on to finish the Ph.D. degree, some at top level universities, and become high achieving scientists in their own right. This has been very rewarding,” he said. “I’ll always be grateful to the late, then-department chair Fred Culp for hiring me, and to the U.S. Department of Energy for providing continuous funding for my research over a period of four decades.”
The full list of service pins awarded includes:
10 Years
- Dennis Fennewald, School of Agriculture
- Justin Murdock, Biology
- Nikki Panter, Biology
- Richard Pirkle, Biology
- Amanda Carroll, Chemistry
- Jeannette Luna, Earth Sciences
- Brian Williams, English
- Damian Kubiak, Mathematics
- Marcus Rogers, Mathematics
- Mary Kidd, Physics
- Lauren Harding, Sociology and Political Science
- Ann Davis, Accounting
- Robert Alley, Economics, Finance and Marketing
- Christopher Burgin, Counseling and Psychology
- Derrick Edwards, Counseling and Psychology
- Amy Callender, Curriculum and Instruction
- Alicia Laffoon, Curriculum and Instruction
- Jennifer Meadows, Curriculum and Instruction
- Frances Taylor, Curriculum and Instruction
- Queen Ogbomo, Curriculum and Instruction
- Sharon Holderman, Library
- Jennifer Mabry, Nursing
15 Years
- Philip Davis, History
- Stacy Brown, Mathematics
- Martha Forgey, Mathematics
- Mary Howard, Accounting
- Janet Isbell, Teacher Education
- Michael Phillips, Exercise Science, Physical Education and Wellness
- William Fred Eberle, Computer Science
- David Hajdik, Environmental Studies
- Craig Zamer, Music
20 Years
- Christopher Brown, Biology
- Steven Hayslette, Biology
- Hong Zhang, Chemistry
- Susan Laningham, History
- Motoya Machida, Mathematics
- David Smith, Mathematics
- Kristen Trent, Curriculum and Instruction
- Yan Liu, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Michael Rogers, Computer Science
- Douglas Talbert, Computer Science
- Wei Chang, Music
25 Years
- Joseph Biernacki, Chemical Engineering
- L. Fred Vondra, Manufacturing and Technology
- Christopher Wilson, General Engineering
- Stephen Canfield, Mechanical Engineering
30 Years
- Mark Creter, English
- Barbara Jared, Nursing
35 Years
- Yung-Way Liu, Mathematics
- Julie Pharr, Economics, Finance and Marketing
- Satish Mahajan, Center for Energy Systems Research
- Ali Alouani, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Stephen Idem, Mechanical Engineering
- Russ Witcher, Communication
40 Years
- Kwun-Lon Ting, Mechanical Engineering
45 Years
- Brian O’Connor, Mathematics
- Raymond Kozub, Physics
