| Wednesday, June 25, 2008 | |
| Contact Charmaine Williams 228.865.4573 | |
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Dr. Tom Lansford, assistant dean in the College of Arts and Letters and associate professor of political science, received the award for research; Dr. Ray Scurfield, professor in the School of Social Work and director of the Katrina Research Center, received the award for service; and Robert Turnbull, instructor and laboratory coordinator in the Department of Biological Sciences, received the award for teaching. Lansford, who edited or co-edited six books this past year and produced four book chapters, received the Distinguished Professorship Award in Research for his many contributions to the academic community. Lynn University awarded him their inaugural Fellow in American Studies for his outstanding research endeavors. Lansford also secured $94,000 in external research funding for the Community and Regional Resilience Initiative funded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As president of the Gulf Coast Faculty Council and a member of seven university committees, Scurfield has been recognized with the Distinguished Professorship Award in Service. Following Hurricane Katrina, he worked to expand counseling services for Southern Miss Gulf Coast students, faculty and staff. Scurfield's service contributions also include writing three opinion-editorial pieces; conducting 31 media appearances; and maintaining advisory board membership for Make a Difference Media, the Disaster Accountability Project, and Traumatology Commission on Accreditation and Certification. Turnbull, who strives to challenge students, has frequently taught a multitude of courses each semester, including the design of laboratories for several biology courses. The dedication Turnbull has for his students is evident through his mentorship. His students have submitted a number of comments that show respect, support and admiration for their instructor. One student's comment described Turnbull as a "wonderful instructor who goes the extra mile for his students." The faculty members who were selected for the awards will receive a cash award and plaque to recognize their achievements. All Southern Miss faculty members were encouraged to nominate a colleague. Through this nomination process, the winning faculty members were selected. Three Southern Miss Gulf professors -- Dr. Ray Scurfield, Robert Turnbull and Dr. Tom Lansford -- recently were selected as recipients of the Butch Oustalet Family Distinguished Professorship Awards for 2007-08. Pictured are, from left, Dr. Pat Joachim, left, associate provost, Scurfield, Turnbull, Lansford and Butch Oustalet of Butch Oustalet Inc. |
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