OA SPRING-SUMMER 2025 MAGAZINE - with links

FAC U LT Y AWA R D S Each spring, faculty awards are announced with great excitement and enthusiasm. The 2025 ceremony was no different. Seven faculty members were recognized for their outstanding achievements, with Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost/executive vice president for academic affairs, hosting the event. Awards announced were the Alumni Faculty Leadership Award, the Annual Excellence in Assessment Award, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Adjunct Faculty and the Pomeroy Awards for Faculty Excellence – one for Service and one for Teaching. The Sister Mary Joseph Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award was established in 1990 through the generosity of Mary Ellen Sweeney Haggerty from the Class of 1942 and her husband, Lawrence Haggerty. This award honors outstanding faculty achievements. It is named after a highly respected professor of English at The Woods, known for exemplifying the highest ideals of teaching, scholarship and service, and who is also the namesake of our athletic teams. Since 1992, the Alumni Faculty Leadership and Service Award has honored faculty at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College who demonstrate outstanding leadership benefiting our students and the greater campus community through their service.

2025 Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award for Service Crystal White, DNP, FNP-C, RN – Director of Master of Science in Nursing Program

• Chair of Graduate Council, Curriculum Chair for Graduate Nursing, Co-director of the C.A.M.P. at The Woods and President of the SMWC chapter of Sigma Theta Tau • Servant leader engaged as active member of Reimagine Wellness Committee with a focus on faculty and staff wellness • Coordinated study abroad opportunities and local community health events, specifically leading a group of graduate nursing students to Mexico, serving individuals with health fairs, patient care and education • Serves as a parish nurse and music minister at her church

White with Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Janet Clark, Ph.D.

2025 Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching Douglas Sperry, Ph.D. – Professor of Psychology

2025 Alumni Faculty Leadership Award Douglas Sperry, Ph.D. – Professor of Psychology

• Instructs at undergraduate and graduate levels with contributions to the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program, the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, as well as campus and Woods Online • Embraced AI as a tool for deeper learning and rebuilt his courses around authentic engagement and critical thinking • Designed mini-experiments, integrated AI-powered research assignments and eliminated some tests in favor of student-driven demonstrations of learning • Enthusiastic mentor and guides students through ambitious independent research projects helping many to showcase their work at academic symposia, state and international conferences Sperry with Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Janet Clark, Ph.D.

• Student nomination that read, “In every respect, this faculty member demonstrates exceptional leadership both inside and outside the classroom. This individual has left indelible marks on my growth in both my academic and interpersonal education, offering sagacious guidance and teaching experience from their own expertise.” • Served as Chair and Co-chair of the Rank, Promotion and Tenure Committee • Served on several task forces such as Conduct Board, Grievance Committee Pool, Higher Learning Commission accreditation teams and several faculty search committees • Leads the Dr. Theresa L. Gioannini Student Symposium

Sperry with Vice President for Advancement, Catherine Mickey Saunders ’98.

2025 Excellence in Assessment Award Rusty Tryon, DMin, MLS – Director of Library Services, Associate Professor

Honorable Mentions for 2025 Pomeroy Faculty Excellence for Teaching Tricia Pierce, DHSc, ACSM-CEP – Associate Professor of Exercise Science Keeley Cleghorn, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Biology Pierce and Cleghorn with Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Janet Clark, Ph.D.

• Chair of the General Education Committee and led implementation of the fully developed assessment plan • Improved data collection and refined program evaluation methods • Led initiatives such as Project SAILS, the WC400 capstone rubric and faculty development sessions • Dedication to student success, faculty collaboration and institutional improvement

Tryon with Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Janet Clark, Ph.D.

2025 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award Jennie Mitchell, Ph.D. – Emeritus Professor, Adjunct Faculty

Spring Sabbatical Sherry Schnake, Ph.D. – Professor of Psychology

• Taught at The Woods for 24 years before retiring in 2013 • Three-time Pomeroy Award winner • Nominated by graduate students because of her focus on research courses and data visualization courses • 2023-24 winner of PALSave Open Educator Award by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI)

Center: Sherry Schnake, Ph.D. L to R: Cleghorn, White, Pierce, Tryon, Schnake, Mitchell, Clark and Sperry

Mitchell with Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Janet Clark, Ph.D.

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