Each year, the University of Mary Washington opens the semester with an all-faculty meeting, celebrating contributions to the UMW community, dedicated expertise to fields of study, and support and mentorship of students. In fall 2024, five faculty members earned awards for their commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as service to the campus and their professions.
Professor of Classics Angela Pitts received the Grellet C. Simpson Award, which recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching. Throughout her tenure at UMW, she has expanded the curricula, taught across-the-curriculum programs, led study abroad, and demonstrated initiative and innovation. She has brought the field of classics to new students by developing classes for the general education program and at the same time she has transformed the upper-division curriculum of her program by creating classes that address issues of contemporary interest. As one colleague wrote, she “sets the ‘gold standard’ for excellence in teaching at Mary Washington” and addresses “not only the education but also the health and well-being of students.” She initiated an annual Mindfulness Week on campus, and in 2015, she introduced a course on contemplative practices, and then a minor in contemplative studies, only the second program of its kind in the nation at the time.
Professor of Education Kyle Schultz earned the Graduate Faculty Award. A mentor to hundreds of graduate students during his 7-year tenure at UMW, including leading as many as 25 at a time through the process of developing and carrying out individual research projects, he has also supervised them in field-based internships. His former students write of the profound impact that his mentorship had on their professional development. While working at Mary Washington, Schultz has served as co-principal investigator for two National Science Foundation grants with awards totaling over two million dollars and has held the Waple Professorship. He serves his field off campus, delivering many by-invitation presentations, facilitating professional workshops, completing frequent consulting projects and publishing several papers.
Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Marcus Leppanen received the Outstanding Young Faculty Award, which is presented to a full-time faculty member who has two to five years of full-time teaching service at Mary Washington. Leppanen’s enthusiasm for pedagogy shines through his work. A frequent member of teaching workshops, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Group, and the Inclusive Course Design group, he also participates in the Council on Undergraduate Research. One recommender wrote of how he “is creative in the classroom, challenging students to actively participate and to apply what they have learned to everyday experiences.” He uses a data-driven approach and best practices to enhance learning, sharing knowledge in and beyond the classroom. He has worked with several teams of students on research projects and supervised student research for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute at Mary Washington, resulting in presentations and impending publications.
Associate Professor Emerita of Education Jane Huffman received the Topher Bill Award posthumously in recognition of outstanding faculty service. Within the College of Education, Huffman, who passed away in March, played many roles. She chaired the Curriculum and Assessment Committee and the Department of Foundations, Leadership and Special Populations; she was program director for Advanced Programs; and she served on the leadership team, which advises the dean of education. Huffman taught classes in Elementary Goals and Practices, Development of the Learner and Instructional Practices, and Elementary Social Studies. Throughout her work, she kept an open mind about new and engaging teaching methods including the use of hands-on problem-based learning strategies. She integrated the use of Lego bricks in her teaching methods classes, which inspired and led to the Lego wall in the Seacobeck Makerspace. She was the 2018 winner of the Graduate Faculty Award. In addition, Huffman was actively engaged in leadership for many years at the state level with the Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Virginia, where she served as the executive director and as president, and the Association of Teacher Educators. Huffman was named Associate Professor Emerita of Education in spring 2024.
Associate Professor of Psychological Science Laura Wilson received the Waple Faculty Professional Achievement Award recognizing the significance and impact of a faculty member’s scholarly, creative or other professional achievements. A clinical psychologist who specializes in post-trauma functioning, Wilson has been named a “Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science, and she has co-authored two books and published more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and articles. She has given 40 by-invitation talks and panelist presentations as well, as 36 poster presentations, and has often served as an invited symposium chair. She has served across the United States for Supreme Judicial Court briefs, worked internationally as a grant proposal reviewer and is at the top of all the research metrics for her field.
