Fifteen members of the Alabama State University faculty have been chosen to receive monetary awards totaling more than $70,000 as part of an initiative aimed at propelling academic advancement and scholarship at the University.
The awards were given in two categories: Faculty Research and Curriculum Enhancement. The award recipients were announced by the University’s Office of Academic Affairs.
“We are proud to announce the continuation of the program that first began in 2022 after Dr. Carl S. Pettis (provost and vice president of Academic Affairs) originated the idea and asked me to join with him so we might infuse additional scholarly vigor into both our faculty member’s research projects, as well as the curriculum that we use to teach our students,” said associate provost, Dr. Kennedy Wekesa. “Promoting enhanced learning, scholarly pursuits and critical thought is the hallmark of Alabama State’s faculty members and what better way to encourage it than to offer these two awards, which nurture the process.”
Wekesa has tasked his administrative assistant, Latonia M. Harris, with managing the infrastructure and operational aspects of both sets of awards, which is a process she finds fulfilling.
“These two awards are important to the continued growth of the University in that it helps the faculty move forward on collecting data within important research topics that are of interest to them, which ultimately strengthens the academic foundation of the University and in turn, propels our students to greater academic heights,” stated Harris.