TWO UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND PROFESSORS RECEIVE OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS
March 8, 2001
Two University of Richmond professors are among 11 winners of the 2001 Outstanding Faculty Awards, the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty members of Virginia colleges and universities.
Dafna Eylon, associate professor of organizational behavior and management, and Michael Wolf, professor of law and history, each received $5,000 and a commemorative plaque from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
Gov. Jim Gilmore recently presented the winners at a State Capitol ceremony.
The awards recognize not only quality teaching, but also a professor's research and public service. Nominations include evaluations from students and colleagues, plus each nominee's personal statement and résumé.
Each year, SCHEV invites all of the state's colleges and universities to nominate professors for the awards. This year, 36 institutions nominated 85 faculty members. Faculty size at each institution determines the number of nominees. Richmond was allocated five. Since the first awards in 1987, 16 of the 173 professors selected have been from the university.
Eylon teaches organizational behavior and management at the university's E. Claiborne Robins School of Business. She previously received both the university's distinguished educator and Robins School's outstanding scholar awards.
Recognized for her skill in explaining complex topics to students, Eylon researches how ambiguous information affects people who work collaboratively and competitively. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and political science from Tel Aviv University in Israel and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of British Columbia.
Wolf, also a previous recipient of the university's distinguished educator award, teaches law, history and American studies. He created two classes that are taken simultaneously by undergraduate and law students. "Faulkner and the Law" examines the Southern author's works as legal commentary. "Camelot in the Courts" investigates the real-world context of mid-20th century legal developments now being reassessed: desegregation, federal environmental controls, separation of church and state in public schools and greater protections for criminal defendants.
Wolf earned a B.A. in history and English from Emory, a Ph.D. in the history of American civilization from Harvard and a J.D. from Georgetown.
Other SCHEV award winners are: Dwight W. Allen and Sushil K. Chaturvedi of Old Dominion; Purusottam Jena and David J. Urban of Virginia Commonwealth; Charles R. Johnson and John A. Musick of William and Mary; Kelly G. Lambert of Randolph-Macon; Robert Martin Screen of Hampton; and James P. Wightman of Virginia Tech.