The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8.
Elisa Ann Stengel Walker of Rockville, Md., received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, which is presented annually to the student with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the four-year undergraduate program. She finished with a 3.982 GPA.
Gregg Stull, professor of theatre and chair of the department of theatre and dance, was presented the Grellet C. Simpson Award, which is the institution’s most prestigious annual award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. The recipient is usually a senior member of the faculty.
Stephen C. Davies, assistant professor of computer science, received the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award. The winner is selected by the graduating class as the faculty member “whom they will most likely remember as the one who had the greatest impact on their lives.”
Robert R. Barr, assistant professor of political science, received the UMW Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Member Award, which is presented annually to an exceptional member of the faculty who has served the institution for at least two years, but no more than five years.
Suzanne G. Houff, professor of education, received the College of Graduate and Professional Studies Outstanding Faculty Member Award, which is presented annually to an exceptional full-time faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and professional leadership, and who has taught at the Stafford campus for at least two years.
Elisa Ann Stengel Walker
Walker is a double major in Spanish and sociology. She has been an active member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociology honor society, and Phi Sigma Iota, the Spanish honor society, and she has been involved in outreach activities in the Fredericksburg community. As an intern at the Fredericksburg Health Department, she offered her advanced proficiency in Spanish as a service to the community. She assisted the medical and clerical staff in their efforts to educate and provide health care to the local Latino population.
Her scholarly pursuits and service contributions reach far beyond the classroom. She is committed to furthering her own knowledge of the diverse cultural panorama of the Spanish-speaking world and to sharing her passion for the language, literatures and cultures of Latin America with others. In the spring of 2009, she participated in a study abroad program in Argentina.
Faculty members in both Spanish and sociology departments describe her as a conscientious and dedicated student who made thoughtful, relevant contributions to class discussions on a broad range of topics. Walker was consistently able to process complex concepts, and arrive at conclusions that led her further into other intellectual queries, according to her professors.
Gregg Stull
Stull has been associated with Mary Washington for many years, having earned his bachelor’s degree in dramatic arts in 1982. He joined the faculty in 1991. With receipt of this award, he is the first faculty member to receive all three faculty awards during his career at UMW.
Stull is described as an enthusiastic, dedicated, and devoted teacher who challenges students to perform at their highest levels. He is praised for his effectiveness, his hands on approach to teaching, his constant encouragement, his passion for teaching, and his willingness to go beyond the call of duty. His commitment to students helps them to hone life skills that will take them far beyond their time at the University of Mary Washington.
Stull is an expert on funding, policy, and first amendment issues involving the arts. He consults with arts organizations throughout the country in the area of strategic planning, artistic assessment, and community engagement. He has served as a panelist for the Ohio Arts Council and as an evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts. An expert on social action and the arts, Stull has directed two international displays of the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt. Stull earned his master’s degree in theatre from the University of Maryland.
Stephen C. Davies
Davies has been a member of the faculty since 2006. He teaches a wide range of computer science courses, from introductory to advanced level classes such as “Object Oriented Analysis and Design.”
Students from Davies’ introductory courses praise his ability to break down the information so that all students can understand the subject matter, even those who don’t consider themselves to be computer savvy. Some students said they love the computer science program and they chose computer science as their major because of his persistence and one-on-one mentoring.
Davies received his doctorate in computer science and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado, and his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Rice University.
Robert R. Barr
Barr, who joined the faculty in 2005, is a well-known expert in Latin American politics. He has conducted field research in Bolivia and Peru; development work in El Salvador, Guatemala, Philippines, Senegal and Uganda; language study in Mexico; and travel in sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas and Europe. He has a forthcoming book on populism in Latin America.
His professional accomplishments include numerous articles published in well-respected journals and papers presented at conferences emphasizing his area of expertise, Latin American politics. He has established a national reputation as one of the rising stars in the discipline. His professional accomplishments were recognized in 2007 when he received a highly competitive and prestigious Junior Faculty Research Grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation.
Barr received his doctorate in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a master’s degree in foreign affairs and a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in international relations from the University of Virginia.
Suzanne G. Houff
Houff, who has taught at Mary Washington since 2000, specializes in elementary education, literacy and classroom management, and she has published and presented extensively on these subjects. Houff has written two books, “The Classroom Manager” (2009) and “The Classroom Researcher” (2008), both published by Rowman and Littlefield, and she’s editing “The Classroom Facilitator” for 2010 publication.
An expert on multicultural awareness through literature, she has been a driving force behind the Ghana Education Project. As part of that UMW study-abroad program, Houff helped lead education students to the west African country in 2009 to train Ghanian teachers in reading instruction. In addition, she coordinated development of the literacy specialist area of study in the master of education program.
Houff is praised by her colleagues as enthusiastic, talented and energetic, eager to pursue innovation and adept at collaborating with peers and students. Faculty describe her as an engaging instructor, hard-working scholar, service-oriented professional and dedicated coordinator of the elementary licensure program.
She holds a doctorate from Old Dominion University, an education specialist degree from George Washington University, a master’s from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s from Longwood College. She is past president of the Virginia State Reading Association’s Virginia College Reading Educators Council.