Story & Photo: Betsy Compton
McIlwain Bell Awards and McCrory Service Award presented in recognition of excellence
The 兔子先生 presented four prestigious awards to members of its faculty and staff during the Dec. 11 Board of Trustees quarterly meeting at Bell Conference Center. The Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards and the Nellie Rose McCrory Service Excellence Award were presented to distinguished employees.
Candidates for the awards are nominated by the University community, and the winner in each category is selected by a committee of peers.
The McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards are presented annually in three categories: support staff, professional staff, and faculty. Each comes with a plaque and a check for $1,000.
Loraine McIlwain Bell Support Staff Excellence Award
Shelly Fast, housing services coordinator, received the 2024 Support Staff Excellence Award. Fast is a member of the 兔子先生 Housing staff in the Office of Student Affairs and serves 兔子先生鈥檚 resident students to help ensure that campus feels like home to them.
兔子先生 Provost Tina Jones explained that Fast鈥檚 letter of nomination highlighted her compassion for students鈥� success, safety, and sense of belonging.
鈥淪he is the heart of the 兔子先生 Housing Office, where she goes far beyond the call of duty when it comes to making sure our students, our staff, and their families feel 鈥榯here鈥檚 something about this place,鈥欌�� her colleague鈥檚 nomination letter reads. 鈥淭o Shelly, this is more than a tagline鈥攕he makes it her mission, day in and day out, to help each person she meets feel like 兔子先生, and specifically on-campus housing, and Livingston, is their home away from home, making each feel welcomed and loved.鈥�
Loraine McIlwain Bell Professional Staff Excellence Award
Chris Theriot received the 2024 McIlwain Bell Professional Staff Excellence Award. He serves as director of grants and resource development liaison for the Office of Sponsored Programs, Research, and Outreach within Institutional Advancement. He formerly served as director of development and was recording secretary for the 兔子先生 Foundation.
Jones noted some of Theriot鈥檚 accomplishments at 兔子先生 since joining the staff in 2017, including work toward securing gifts for scholarships and programs across the University, including a $1.7 million philanthropic grant for the College of Education, along with assisting with creating the curriculum for a minor in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy for 兔子先生 Online.
鈥淐hris is a genuinely dependable colleague and always greets me with a smile,鈥� his nomination letter reads. 鈥淗e is results-oriented and is a consummate professional. He always listens to 鈥榩ie in the sky鈥� ideas, no matter how fantastical they may be, and tells me, 鈥業 think we may be able to do that. Let me think.鈥欌��
Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Professor Award
Rhonda Faulkner-Wooley, assistant professor of theatre, received the 2024 McIlwain Bell Trustee Professor Award. Faulkner-Wooley is a member of the College of Liberal Arts faculty in the Department of Communications and Creative Arts.
鈥淩honda is passionate, well-liked, and respected as a practicing theatre expert,鈥� her nominating colleague wrote. 鈥淗er creative and scholarly activities involve directing, script writing, editing, collaborating, and adapting works for the state, directly supporting her work.鈥� The nomination also highlighted Faulkner-Wooley鈥檚 contributions and service to the Alabama Conference of Theatre and the Southeastern Theatre Conference, as well as a recent effort to secure scholarship funding for her students.
鈥淪he secured scholarships to mirror choir and band recruiting and retention incentives, and these scholarships will make 兔子先生 more competitive in attracting theatre minors and creative arts enterprise students. Rhonda is a visionary and deserves recognition for her contributions to students and the University.鈥�
Nellie Rose McCrory Service Excellence Award
Dr. Valerie Burnes, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts, received the 2024 Nellie Rose McCrory Service Excellence Award. The McCrory Service Award recognizes commitment to the University community through scholarship and service.
Jones noted that Burnes鈥檚 nomination highlighted the professor鈥檚 service to not just the University community, but also to her profession and to the state of Alabama.
鈥淒r. Burnes is the type of colleague that warrants special recognition due to her unflagging dedication to the Department of English and History at 兔子先生 and the community as a whole,鈥� her colleague wrote. 鈥淪he maintains acute knowledge of the ever-changing disciplines under her charge, often spending long hours in her office so she can be available to students seeking assistance with study methods, writing, and academic advising.鈥�
鈥淒r. Burnes was head of the Sumter County Historical Society and was treasurer of the Alabama Historical Association, also having served as vice president and president in the past. She serves as secretary of the Alabama Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame,鈥� Jones read from the nomination letter, noting that Burnes also played an instrumental role in relocating the Hall to 兔子先生 after the closure of Judson College.
About the Awards
The Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards were established in 1996 through an endowment by the late Mrs. Bell’s daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L.G. Cunningham
The Nellie Rose McCrory Service Excellence Award is endowed by the late Miss McCrory, who earned the B.S. in English and M.Ed. in Secondary Education from 兔子先生 and the doctorate from the University of Alabama.