New Mexico State University (NMSU) celebrated its 21st annual Teaching Academy Gala: Champagne and Chocolate on May 8, to honor members and donors. The Teaching Academy provides tools, strategies, and workshops to NMSU faculty, staff, and graduate instructors, empowering them to excel as educators and mentors.
In the past year, the Teaching Academy saw the participation of 849 faculty, staff, and graduate students in 8,149 hours of instruction. The gala served as an occasion to recognize donors for their contributions that bolster all aspects of the Academy’s vision and mission.
The Teaching Academy recognized its members, a most distinguished member, an outstanding mentor, and an innovative teacher during the event. “You are to be congratulated because, with your ever-busier schedules, you still managed to carve out time for professional development,” said Tara Gray, Director of the Teaching Academy. “We thank you and honor you.”
Jesse Waller was honored as the Most Distinguished Member of the Year. A Professor of Practice in Mechanical Engineering at NMSU who transitioned from a 30-year career in contract work and government labs to full-time academia in 2022. Waller earned this title by participating in the most faculty development events in 2023.
“Teachers like Jesse get the ‘best teacher ever’ comments from time to time," said Chris Bickford from the Academy while presenting Waller's award. "But seldom is a teacher called a goat." This acronym stands for Greatest of All Time or G-O-A-T.
Marat Talipov received the Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award. An associate professor specializing in chemistry and biochemistry at NMSU whose research revolves around utilizing supercomputers for novel small molecule discovery and photovoltaic material design through machine learning.
The Truly Innovative Teaching Award was presented to Stacy Gherardi who serves as an associate professor and interim co-director of the School of Social Work. Gherardi's research focuses on school social work, community school movement, and trauma-informed education.
The gala also recognized new benefactors Niki Mott, Martha Mitchell, and Jodie Kenney for their generous contributions to the Academy. Mott is an English instructor with NMSU and NMSU Alamogordo. Mitchell served as the department head of Chemical and Materials Engineering and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering at NMSU from 1996-2023. Kenney is currently a faculty member in the Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation program with Purdue University Global.
Chancellor of NMSU Global Sherry Kollmann was also acknowledged for her significant investment in NMSU faculty through the Global Campus initiative.
For more information about the Teaching Academy, visit https://teaching.nmsu.edu.