Around 120 faculty and staff gathered just before the start of the spring semester to honor faculty members’ accomplishments, celebrate the service of those retiring, and name the annual King and Haggar Fellows.

Reserved for professors that show devotion to both their students and their scholarly projects, the two awards recognize exemplary research and teaching skill.

Rome Program Director Peter Hatlie, Ph.D., and biology professor Inimary Toby, Ph.D. received the night’s top honors. Hatlie was named King Fellow for his scholarly accomplishments, especially his ongoing research into monastic life in Constantinople, as well as his dedication to the thousands of undergraduates that continue to learn under him as head of the Rome Program. Having served the program in some capacity since 2003, Hatlie received the King Fellow award virtually from Rome. Toby was named Haggar Fellow for her contributions to undergraduate science programs, the success of her student research and her diligent scholarly work in biology.

Other faculty were recognized for their scholarly contributions and teaching skill. The stories recounted at the ceremony include Professor of English Robert Dupree, Ph.D., teaching a class by telephone while finishing his Yale dissertation in New Haven, and Professor of English Scott Crider, Ph.D., reading the book of Matthew in a hospital with the late theology professor Father Roch Kereszty — one of the few Hungarian Cistercian scholar monks that helped shepherd UD from its early years to the 21st century — in his last months.

Haggar Scholar Awards were given to the following faculty:

• Irene Alexander, Ph.D., Theology

• Janette Boazman, Ph.D., Education

• Ivan Eidt, Ph.D., Modern Languages, German

• Chad Engelland, Ph.D., Philosophy

• Fr. Thomas Esposito, O.Cist., Theology

• Kelly Gibson, Ph.D., History

• Christi Ivers, Ph.D., Modern Languages, Spanish

• Malcolm Kass, Ph.D., Economics

• Angela Knobel, Ph.D., Philosophy

• Kyle Lemieux, M.F.A., Drama

• Jason Lewallen, Ph.D., Modern Languages, French

• Cynthia R. Nielsen, Ph.D., Philosophy

• Kelly O’Briant, M.F.A., Art, Ceramics

• Maria Pérez-Bernardo, Ph.D., Modern Languages, Spanish

• Mark Petersen, Ph.D., History

• Aida Ramos, Ph.D., Economics

• Stephanie Swales, Ph.D., Psychology

• Debra Romanick Baldwin, Ph.D., English

A number of professors were granted sabbaticals to pursue scholarly projects in the upcoming academic year on topics ranging from colorful math problems to the ethical principles involved in gene editing:

• Scott Wysong, Ph.D., Marketing

• Irene Alexander, Ph.D., Theology

• Brett Bourbon, Ph.D., English

• Peter Hatlie, Ph.D., Classics

• Rob Hochberg, Ph.D., Math, Computer Science

• Mark Petersen, Ph.D., History

• Steven Stryer, Ph.D., English

• David Upham, Ph.D., Politics

• Teresa Danze, Ph.D., Drama

• Amy Fisher-Smith, Ph.D., Psychology

• Mark Goodwin, Ph.D., Theology

• Néfer Muñoz Solano, Ph.D., Modern Languages, Spanish

• Charles Sullivan, Ph.D., History

• Gerard Wegemer, Ph.D., English

Several professors also received Haggerty Teaching Excellence Awards, bestowed on professors that show care and dedication in the classroom:

• Scott Wysong, Ph.D., Marketing

• Christie Ivers, Ph.D., Modern Languages, Spanish

• Matthew Berry, Ph.D., Politics

• Katie Davis, Ph.D., English

• Matthew Post, Ph.D., Humanities

Drama professor Susan Cox, M.F.A., psychology professor Scott Churchill, Ph.D., catechetics professor Diana Dudoit-Raiche, Ph.D., and 57-year English professor Robert Dupree, Ph.D., were recognized as retiring faculty.

About the University of Dallas

The University of Dallas is the premier Catholic liberal arts university in the country, nationally known for its undergraduate Core Curriculum. With campuses in Texas and Italy, UD is committed to the pursuit of wisdom, truth and virtue as the proper ends of education. For more information, visit udallas.edu.