Awards Presented to CFAC Faculty During University Conference and College Meeting

During the Annual University Conference on August 24, seven faculty members from the College of Fine Arts and Communications won awards for their dedicated service at BYU. This year, the conference was streamed live online, with Academic Vice President C. Shane Reese presenting the awards. From the College of Fine Arts and Communications, Marci Edgington, Lawrence Green, Mark Callister, Geralyn Giovannetti, Kris Boyle, Brad Barber and Megan Sanborn Jones were each recognized. “Each of these awardees has demonstrated exceptional competency and sacrifice in their work. I honor each of them and express my personal appreciation to them,” said President Kevin J. Worthen. Dean Ed Adams announced the college faculty awards on August 26. “We want to acknowledge the hard work, devotion and aptitude of our college faculty,” said Dean Adams. Christopher Wilson, Brittany May and Eric Gillett received awards during the college meeting webinar this year. UNIVERSITY AWARDS ImageMarci Edgington | Department of Dance | Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award The Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award recognizes the contributions of part-time faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and other professional responsibilities in service to the students, and acknowledges the important role they play in the life of the university. This award was presented to Marci Edgington and Lawrence “Larry” Green. For 32 years, Edgington has directed the BYU Social Dance Program where thousands of students have learned to waltz, cha-cha and swing. Edgington also teaches courses in social dance technique and teaching methodologies. She directs one of the ballroom dance company performance ensembles, and she is instrumental in many other facets of the department through student advisement and servicing ballroom dance competitions. Edgington has been recognized by the United States Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance as America’s top trainer for those studying for accreditation certification. She is a consummate professional and an advocate for the arts in education. ImageLawrence Green | School of Music | Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award Green started teaching guitar in the School of Music in 1981. With the help of Music Chair Newell Dayley, he established a guitar program in the school for major and non-major students. Green’s success in teaching is due to his love of music and love for his students, having taught thousands during his decades at BYU. Green has performed with School of Music ensembles and faculty as well as community ensembles. He has performed internationally in France, Israel and Spain, and he recorded a CD for the BYU Music label. He currently plays in a band with his wife Robyn and two of their four children. ImageMark Callister | School of Communications | Alumni Professorship Award The Alumni Professorship Award recognizes faculty who provide exceptional service to students at BYU, demonstrating a sustained, long-term commitment to mentoring, advising and teaching. This year, Mark Callister received the award. Callister teaches courses in advertising, consumer behavior, persuasion and research methods. As the school’s research director, Callister oversees numerous teaching assistants who support faculty members and their classes with respect to data analysis and other research tools. He provides both scholarly and professional mentoring to students for their own portfolios as well as client projects, and he regularly engages in published peer-reviewed scholarship with graduate student co-authors. Callister’s personal commitment to the restored gospel and mission of BYU provides the grounding and perspective to help students understand their success is not just measured by winning awards and getting high-paying jobs at large agencies, but by the development of their testimonies, faith, character and ethics. ImageGeralyn Giovannetti | School of Music | Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award The Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes rigorous and successful teaching, along with strong citizenship, research and creative work. This award was presented to Geralyn Giovannetti. Giovannetti is a nationally recognized mentor of developing oboe students which in turn places the BYU oboe studio among the most highly regarded in American universities. The centerpiece of her mentoring success is bridging the gap between the Intermountain West and other cultural centers of the world through master classes with players of national and international reputation. She is invited to teach at many schools across the country. She is successful due to the combination of her strengths as a scholar and her lengthy experience as a teacher, and because of her profound care for her students. Giovanneti’s dedication to performing underlines her artistry and informs her teaching. Giovannetti has performed with the Utah Symphony and Utah Chamber Orchestra. Giovannetti currently plays with BYU’s Orpheus Wind Quintet and is a founding member of the Utah-based Sundance Trio, which has received numerous commissions and has released three CDs. She is also a resident artist at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, and she is principal oboe at the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Orchestra. ImageKristoffer Boyle | School of Communications | Randall L. Morgan Teaching & Learning Faculty Fellowship The Randall L. Morgan Teaching and Learning Fellowship recognizes achievements and continued efforts in enhancing teaching and student learning. This year, the award was presented to Kris Boyle. Boyle teaches undergraduate classes in media writing and editing. Over the last several years as sequence coordinator, he has overseen a cultural shift in the sequence to achieve new curricular aims. He champions and serves the staff and students in the newsroom lab of the Universe, guiding students in their application of skills and ethical principles. His research on new media technology including social media contributed significantly to the education of his students at BYU and to news writing organizations across the United States. ImageBrad Barber | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | BYU Creative Works Award The BYU Creative Works Award recognizes faculty who demonstrate outstanding achievement in the development of creative works that have had wide acceptance and national distribution.This year, the award was presented to Brad Barber. Barber is a national Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and professor who was recently named on Variety’s “10 Documakers to Watch” list. Barber teaches non-fiction production in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. Barber has mentored several students on his latest project — “States of America” — which is a series of documentary shorts through the lens of one person in each of the 50 United States. ImageMegan Sanborn Jones | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | Wesley P. Lloyd Award for Distinction in Graduate Education The Wesley P. Lloyd Award for Distinction in Graduate Education recognizes distinguished performance in teaching, research and creative work, and citizenship as a graduate faculty member. The award this year was presented to Megan Sanborn Jones. Through her strong publication record, her prominent presence at high profile conferences, and her rigorous activity in leadership positions in national academic associations, Jones is recognized as one of the top in the discipline of religious theatre and performance. Her reputation has blessed the lives of numerous theatre and performance graduate students who have followed in her wake. In addition to advising numerous master’s students as committee chair, committee member, or graduate coordinator, she also led the recent redesign of the TMA master’s program. Jones is also a choreographer in BYU’s productions, including “Travesties,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” COLLEGE AWARDS ImageChristopher Wilson | School of Communications | Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Work The Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Work acknowledges talent that has gained recognition beyond local or regional boundaries and is influenced by a strong commitment to teaching. The award was presented to Chris Wilson. Wilson’s research ranges from public relations engagement to crisis communication with a focus on examining values and strategic decision-making. Wilson has solo and co-authored published journal articles and a book chapter, and he co-authored a textbook. He also collaborates with school colleagues and other professionals, presents at national and international conferences regularly, and has won top paper awards for his research from the International Institute for Public Relations Research Conference and the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication. Wilson applies his research to student mentoring and involves industry professionals to provide students with real-world experiences. ImageBrittany May | School of Music | Excellence in Teaching The Excellence in Teaching award recognizes rigorous teaching based on high expectations with successful comprehension, understanding and reasoning. This year, the award was presented to Brittany May. May earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and her master’s degree in music at Boston University. She also earned her doctorate degree at the University of Utah. May is known among her students as being organized, engaging, positive and personable. She is a friend to her students while maintaining professionalism, and nothing in her curriculum is superfluous. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music education. She is attuned to what the expectations are for teachers, and she models with clarity and skill — borne of rich personal experience — exactly those techniques that she expects her students to employ in their future careers. ImageEric Gillett | Department of Design | Excellence in Citizenship The Excellence in Citizenship award recognizes significant contribution in serving the college as an outstanding faculty member. This year, Eric Gillett won the award. Gillett has led the department in restructured curriculum with increased transparency. He is a skilled leader who works through collaboration, providing general consensus and productivity to those he works with. Gillett has presented at conferences as the member school representative and is a genuine and masterful leader, educator and colleague. Gillett has also been a force within his profession in the elite group of Adobe Partners by Design, where only a handful of schools are invited to participate. Gillett graduated from BYU in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He later received his Master’s of Fine Arts in design at the University of Utah. Advancements in Rank & Status Brad Barber | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | Advancement to Teaching Professor Daniel Barney | Department of Art | Advancement to Professor Robert Brandt | School of Music | Continuing Faculty Status and Advancement to Associate Professor Adam Houghton | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | Continuing Faculty Status Brittany May | School of Music | Continuing Faculty Status and Advancement to Associate Professor Kate Monson | Department of Dance | Continuing Faculty Status and Advancement to Associate Professor Sam Nielson | Department of Design | Continuing Faculty Status and Advancement to Associate Teaching Professor Miles Romney | School of Communications | Candidacy for Continuing Faculty Status Marin Roper | Department of Dance | Candidacy for Continuing Faculty Status Doug Thomas | Department of Design | Candidacy for Continuing Faculty Status Christopher Wilson | School of Communications | Continuing Faculty Status and Advancement to Associate Professor Jessica Zurcher | School of Communications | Candidacy for Continuing Faculty Status To read about the new faculty and staff in the College of Fine Arts and Communications, visit cfac.byu.edu.