Celebrate faculty, staff achievement at 2024 Fall Awards Celebration

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University’s Fall Awards Celebration on Friday, Oct. 11, will recognize the University’s finest, including awards for exceptional teaching, service, longtime and emerging scholarly work. The celebration begins at 11 a.m. in Kirsch Auditorium of the Fetzer Center.

President Edward Montgomery and Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will lead the celebration. The annual event recognizes recipients of special honors including: Distinguished Service, Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Emerging Scholar, Excellence in Diversity and Make a Difference awards.

Award recipients

2023-24 Make a Difference Awards

• Grant Allers, WMU Public Safety police officer
• William Mitchell, Valley Dining Center assistant manager
• David Prellwitz, gardener for Landscape Services
• Karmella Todd, senior administrative assistant for the vice president for business and finance

Distinguished Service Award

• Dr. Lisa DeChano-Cook, professor of geography

Distinguished Teaching Awards

• Dr. Whitney DeCamp, professor of sociology
• Dr. Timothy Palmer, director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices and professor of management
• Dr. Dee Sherwood, associate professor of social work

Distinguished Faculty Scholar Awards

• Dr. Lisa Baker, professor of psychology      
• Dr. Kristina Lemmer, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering          
• Dr. Elena Litvinova, professor of physics

Emerging Scholar Award

• Dr. Daniel Macfarlane, associate professor of environmental and sustainability studies

Excellence in Diversity Awards

• Dr. Cynthia Klekar-Cunningham, director of the School of Communication
• College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Information Technology
• College of Health and Human Services’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.