Hixson-Lied Faculty, Staff awards announced

The Hixson-Lied Faculty and Staff Awards recognize outstanding performance and accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research and creative activity, faculty service, outreach and engagement, outstanding lecturer, and staff service to the college.
The Hixson-Lied Faculty and Staff Awards recognize outstanding performance and accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research and creative activity, faculty service, outreach and engagement, outstanding lecturer, and staff service to the college.

The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts announced the 2020 recipients of the Hixson-Lied Faculty and Staff awards. These awards are made possible by the Hixson-Lied Endowment.

The following awards were presented:

• The College Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Hye-Won Hwang, assistant professor of practice in dance from the Glenn Korff School of Music. This award recognizes a professor who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and a selfless dedication to students.

• The Outreach, Engagement or Service Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in outreach, engagement or service, was presented to Michael Hoff, professor of art history in the School of Art, Art History & Design.

• The Academic Advising Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in academic advising, was presented to Tony Bushard, associate professor of music history in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

• The Curriculum Development Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in curricular or programmatic development, was presented to Greg Simon, assistant professor of composition in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

• The Junior Faculty Teaching Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in teaching, was presented to Mitch Critel, assistant professor of practice in theatre in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.

• The Junior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in research or creative activity, was presented to Tom Larson, assistant professor of composition, emerging media and digital arts in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

• The Senior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award, which recognizes a senior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in research or creative activity, was presented to Tyler White, professor of composition and conducting and Director of Orchestras in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

• The Outstanding Lecturer Award, which recognizes a lecturer who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in teaching, was presented to Bailey Barnard, lecturer in art history in the School of Art, Art History & Design.

• The Outstanding Staff Award, which recognizes a staff member whose overall performance has regularly and consistently exceeded expectations and has reflected a high level of service throughout his/her years of service, was presented to Julie Hagemeier, general manager in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Since her arrival in 1995, Hagemeier’s connections to the community and her institutional memory has made her the “go-to guide” for all things theatre at UNL.

• The Staff Award for Exemplary Service, which recognizes a staff member who has demonstrated exemplary service to the college or academic unit over the preceding 12-month calendar year, was presented to Amy Horvath, financial associate in the Dean’s Office, and Megan McMasters, director of operations for the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. Horvath’s responsibilities include processing invoices, warrant requests, visiting personnel forms, PCard reconciliation, faculty and staff reimbursements and student awards. She assisted with the new Concur travel system and is part of the college’s unified business office. McMasters’ responsibilities include supporting the Founding Director in implementing the Carson Center’s strategy to drive results for enrollment goals, fundraising, internships, and job placements, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Center. She played a significant role in the dedication of the Center in November.

• The M.V.P. Award, which recognizes a staff member who has provided support to the college or academic unit behind the scenes, was presented to Kathleen Turner, lecturer/house master electrician in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Turner has served as the house master electrician since 2009. Her responsibilities include all non-design aspects of lighting including the supervision of the electrics/lighting shop and all student crews that work on hanging and focusing lighting. She is also responsible for the maintenance, storage and repair of all lighting equipment including instruments, lamps and accessories.

For more on these and all of our 2020 Honors Day recipients, visit https://go.unl.edu/kpvd.