The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced the 2024 recipients of the Hixson-Lied Faculty and Staff awards.
The ongoing awards program for faculty and staff recognizes outstanding performance and accomplishments in the areas of teaching; research and creative activity; service, outreach and engagement; and staff service.
The following faculty and staff awards will be presented at the college’s Honors Day celebration on April 26.
• College Distinguished Teaching Award:
Rafael Untalan, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
The College Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes a professor who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and a selfless dedication to students. Untalan is Assistant Professor of Practice in Theatre Arts. He is a member of the performance area faculty, serves as intimacy director for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, and is a guest artist and faculty director for stage productions. One of his nominators wrote, “Rafael has distinguished himself among our faculty as an example of diligent, approachable, challenging and impassioned teaching.”
• Senior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award:
Sandra Williams, School of Art, Art History & Design
The Senior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award recognizes a senior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in research or creative activity. Williams is Associate Professor of Art. She has had four solo exhibitions and five artist residencies in the last three years. She has also completed four community art/social practice works and events in Omaha and the Nebraska panhandle. She is also a co-PI on a Grand Challenges funded grant, “RISE with insects,” that teaches science literacy through place-based community art projects. In 2023, Williams and her collaborative partner were awarded a large commission for a permanent artwork at the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport. Her nominator wrote, “This high-profile public art project embodies so much of her integrated efforts and raises the profile of her important work.”
• Junior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award:
Katie Anania, School of Art, Art History & Design
The Junior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award recognizes a junior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in research or creative activity. Anania is Assistant Professor of Art History. Her monograph with Yale University Press is in publication and due in June. She has also signed a contract as co-editor of an international anthology of writing on renaissances in contemporary art with the University of Amsterdam Press, to which she is contributing a chapter. One of her nominators wrote, “Katie is a dedicated scholar, whose extraordinary productivity reflects both her commitment to research and education and the significance of her ideas.”
• Outreach, Engagement or Service Award:
Byron Anway, School of Art, Art History & Design
The Outreach, Engagement or Service Award is given to a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in outreach, engagement or service. Anway is Assistant Professor of Practice in Art (Foundations). Anway’s service to the School of Art, Art History & Design include serving as chair of the visiting artist committee, serving as advisor for the RSO Creative Commons, extensive recruitment activities, and serving on a search committee. His nominator wrote, “Professor Anway has devoted countless hours to these vast responsibilities outside of his teaching and research responsibilities.”
• Student Success Award:
Jackie Mattingly, Glenn Korff School of Music
The Student Success Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary support of student success through advising, mentorship and/or other activities. Mattingly is Assistant Professor of Practice in Music. Mattingly has served as the Chief Advisor for the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees. From 2020 to 2023, she served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Her contributions to students were recognized campus-wide when she was awarded the Dr. Charles Riedesel Outstanding Academic Advising Award in 2022. Her nominator wrote, “Dr. Mattingly is deserving of much acclaim for her continuing and heightened excellence in ensuring the success of students in our college.”
• Curriculum Development Award:
Rhonda Fuelberth, Glenn Korff School of Music
The Curriculum Development Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in curricular or programmatic development. Fuelberth is Associate Professor of Music Education and Associate Director of Graduate Studies. In 2023, she completed the task of transforming the Master of Music degree in Music Education from a summer-only program to an entirely online degree. She also teaches Music in Special Education, a course for which she has done inventive curricular development over the years. At the center of it is the i2Choir, an inclusive and intergenerational community music ensemble for which she is the founder, teacher-conductor, and program coordinator. Her nominator wrote, “Dr. Fuelberth’s work in the Hixson-Lied College is truly inspiring and meaningful in the lives of many people at UNL and in the community beyond campus.”
• Junior Faculty Teaching Award:
Suna Gunther, Glenn Korff School of Music
The Junior Faculty Teaching Award recognizes a junior faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary accomplishment in teaching. Gunther is Assistant Professor of Music in Voice. Gunther has a deep desire to share music with a wider community of all backgrounds and for her students to be open-minded, versatile musicians, who are life-long learners. She is also the co-founder and director of the Soo Opera Apprenticeship Program in northern Michigan, which cultivates young artists, including several graduate and undergraduate students from UNL. Her nominator wrote, “Dr. Gunther’s commitment to her teaching is admirable. She prioritizes versatility and global perspectives.”
• Outstanding Staff Award:
Megan McMasters, Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
The Outstanding Staff Award is given to a staff member whose overall performance has regularly and consistently exceeded expectations and has reflected a high level of service throughout their years of service. McMasters is Director of Operations for the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. Her nominator wrote, “I say with utmost conviction that I am surprised repeatedly by all that she oversees, manages and executes—she truly does it all. Her dependability and commitment to serving our students is integral to us all here.”
• Staff Award for Exemplary Service:
Cameron Shoemaker, Glenn Korff School of Music
The Staff Award for Exemplary Service is given to a staff member who has demonstrated exemplary service to the college or academic unit over the preceding 12-month calendar year. Shoemaker is Sound Recording/IT Associate for the Glenn Korff School of Music. His nominator wrote, “Cameron’s expertise is indispensable with approximately 250 events to manage each school year. His exemplary service, dedication and innovative contributions significantly enhance the operations and efficiency of the Glenn Korff School of Music. He embodies the spirit of excellence.”
• M.V.P. Award:
Benjamin Sobel, Glenn Korff School of Music
The M.V.P. Award is given to staff members who have provided support to the college or academic unit behind the scenes. Sobel is Enrollment Coordinator for the Glenn Korff School of Music. His nominator wrote, “Ben’s position requires the ability to balance an incredible number of tasks, the impact of which is felt by every student, graduate assistant, staff member, and faculty member in the building. He has taken on these multiple roles with enthusiasm, always seeking to learn from each interaction.”