May 2015 – Office of Faculty Engagement

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2015 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Catherine Cameron, Ph.D., Professor of Legal Skills
Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Lance Long, Ph.D., Professor of Legal Skills
Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
Hand Award for Community Impact

Stuart Michelson, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
Hand Award for Community Impact

Through the generosity of Homer and Dolly Hand of Belle Glade, Florida, the University has established honorary monetary awards to recognize outstanding faculty work. This year, we recognize the professional achievements of two outstanding members of our faculty for the Hand Award for Community Impact. The Hand Award for Community Impact celebrates the achievements of faculty serving the needs of the community, both the Stetson community and the community beyond the campus. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to present this award to two individuals – one in the School of Business Administration, to be awarded this afternoon, and the other in the College of Arts and Sciences.
KIMBERLY FLINT-HAMILTONhas been a member of the Stetson community since 1999 when she joined the faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, a department she currently chairs. She has served on numerous University and College committees and task forces including the Faculty Senate, and Tenure and Promotion Policy Committee. Over the course of her tenure, Her deep commitment to Stetson has manifested itself in notable and extensive mentoring of faculty, particularly pre-tenure and visiting faculty across all disciplines and through myriad formal and informal venues. A quote from her nomination packet reads “Whereas many of us discuss and deliberate over our core values and of the practical application of social justice, we see in Kimberly one who actually lives social justice and promotes inclusive excellence among students, staff, and faculty”. For her professional commitment and deep impact on the Stetson Community, Kimberly Flint-Hamilton receives the 2015 Hand Award for Community Impact.
Through the generosity of Homer and Dolly Hand of Belle Glade, Florida, the University has established honorary monetary awards to recognize outstanding faculty work. This year, we recognize the professional achievements of two outstanding members of our faculty for the Hand Award for Community Impact. The Hand Award for Community Impact celebrates the achievements of faculty serving the needs of the community, both the Stetson community and the community beyond the campus. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to present this award to two individuals – one in the College of Arts and Sciences, which was awarded this morning to Kimberly Flint-Hamilton. The other to a faculty member in the School of Business Administration.

STUART MICHELSONhas been a member of the Stetson community since 2001, when he became the Roland & Sarah George Professor of Finance. Over the course of his tenure, Stuart has served as director of the Executive MBA Program, dean of the School of Business Administration, and on over a dozen University and School of Business Administration Committees and Task forces. He is a model teacher-scholar and University citizen. At Stetson, everyone is a leader of the University’s future vibrancy – Stuart exemplifies this commitment, contributing significantly to advancing the mission and excellence of the University. For his professional commitment and deep impact on the Stetson Community, Stuart Michelson receives the 2015 Hand Award for Community Impact.

Presented by Provost Noel Painter on May 11, 2015 at the 129rd annual Undergraduate Commencement

Education Associate Professor and Jessie Ball duPont Chair of Social Justice Education, Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., pictured in the classroom, has been awarded an Education and Culture grant by the U.S. Department of State and the Partners of the Americas. This competitive grant will allow Shankar-Brown to travel to Brasilia, Brasil and Bogota, Colombia to facilitate intercultural exchange and work to develop programing to connect public schools in Central Florida and around the nation with schools abroad.

“I am humbled and honored,” Shankar-Brown said after receiving her award. “As a social justice educator, I am committed to promoting global citizenship and passionate about advancing educational equity. Encouraging cultural understanding and building relationships is indispensable to social justice.”

Shankar-Brown has high expectations of what she will accomplish during her trip and she looks forward to keeping a full schedule. “I will work on developing K-12 programming focused on EcoJustice education,” she said. “In particular, I will focus on increasing students’ understanding of ecological and social issues, as well as their entwined cultural roots, and providing opportunities to explore collaborative pathways to a sustainable, equitable future.” Shankar-Brown will also be researching human rights issues, including family homelessness and poverty while she is overseas.

The people Shankar-Brown will be interacting with in South America are not the only ones who will benefit from her work. Once Shankar-Brown returns to Stetson, she plans on sharing everything she has learned with her students. “This journey will actively support Stetson University’s values of personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship and support my work as a social justice teacher-scholar. I look forward to bringing back experiences and knowledge to share with my students and our community.”

As the director of Education Graduate Programs and the co-coordinator for the M.Ed. in Elementary Education: Educating for Social Justice program, she is especially excited about involving Stetson’s graduate students in global justice work. Shankar-Brown conveys deep gratitude to be part of a university that encourages social responsibility and interdisciplinary partnerships.

Until her departure at the end of this month, Shankar-Brown has other important events to keep her busy. Shankar-Brown is currently working on planning the second annual Poverty and Homelessness Conference, which will take place at Stetson in October. She is also the Co-PI for the Volusia Center for Excellence in Education, a $1.1. million grant recently awarded by the Florida Department for Education. Shankar-Brown has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker as a member of the steering committee for the first annual Educational Justice Conference hosted by Bethune-Cookman University on July 12-14. The theme of the conference is “Connecting with the Diverse and Underrepresented Youth of Today,” and the goal is to provide inspiring discourse for educators that will empower leadership skills. Shankar-Brown’s title for her presentation is “Collective Impact: Advancing Social Justice Education.” Shankar-Brown insisted, “We must work together to address persistent social inequities and build a brighter world for our children.”

For more information about the upcoming Educational Justice Conference, visit http://www.cookman.edu/ejconf/.

by Nicole Melchionda

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