Category: Faculty Awards

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2017 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Mary Pollock, Ph.D., Professor of English
Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Bonnie Holloway, MB.A, Visiting Lecturer in Accounting
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 in two categories.

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 one individual for distinctive faculty leadership and achievement.


BONNIE HOLLOWAY is a double hatter, earning both her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Stetson University. She is a certified public accountant in Florida, practicing part-time to allow her to pursue her passion for teaching and community engagement. Her academic career includes teaching accounting as an adjunct professor for over 30 years, serving as department chair, federal grant writer, and Title III project director. At Stetson, Holloway currently oversees the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, Program, which provides tax assistance to low-income individuals free of charge and trains students as Certified Advanced Preparers.


Under her leadership, the Stetson VITA program has completed nearly 1,300 tax returns that have resulted in refunds totaling well over 1.3 million dollars. A quotation from her nomination reads, “Bonnie is responsible for recruiting student volunteers, organizing and conducting their formal training, scheduling tax preparation sessions, identifying and selecting site coordinators and quality reviewers, handling administrative matter with partners and clients, and overseeing the actual tax prepationg sessions….Bonnie has a great attitude, a tremendous work ethic, and is devoted to the students and to those in the community whom VITA serves. She is very deserving of this award.”


For her professional commitment and deep impact on the Stetson and DeLand communities, Ms. Bonnie Holloway receives the 2017 Hand Award for Community Impact.

The Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity celebrates faculty achievement, accomplishment, leadership, and contribution to the intellectual vibrancy and vitality of our campus. This Hand Award recognizes that excellence is to be found in innovative as well as traditional forms of scholarship that demonstrate substantive disciplinary or interdisciplinary knowledge. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to present this award to one individual for distinctive achievement and leadership.

Mary Sanders Pollock joined the Department of English in 1985, teaching British literature, green studies, and gender studies. In addition to peer-reviewed articles and book reviews, she is the author of two books,
Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning: A Creative Partnership and Storytelling Apes: Primatology Narrative Past and Future. Her most recent project aligns with her continuing interest in English literature, environmental issues, and nature writing. She also co-edited the anthology Figuring Animals, and the anthology Victorial Literature and Fil Adaptation. Dr. Pollock is a leading voice in Victorian literature, making impressive contributions to the field. A quotation from her nomination reads, “I want to nominate Mary Pollock…not only because of the quality and the scope of her current projects, but also for the relevance of past scholarly projects that got confirmed this past year.”

For her professional commitment and in recognition and celebration of her substantial scholarly contributions, Dr. Mary Sanders Pollock receives the 2017 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity.

Presented by Provost Noel Painter on May 11, 2017 at the 131rd annual Undergraduate Commencement

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2016 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Jason Evans, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Studies
Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Dixon Sutherland, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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 in two categories.

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 one individual for distinctive faculty leadership and achievement.

DIXON SUTHERLAND has been an important member of the Stetson community since joining the faculty as Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Institute for Christian Ethics in 1991. Throughout his tenure, he has worked faithfully on committees and task forces too numerous to mention. Dr. Sutherland is especially noted for his work with the Values Council, as advisor to the Edmunds Scholars Program, one of Stetson University’s most prestigious scholarships, and the Ethics Committee of the DeLand Hospital. He worked with former President Douglas Lee to establish the Howard Thurman Center at Stetson, an office dedicated to honoring the legacy of Dr. Howard Thurman, whose life and written works inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. and many leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement. According to one reference, “Dr. Sutherland has given generously of his time, energy, and abilities to make Stetson and the surrounding community a better place for the present and the future.” For his professional commitment and deep impact on the Stetson Community, Dr. Dixon Sutherland receives the 2016 Hand Award for Community Impact.

The Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity celebrates faculty achievement, accomplishment, leadership, and contribution to the intellectual vibrancy and vitality of our campus. This Hand Award recognizes that excellence is to be found in innovative as well as traditional forms of scholarship that demonstrate substantive disciplinary or interdisciplinary knowledge. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to present this award to one individual for distinctive achievement and leadership.

Jason Evans joined the faculty at Stetson University in 2014 as Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Studies. His research focus is spatial analysis of flood risks in the southeast, sea level risk analysis, climate change impact, policy development, and stakeholder communication.  Dr. Evans’ collaborations with colleagues at institutions across the country resulted in fruitful grantsmanship. Three of his four active grants are federally funded. His recent publication in Nature Climate Change, one of the top journals in science, resulted in landslide media interest including a recent interview on National Public Radio’s Science Friday. The media continues to seek his expertise on impact of climate change on sea level rise and our students have benefited greatly. The impact of his scientific and civic engagement, especially as an early career faculty, distinguishes him as a teacher-scholar who significantly contributes to the vibrancy and vitality of our Stetson community, the region, the nation, and the globe. For his professional commitment and in recognition and celebration of his distinctive achievement and leadership in research, Dr. Jason Evans receives the 2016 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity.

Presented by Provost Noel Painter on May 11, 2016 at the 130rd annual Undergraduate Commencement