Campus Awards for Excellence in Faculty Leadership awarded to four faculty members

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty members were honored April 25 with Campus Awards for Excellence in Faculty Leadership.

The Office of the Provost sponsors the campus-level awards in recognition of excellence in faculty leadership for those faculty who distinguish themselves with their vision of the future and their effort to enable and promote others in shaping that future. Each of the four awardees received a $2,000 honorarium and a personalized commemorative plaque.

The Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to faculty mentoring by actively assisting pre-tenure and mid-career faculty in developing their career. Shelly J. Schmidt, a professor of food science and human nutrition, received the award.

Schmidt, a faculty member at Illinois for 32 years, is known as one of Illinois’ most effective teachers and mentors. “Mentoring begins with taking a sincere interest in others,” she said. Schmidt was one of the original developers and instructors of the ACES Teaching and Learning Academy, and has remained active in the program for more than 20 years.  “Sincere caring, focused effort and sustained excellence describe Dr. Schmidt’s gold-standard career in mentoring faculty,” one of her mentees said.

The Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award recognizes outstanding academic leadership and vision by an executive officer within a college or campus unit. Up to two awards may be given annually. The awards were presented to CL Cole, the department head and a professor of media and cinema studies; and William H. Sanders, a Donald Biggar Willett Professor and department head of electrical and computer engineering.

Cole, a department head since 2014, was cited for growing and strengthening her department by recruiting new faculty members, conceptualizing and developing a new curriculum, increasing undergraduate enrollment and developing innovative ways to increase department revenues. Cole was credited with promoting excellence, mentorship and diversity, and her thoughtful and effective leadership has gained the respect and trust of her colleagues. One of her supporters said she is tireless in “exploring new opportunities across campus and beyond.”

Sanders has held three executive officer positions during his 23 years on campus. In his current position, he has prioritized excellence and diversity. He contributed significantly to the success of a capital campaign, and envisioned the department’s new building as an opportunity to gather faculty members, students and staff in collaborative spaces where ideas could be exchanged. A colleague described him as “an exemplar of effective leadership who has led diverse groups through strategic improvements for our department.”

The Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award recognizes a faculty member who has provided extraordinary leadership contributions across many dimensions of shared governance that advance the excellence of a unit, a college and/or the campus, and who exemplifies the campus commitment to collaborative decision-making. This year’s recipient is Ollie Watts Davis, a professor of music.

“Professor Davis has the unique capacity to speak to individuals across racial and ethnic divides, across age differences, across class and educational background differences, and across academic disciplines,” a colleague said. A wise, caring and thoughtful communicator, she possesses an “‘untempered optimism’ that keeps her – and us – moving forward.” Davis believes that the value of shared governance is best embraced in an environment where all voices are heard; goals are shared; there is transparency and disclosure; and the interests of all stakeholders are represented.

For more information about these awards and to see previous recipients, visit the Office of the Provost website.