Top Faculty Recognized at Chancellor’s Council Gala

By Robert D. Waller for Texas Tech University System | December 16, 2009

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Six faculty members representing the best and brightest of the Texas Tech University System were honored with the system's highest award during the annual Chancellor's Council Gala, held Dec. 4 at the Overton Hotel & Conference Center.

The Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards were created in 2000 to recognize faculty members who exemplify the core missions of teaching and research at each of the Texas Tech University System institutions. Winners receive a $10,000 cash award and a medallion engraved with the seal of their institution.

This year’s recipients of the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award included Edward Anderson, professor of mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University, Ellen D. Moreland, senior instructor of mathematics at Angelo State University, and Alyce Ashcraft, associate professor in the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Winners of the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award included Arnoldo De León, C.J. “Red” Davidson Professor of History at Angelo State University; Seshadri Ramkumar, associate professor of environmental toxicology at the Institute of Environmental and Human Health, representing Texas Tech University; and Afzal Siddiqui, associate academic dean in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

“These outstanding faculty members exemplify the quality and character of the professors in the Texas Tech University System,” said Hance. “Their passion and dedication to academics and research is unmatched and is apparent through their hard work and numerous achievements. It is my pleasure to once again award these honors to such deserving faculty members.”

The Chancellor’s Council was created in 1967 to recognize donors who helped Texas Tech accomplish its highest goals. In addition to recognizing top faculty members, the Chancellor’s Council funds student scholarships and supports top faculty and student recruitment at Angelo State University, Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

About the Award Winners

Edward Anderson joined Texas Tech in 1986 as chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has received the Ray Butler Distinguished Educator Award in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering and has served as director of the Texas Tech University Teaching, Learning and Technology Center. He is known for using the latest technology to develop new and innovative teaching techniques and has received more than $400,000 in National Science Foundation funding related to computer-based instruction and engineering education. Among his many honors, Anderson was named the 2005 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation and in 2003 received the National Award for Excellence in Distance Education from the U.S. Distance Learning Association and the Institute for Telecommunications. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University and his doctorate from Purdue University.

Alyce Ashcraft joined the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2001. She is currently an associate professor and coordinator of the Traditional Undergraduate Program in the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing. Ashcraft’s teaching consistently receives high marks from undergraduate and graduate students alike, earning her an Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award from the Student Senate in spring 2008 and the Innovation Award and Young Investigators Award from the Perry School of Nursing. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Women’s University, her master’s from the University of Texas at Arlington and her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ellen D. Moreland joined the Angelo State University faculty in 1988. She is currently a senior instructor in the Mathematics Department and was named the 2009 Texas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Since she designed the Mathematics Department’s capstone course more than a decade ago, 100 percent of Angelo State University students completing the high school mathematics certification program have passed the state certification exam on the first try. By contrast, the statewide average is approximately 65 percent. Moreland holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, N.Y.

Arnoldo De León, the C.J. “Red” Davidson Professor of History, has served on the Angelo State University faculty since 1973.  His historical research has re-shaped contemporary understanding of Texas history, particularly as it relates to Mexican Americans. He is the author of 15 critically acclaimed books and monographs as well as the editor of 11 more.  His book “They Called Them Greasers: Anglo Attitudes Toward Mexicans in Texas, 1821-1900” is a standard and considered by many scholars to be one of the top 10 books ever written on Texas history.  He has been referred to by his peers as the “Dean of Tejano Studies.”  De León holds his bachelor’s degree from Angelo State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Texas Christian University, all in history. 

Seshadri Ramkumar came to Texas Tech in 1999 and joined the Institute of Environmental and Human Health in 2002. His research has lead to the development of Fibertect – a patented nonwoven decontamination wipe. The product was found to outperform other products in tests conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Ramkumar’s nonwoven fabric work has received international publicity. He has received almost $4 million in external funding for his research. He has received the Technical Textiles Accomplishments Award, an international award presented for nonwovens research, Lubbock’s Top Twenty Under 40 Award in 2007, the Scientist of the Year award from the Lubbock Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation in Technology Award. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Anna University in India and his doctorate from the University of Leeds, England.

Afzal Siddiqui joined the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Department of Internal Medicine at the Amarillo campus in 2000 as the holder of the Amarillo Endowed Professorship. He joined the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Internal Medicine on the Lubbock campus in 2007. He currently is a professor and the associate academic dean for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He is internationally known for his research on parasite immunology, particularly in the area of developing vaccines to fight infectious diseases. Siddiqui currently has funded research support from the Thrasher Research Fund and the National Institutes of Health totaling about $2 million. He has previously won the Dean’s and President’s Research Awards from the School of Medicine and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He earned degrees from Aligarh University in India and his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. His professional training is from the Centers for Disease Control and Harvard School of Public Health.

Award winners from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech University were recognized at a media event on Dec. 11. Recipients from Angelo State University were announced at their faculty meeting in April.