AASU Presents 2004-05 Faculty Service Awards

SAVANNAH, GA––June 8, 2005—Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) presented awards to four of its distinguished faculty in recognition of their outstanding service to the university, the community, their disciplines, and to student life. The ceremony was held as part of AASU's Leadership Awards Ceremony held in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

Armstrong Atlantic President Thomas Z. Jones presented the 2004-05 faculty awards to the following professors:

Award for Distinguished Faculty Service to the Discipline
Chris Baker, professor of English, has been a member of the Armstrong Atlantic faculty since 1994. He regularly makes presentations and often serves as session chair at the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, the South Central Renaissance Conference, and the Southern Comparative Literature Association, among others. Recently, he served as sole editor of Absolutism and Scientific Revolution 1600-1720: A Biographical Dictionary, published by Greenwood Press. Baker served as department chair (from 1994 to 1998), directed departmental internships, served as an outstanding advisor of undeclared majors, and has written more than 30 articles published in refereed publications and countless book reviews.

Award for Distinguished Faculty Service to the Community
Tom Cato, head of the Department of Art, Music & Theatre, has been a member of the Armstrong Atlantic faculty since 1993. He has served actively on the Education Advisory Committee for the Telfair Museum and has served as the Georgia delegate to the National Art Education Association (NAEA), functioning as faculty advisor to the student chapter of NAEA and as national judicator for state newsletter awards for NAEA. Cato has recently completed a multi-year term as president-elect and then president of the Georgia Art Education Association (GAEA). In these roles, he worked tirelessly to shore up support for art education, developed a five-year plan for the GAEA, and served on the PACTS (Performance Assessment for Colleges and Technical Schools) committee for the Board of Regents to determine standards for high school graduates.

Award for Distinguished Faculty Service to the University
Joyce Williams Bergin, professor of special education, has been a member of the AASU faculty since 1992. She has served on over 45 committees at the college and university levels, most recently as vice chair of the Executive Committee of the Faculty and a member of the university's steering committee for SACS accreditation. Four years ago, she developed the bachelor of science in cross-categorical special education that was accepted by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents with no qualifications or changes. From 1999 through 2002, Bergin represented AASU on the Georgia Advisory Panel for Special Education and orchestrated AASU's hosting of the first interactive statewide "Town Meeting on Special Education" in 2002.

H. Dean Propst Award
Tim McMillan, associate professor of mathematics, has been a full-time member of the Armstrong Atlantic faculty since the fall of 1990. He has been an active member of the Mathematics Association of America (MAA) since 1989 and currently serves as the departmental liaison with the Southeastern Section of the MAA. Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) have singled out McMillan's achievements as a tutor and as the math honors advisor. The H. Dean Propst Award was created in 1971 by the SGA to recognize the work of H. Dean Propst, then dean of the college. A superlative English teacher in the classroom, Propst was also known for his active involvement in the student life of the campus.