Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award Recipients

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The Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award is the highest distinction given to a faculty member by the University. The award is given annually to one faculty member who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to scholarly-creative activity, teaching, and service, bringing honor and recognition to the University. The award is given by the University of Memphis Board of Visitors and includes a $20,000 cash prize and a commemorative crystal. A University committee composed of nine faculty members will screen nominations and identify three finalists. The recipient will then be chosen from among these finalists by a selection committee composed of three members of the Board of Visitors. The award will be presented to the recipient at the Spring Faculty Convocation.

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Recipients

2025 Xiaohua Huang, PhD | Professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences

2024 Sanjay Mishra, PhD | Professor, Department of Physics and Materials Science, College of Arts & Sciences

2023 Duane McKenna, PhD | Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences

2022 Lan Wang, PhD | Dunavant Professor & Chair Department of Computer Science

2021 Beverly Bond, PhD | Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences

2020 Irena Lasiecka | Distinguished Professor & Chair, Department of Mathematical Sciences

2019 Aram Goudsouzian, PhD | Distinguished Professor & Chair, Department of History

2018 Frank Andrasik | Distinguished Professor and Chair, Psychology

2017 Abby Parrill-Baker | Professor, Chemistry / Associate Dean, Arts & Sciences

2016 Roy Van Arsdale | Professor, Earth Sciences

2015 Albert Okunade | Professor, Economics

2014 Kenneth Ward | Professor, Public Health

2013 Gladius Lewis | Professor, Mechanical Engineering

2012 Dipankar Dasgupta | Professor, Computer Science

2011 Thomas K. Fagan | Professor, Psychology

2010 Erno Lindner | Professor, Biomedical Engineering

2009 Robyn Cox | Professor, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

2008 Ralph Albanese | Chair, Foreign Languages & Literatures

2007 David Evans | Professor, Music

2006 Jerome A. Goldstein | Professor, Mathematical Sciences

2005 David L. Appleby | Professor, Communication

2004 Cyril F. Chang |Professor, Economics

2003 Linda A. Bennett | Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, A&S

2002 Robert A. Neimeyer | Professor, Psychology

2001 Richard H. Schelp | Professor, Mathematical Sciences

2000 Lily Afshar | Associate Professor, Music

1999 Arthur C. Graesser | Professor, Psychology

1998 Steven J. Ross | Professor, Communication

1997 Stanley P. Franklin | Professor, Mathematical Sciences

1996 Shelley White-Means | Professor, Economics

1995 William R. Shadish | Professor, Psychology

1994 Ralph J. Faudree | Professor, Mathematics

1993 Steven M. Ross | Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology, & Research