| Susie P. Gonzalez | 210-999-8406 | susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu |
FIVE TRINITY PROFESSORS RECOGNIZED FOR SERVICE, SCHOLARSHIP |
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May 16, 2002 – Five members of the Trinity University faculty have received awards for distinction in service, teaching, advising, or research. The awards were announced this month as new accolades from Trinity University President John Brazil and the University’s Office of Academic Affairs.
Two professors were recognized for each dedicating 40 years or longer to the University and to their respective academic fields. Lawrence Espey, biology professor, has devoted his research to the study of ovulation, while William O. Walker, the Jennie Farris Railey King Professor of Religion, has served as dean of the Division of Humanities and Arts, chair of the religion department, and interim chair of the psychology department, along with his teaching assignments and community service. James Shinkle, associate professor of biology, was cited for exemplary advising to students, and two assistant professors – Carlos Ardavín in the department of modern languages and literatures and David Spener in the department of anthropology and sociology – received junior faculty awards for distinguished teaching and research. Recognized for Distinguished Scholarship, Research, or Creative Work, Professor Espey developed a generally accepted hypothesis that the luteinizing hormone stimulates the ovary to become inflamed, causing the process of ovulation. He recently retrained himself in areas involving DNA techniques to further his research. Professor Espey and his students have presented the new research results at numerous national and international conferences and been published in the top-rated journals in the field. Professor Espey has received major grants from the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation for his work. He received his doctorate from Florida State University. For his contributions, Professor Walker received the Award for Distinguished University and Community Service. Among his Trinity colleagues, he is known as a person who can be trusted to act for the betterment of the University and for thoughtful advice on a range of topics. He served many terms on the University Curriculum Council, the Faculty Senate, and the Commission on Promotion and Tenure. In the community, Professor Walker has been active in his church, a frequent delegate to district and state conventions of the Democratic Party, and active in the ACLU. His Ph.D. is from Duke University. In receiving the Award for Distinguished Advising, Professor Shinkle was lauded for putting an extraordinary amount of passion, enthusiasm, and sincerity into his role as a student adviser. Students praise him for remembering details about them, for challenging them never to give up, and for building a rapport with each one. Professor Shinkle says he tries to prepare students to make choices and decisions and that he views advising to be equal to the academic responsibilities of teaching and research. His doctorate is from Stanford University. Since arriving at Trinity in 1998, Professor Ardavín has established himself as an exceptional teacher and scholar known for critiquing student work carefully and challenging their ideas beyond the limits of a specific class. During his time at Trinity, he has published 11 articles, primarily on contemporary Spanish peninsular topics, and is completing two books, along with a third volume of his own essays. His received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Spener has acquired a reputation for excellence in scholarship and teaching, and his classes have become models for innovative teaching and for student involvement through field trips and service learning projects. In the area of national boundaries, especially the U.S.-Mexico border, he has published two edited books and nine articles or chapters. His recent ethnographic study of coyotes, the business of smuggling unauthorized Mexican migrants into Texas, is considered innovative and groundbreaking both in its method and sociological implications. His Ph.D. is from the University of Texas at Austin. Each professor received a medal and $2,000 at a ceremony held during a Faculty Assembly meeting in May. Trinity University is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences institution noted for its exceptional faculty and commitment to the comprehensive preparation of its talented student body. It is a learning community that has charted its course with a steadfast commitment to excellence since it was founded in 1869. | ||||||||||
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Last updated on May 21, 2002 by the Office of Public Relations |
