Five members of the College of Arts and Science are among 25 Texas A&M University faculty and staff being honored this year by the university and The Association of Former Students with 2023 Distinguished Achievement Awards.
The awards, announced Thursday (March 23), and their respective recipients from Texas A&M Arts and Sciences are as follows:
Teaching (10 given university-wide)
- Dr. Sarah McNamara, Assistant Professor, History
Research (6 given university-wide)
- Dr. Stephen Maren, Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Graduate Mentoring (2 given university-wide)
- Dr. Mark Hoekstra, Professor, Economics
Individual Student Engagement (2 given university-wide)
- Sherree D. Kessler '99, Academic Advisor IV, Physics & Astronomy
Staff (2 given university-wide)
- Kurt P. Felpel '92, Assistant Department Head, Economics
For more than six decades, Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students have recognized the most deserving faculty and staff members with university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards. First presented in 1955, they have since been awarded to 1,185 professionals (including this year’s recipients) who have exhibited the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M in the categories of teaching, research, individual student engagement, graduate mentoring, administration, staff, and extension/outreach/continuing education/professional development.
Recipients are chosen via a rigorous selection process by a campus-wide committee composed of faculty, staff, students and former students. The award serves as tangible testimony to the esteem in which colleagues hold each recipient.
In recognition of their achievements, honorees will receive a cash gift, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque. They will be honored at an April 24 university awards ceremony luncheon in the MSC Bethancourt Ballroom.
See the complete list of 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award recipients or learn more about the nomination process and related deadlines via the Texas A&M Faculty Affairs website.