Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize Junior Faculty Award Ceremony Honors Outstanding Faculty

A&M-Commerce Faculty Senate and the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education (TABPHE) will honor fifteen outstanding faculty members during the second annual Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize Junior Faculty Award Ceremony on Tuesday, October 6.

The Junior Faculty Award recognizes faculty members from A&M-Commerce who exhibit professional excellence. Professors are nominated by department heads or deans based on exceptional teaching evaluations, research, publications and more.

“Our junior faculty members are the future of our university, and we want to make sure they know how much we appreciate the work they are doing,” said Dr. Lavelle Hendricks, president of TABPHE.

“These professors will matriculate from the assistant to the associate to the full professor level, and our future remains bright here at A&M-Commerce because of these fifteen individuals who will receive this honor,” he said.

The award's namesake, Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize, aptly represents the award. The A&M-Commerce economics and finance professor has received numerous awards, including The Texas A&M University System Regents' Professor Award, the A&M System Teaching Excellence Award and the David Talbot Outstanding Professor of the Year Award. His work has also been published in dozens of academic journals and publications around the world.

“Chuck is a scholar and a gentleman,” Hendricks said. “He is also such a strong encourager to junior faculty, teaching them the value of effective teaching, publishing and departmental service. More importantly, he is an advocate for students.”

Recipients of the 2020 Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize Junior Faculty Award are as follows:

Dr. Son Bui, Marketing and Business Analytics

Dr. Amny Shuraydi, Sociology and Criminal Justice

Dr. Sean Lauderdale, Psychology and Special Education

Dr. Rafael Bakhtavoryan, Agribusiness, College of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Ayman Elzohairy, Engineering and Technology

Dr. David Frank, Psychology and Special Education

Michelle Hanks, Psychology and Special Education

Dr. Michael Opara, Accounting and Finance

Dr. Elizabeth Wachira, Health and Human Performance

Dr. Gregory Lubiani, Management and Economics

Dr. Mei Jiang, Educational Leadership

Dr. Kibum Kwon, Higher Education and Learning Technologies

Dr. Heungman Park, Physics and Astronomy

Dr. Katie Koo, Higher Education and Learning Technologies

Dr. Kelly Reyna, Wildlife and Conservation Science

Tuesday's virtual ceremony will be conducted via Zoom. Speakers and presenters include Dr. Mark Rudin, university president; Dr. Julia Ballenger, Faculty Senate president; Trelandra Duffey, musician; Dr. John Humphreys, provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs; Dr. Alberto Ruiz, vice-president of Academic Affairs, University of Louisiana-Monroe; and Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize. Dr. Chester Robinson, associate professor of counseling, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The university community is encouraged to attend the Junior Faculty Award Ceremony on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom: https://tamuc.zoom.us/j/96654792511.