UNCP Honors Faculty Excellence at Annual Appreciation Banquet
UNC Pembroke faculty were recognized for excellence in teaching, scholarship and service during the university's annual Faculty Appreciation Banquet. The evening celebrated both individual achievement and the collective impact of faculty across campus.
Dr. Diane Prusank, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, acknowledged the evolving landscape of higher education, emphasizing the importance of faculty engagement in navigating complex and often challenging questions about the value and purpose of education.
“These are not peripheral questions,” Prusank said. “They go to the core of our identity as educators and scholars and to the identity of our institution.”
While acknowledging the uncertainty that can come with those conversations, Prusank underscored their importance.
“This work of questioning, refining and sometimes contesting our own understanding is not a distraction from our mission,” she said. “This is our mission.”
She praised faculty for their commitment to students, even amid ambiguity.
“What I see most clearly here is a faculty that refuses to disengage,” Prusank said. “A faculty that shows up… especially when things are not easy or clear.”
Among the evening's honorees was Dr. Jamie Litty, professor of mass communication and recipient of the 2026 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“This is admission to a special club of people I admire and respect very much,” said Litty, who was recently promoted to associate dean of Student Success and Curriculum.
Litty reflected on the deeper impact of teaching, noting that the most meaningful outcomes often extend beyond measurable results.
“All the intangibles that result from that kind of pedagogy — that's what I'm here for,” she said.
She also highlighted UNCP's commitment to personalized learning.
“Most students don't remember lectures… what they do remember is how they were challenged and how they were treated,” Litty said. “The real curriculum might not be what's on our syllabus.”
For many faculty members, it is the students who make their work meaningful.
Dr. Kelly Charlton, professor and longtime chair of the Department of Psychology, said her dedication to UNCP is rooted in the transformative potential of education.
“I like working with students for whom college is not just the next step, but something that can change the direction of their lives,” Charlton said.
Dr. Velinda Locklear Woriax, a professor and longtime chair of the Department of Biology and a 30-year faculty member, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing her connection to the community.
“You've got to love this place. You've got to love the students,” Woriax said. “I came from this community… and I'm trying to invest back into it.”
Her hope, she added, is that students leave UNCP with a strong sense of identity and purpose.
“I hope my students are learning who they are and walking the path they really want to be on,” Woriax said.
Dr. John Roe, professor of biology, was recognized with both the Adolph L. Dial Endowed Award for Scholarship/Creative Work and a UNC Pembroke Outstanding Teaching Award.
“It's an honor to receive this recognition,” Roe said. “I'm proud of the students I've worked with and where they've gone, whether into careers or further schooling.”
Roe said his favorite aspect of teaching is blending classroom instruction with hands-on research.
“I enjoy taking students into the field to show them the scientific process and generate curiosity,” Roe said. “That's where you really get to know them and make those personal connections.”
The Faculty Appreciation Banquet also recognized faculty for milestone years of service, promotions to full professor and a variety of awards across disciplines.
2026 Award Winners
Undergraduate Research and Creativity Awards
- Dr. Bryan Sales, Biology
- Dr. Xinyan Shi, Economics
UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Dr. Jamie Litty, Mass Communication
Faculty Emeritus Status
- Dr. Thomas Dooling
- Dr. Cherry Maynor Beasley
Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
- Dr. Amy Purser, Nursing
- Dr. Marian Wooten, Kinesiology
Diane O. Jones Excellence in Service-Learning Award
- Dr. Ashley Anderson, Specialized Education Programs
UNC Pembroke Outstanding Teaching Awards
- Dr. John Roe, Biology
- Dr. Thomas Trendowski, Specialized Education Programs
- Dr. Bryan Sales, Biology
- Dr. Xin Zhang, Mathematics and Computer Science
- Dr. Cle Cousins, Mass Communication
UNC Pembroke Outstanding Part-Time Teaching Award
- Dr. Maxwell Dosser, Mass Communication
Adolph L. Dial Endowed Award for Community Service
- Dr. Tiffany Locklear, Early Childhood, Elementary & Literacy Studies
Adolph L. Dial Endowed Award for Scholarship/Creative Work
- Dr. John Roe, Biology
Promotions to Full Professor
- Dr. Nachiket Bhawe
- Dr. Jennifer Jones-Locklear
- Dr. Josiah Marineau
- Dr. Miranda Reiter
- Dr. Mark Tollefsen
- Dr. Rachel Morrison
Years of Service
5 Years
Dr. Prashanth Busi Reddy Gari; Bobbi Fields; Dr. Elliott Hollifield; Dr. Natalie Love; Dr. Keara Ndhlovu; Dr. Nicolas Negrin Pereira; Dr. Beata Niedzialkowska; Dr. Corey Pomykacz-DeSouza
10 Years
Dr. Gary Anderson; Hannah Baggot; Dr. Emilia Bak; Dr. Yawo Bessa; Dr. Serina Cinnamon; Dr. Tracy Cooper; Dr. Virginia Garnett; Dr. Caroline Glackin; Dr. SiAhn Mehng; Dr. Abigail B. Reiter; Dr. Miranda Reiter; Dr. Hillary Sessions
15 Years
Dr. Kelly Blackmon; Dr. Chiuchu M. Chuang; Sheila K. Harris; Dr. Cindy E. Locklear; Dr. Melissa Mann; Dr. John Roe III; Dr. LaMorris Smith; Dr. Jody Thomas
20 Years
Jessica Godsey; Dr. Jaeyoon Kim; Brigitte M. Knight; Carla Rokes; Dr. Cornelia Tirla
25 Years
Dr. Kelly Charlton; Dr. Camille Locklear Goins; Dr. Karen Granger
30 Years
>Holden Hansen; Dr. Beverly Justice; Dr. Velinda Locklear Woriax
35 Years
Mary B. Klinikowski
40 Years
Dr. Ray Sutherland