Alumni Association honors 5 faculty members

Alumni Association Faculty Award recipients are (from left) David R. Shaw, Anthony Skjellum, Martin W. Brunson, Melanie Eckford-Prossor, and Armando de la Cruz.

Faculty members from English, biological sciences, weed science, computer science, and wildlife and fisheries are winners of the Alumni Association's Faculty Awards for 1998.

At April 30 festivities, the annual honors program recognized "significant contributions to the welfare of humankind and the stature of Mississippi State University" in the categories of classroom teaching, research, and service.

Receiving awards this year were Martin W. Brunson, Armando de la Cruz, Melanie Eckford-Prossor, Anthony Skjellum, and David R. Shaw. Each recipient received a plaque and a monetary award.

Since the program's inception in 1965, more than 150 Mississippi State faculty members have been honored. Selections are made by committees of faculty, students, and alumni.

Honored this year are:

• Martin W. Brunson, Service Award.
  A colleague says he has the ability to "reach into the nooks and crannies of the state of Mississippi in meeting the informational and technical assistance needs of the people. He is the consummate extension specialist because he is able to communicate technical information in layman's terms, effectively reaching all clients he is challenged to serve." In his work with aquaculture in Mississippi as Extension Fisheries Specialist, Brunson has been a catalyst in linking people across the state with the university through direct contact with faculty. He received degrees from Mississippi College and Mississippi State.

• Armando de la Cruz, Upper Level (junior and senior) Teaching Award.
  One student says coming to class to hear lectures by de la Cruz is like watching the Discovery Channel because he makes his subjects come alive for his students. Colleagues say he is patient and dedicated and sincerely wants to help his students in any way possible, including outside the classroom. He uses field trips to the Noxubee Refuge, Mississippi Gulf Coast, and other places to illustrate concepts and to make students active participants in the teaching-learning process. De la Cruz holds degrees from the Philippines, from American University, and from the University of Georgia.

• Melanie Eckford-Prossor, Lower Level (freshman and sophomore) Teaching Award.
  One student says Eckford-Prossor is the reason she changed her major from biochemistry to English. After taking one class from her, the student found herself feeling passionate about reading and writing. A colleague says her greatest strength is her ability to coach her classes into discussions of literature by asking questions, occasionally restating an answer to make sure she understood the student's point, and by recording on the chalkboard a running tally of the progression of the argument. Eckford-Prossor received three degrees from UCLA.

• David R. Shaw, Graduate Level Teaching Award.
  A colleague says, "His basic belief and approach to teaching is that educators must strive to instill in students a curiosity to learn more, and a means by which they can move beyond rote memorization. He challenges his students to think. He also teaches by example. He recruits only graduate students who work hard because he works hard." A student says Shaw realizes higher learning is founded upon two-way communication between the teacher and the students and not the simple dictation of information. Shaw received degrees from Cameron University and Oklahoma State University.

• Anthony Skjellum, Research Award.
  One colleague says Skjellum has been a dominant factor in the establishment of the university as a major player in the nation's High-Performance Computing and Communications initiative. Another colleague calls Skjellum the catalyst for changing the research culture of his department. He built collaborations within the department and with faculty in other departments, organized research teams, wrote proposals, and promoted his research to locate funding sources. During his five years at Mississippi State, he has brought more than $4 million in research funding to the university. Skjellum received three degrees from the California Institute of Technology.

Alumni Association Executive Director John Correro said that while these five awards recognize those achieving significant accomplishments over the past year, the annual program honors all faculty members at Mississippi State.