Four faculty and staff members at UT Martin received Skyhawk Spirit Awards for the month of September. Receiving the awards of merit were:
• Dr. Anthony Delmond, professor of agricultural economics;
• Dr. Dawn Lattus, lecturer of nursing;
• Kassidy Nanney, coordinator of student involvement at the Center for Student Engagement; and
• Stanton Watson, coordinator of training and partnerships for the Educator Preparation Program.
Dr. ANTHONY DELMOND | Dr. DAWN LATTUS
Dr. Anthony Delmond
Delmond voluntarily reached out to new faculty members to help make their transition to UT Martin easier. By sharing practical information about available software, technology resources, teaching tools and other valuable campus resources, he helped colleagues feel welcomed, informed and better prepared for their new roles.
“Your approachable nature, generosity with your time and willingness to share your experience have provided new faculty with meaningful guidance on topics such as developing effective artificial intelligence policies for their courses and supporting distance-learning students,” read the letter notifying Delmond of winning the Skyhawk Spirit Award. “Your efforts have helped colleagues strengthen their teaching practices while building confidence and connection within the university community.”
For receiving a Skyhawk Spirit Award, Delmond will receive a $50 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
Dr. Dawn Lattus
Lattus created engaging and meaningful learning experiences with Level II nursing students. Her complete reimagining of the traditional back-to-school skills fair as “Café Clinique” transformed a routine review into an interactive and memorable experience.
“By involving Level III students as peer mentors, you also created an environment that encouraged collaboration, confidence and a strong sense of belonging among students,” read the letter notifying Lattus of winning the Skyhawk Spirit Award. “Your commitment to experiential learning extends far beyond the classroom. You have coordinated opportunities for nursing students to provide medical support at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, conducted health screenings for local seniors and UT Martin athletes, and assisted student health with screenings for UT Martin students. These experiences allow students to strengthen their clinical, communication and leadership skills while serving the university and surrounding community.”
For receiving a Skyhawk Spirit Award, Lattus will receive a $50 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
KASSIDY NANNEY | STANTON WATSON
Kassidy Nanney
Nanney helped to create meaningful opportunities for faculty and staff to connect, build relationships and strengthen their sense of community. Nanney worked in the planning of the Welcome Home Picnic, something that required extensive preparation, coordination and behind-the-scenes effort to create a memorable experience for new students, their families, faculty and staff.
“When unexpected weather created challenges, you responded with flexibility, leadership and a willingness to adjust plans so the event could continue successfully,” read the letter notifying Nanney of winning the Skyhawk Spirit Award.
For receiving a Skyhawk Spirit Award, Nanney will receive a $50 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
Stanton Watson
Watson recognized the need for a more intentional approach to supporting educator preparation candidates and developed an internal retention application that brings critical student information together in one accessible resource.
The application allows the program to monitor undergraduate and graduate enrollment, distinguish between new and continuing students, evaluate retention trends and forecast progress toward established goals.
“Your innovation has transformed retention data into meaningful action,” read the letter notifying Watson of winning the award. “The application is helping the Educator Preparation Program create strategic touchpoints with current candidates, communicate with prospective students and provide more proactive support throughout each candidate’s journey.”
For receiving a Skyhawk Spirit Innovation Award, Watson will receive a $250 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
The Skyhawk Spirit Award seeks to recognize employee contributions that exceed expectations for performance. All regular full- and part-time faculty and staff up to the level of director are eligible to receive Spirit Awards. Independent contractors, temporary employees, volunteers and executive-level staff who report directly to the chancellor and serve as a member of the chancellor’s cabinet are not eligible for the Skyhawk Spirit Award.
The Innovation Spirit Award seeks to recognize employees who achieve beyond the status quo who implement an idea, initiative, process or system that improves efficiencies or outcomes.
Employees may be nominated by any employee for the Skyhawk Spirit Award, but nominations for the Innovation Spirit Award must be initiated by employees with the job title of supervisor, manager or director and should only be given for significant employee contributions.
Those receiving Skyhawk Spirit Awards earn a $50 cash award and a commemorative plaque. Those receiving Innovative Spirit Awards earn a $250 cash prize and a commemorative plaque.
To nominate someone for these awards, send a brief nomination statement about the contribution or action made by the nominated employee to skyhawkspiritawards@utm.edu. The cutoff for nominations for a certain month is the end of the day on the first Friday of that month. Nominations sent after that date will be considered for the awards for the next month.
