College of Education members recognized during 2021 Honors Week

Every year, the University of Georgia celebrates the successes of its students, faculty, staff, and alumni in a series of events during Honors Week. This year, four faculty members and a staff member in the Mary Frances Early College of Education were recognized for their accomplishments and dedication to students.

The honors range from teaching and public service awards—such as the 2021 Engaged Scholar Award, which recognizes a faculty member’s significant career-spanning contributions to UGA’s public service mission—to the Josiah Meigs Teaching Professorship, the University’s highest recognition for instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

UGA has honored the following members in the College:

Public Service and Outreach Engaged Scholar Award: Edward Delgado-Romero

The Engaged Scholar Award recognizes a tenured associate or full professor who has made significant career-spanning contributions to UGA’s public service mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students, and campus leadership.

Edward Delgado-Romero, associate dean and professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services, received the 2021 Public Service and Outreach Engaged Scholar Award for his significant engaged scholarship endeavors.

“This award is special because the award recognizes over 10 years of work my students and I spent creating a program of teaching, research, clinical training, and service based in the local Latinx population,” said Delgado-Romero. “I’m thankful to my students and alumni for creating it with me, my family for supporting me and Dean Denise Spangler for suggesting this award to me when she was associate dean. Over time, this community engagement has been mutually beneficial for everyone involved.”

Delgado-Romero’s research focuses on multicultural psychology and the challenges of bilingual therapy, which previously had not been studied closely by psychologists. Additionally, he is the director of Clinica In La’Kech, a clinic that offers bilingual and bicultural counseling to Latinx people in Georgia.

Josiah Meigs Teaching Professor: John Mativo

The Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professorship is the university’s highest recognition for instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

John Mativo, an associate professor in the Department of Career and Information Studies, received UGA’s highest teaching honor, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship.

Whether it’s mentoring students, teaching extra course loads or volunteering his time, Mativo takes an active role in serving the University of Georgia community.

“Dr. Mativo cultivates one of the most cheerful and uplifting classroom environments I have had the pleasure of learning in,” one former student wrote. “No matter how frustrating our material, Dr. Mativo led us through it confidently, encouragingly and with a contagious smile. He started every Monday class asking us how our weekends were and if we’d had time to spend enjoying the outdoors.”

Lothar Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award: Kevin McCully

The Lothar Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award was originally named the Outstanding Honors Professor Award. The award was dedicated to Lothar Tresp, former Honors Program director in the mid-1990s. It recognizes superior teaching and dedication to Honors students in senior faculty members.

Kevin McCully, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and director of UGA’s Exercise Muscle Physiology Lab, received the Honors Program’s 2021 Lothar Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award.

McCully has several Honors Program students working in the UGA Exercise Muscle Physiology Lab with him each semester. The students play a critical role in the success of the laboratory’s research, working as a team to assist with publications, presentations, and research grants. Additionally, McCully encourages his students to learn how to conduct experiments and present and interpret data.

“I think the best part about receiving the award is to get the congratulations from the students I work with in my research laboratory,” he said. “For them to be happy for me and to thank me for working with them is very satisfying. I have always considered the best part of my job to be in the lab doing experiments with the students, so to be noticed for that is very nice.”

First-Year Odyssey Teaching Award: Elizabeth Saylor

The FYO Teaching Award recognizes outstanding instructors who have demonstrated creativity or innovation in instruction, connection to the instructor’s research and incorporation of FYOS program goals into the seminar.

Elizabeth Saylor, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, was one of four University of Georgia faculty members to receive a 2021 First-Year Odyssey Teaching Award for her continued success of the First-Year Odyssey Seminar (FYOS) program.

Saylor’s course, “HERstory” is grounded in critical feminist theory and focuses on her research, including the marginalization and misrepresentation of women in history. During the class, students learn about numerous women who have made major social, economic, cultural, legal, and political contributions to society.

“Receiving the FYO Teaching Award is a tremendous honor for me,” Saylor said. “Teaching the course provides me with a wonderful and unique opportunity to engage with students in UGA’s freshman class. Additionally, I am passionate about the content of this course, so I absolutely love teaching it.”

Outstanding Academic Advisor: Julian Williams

The Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advising Award honorees were nominated by their supervisors and selected by a committee of three student representatives from SGA, along with the previous advising award winners.

Julian Williams, an academic advisor in the Department of Kinesiology, was selected for the Excellence in Advising Special Populations award. Williams works with student athletes to navigate and balance the desire to excel both athletically and academically.

Williams helps students break out of the “athletic bubble” and explore their non-athletic interests and goals. With his first-hand experience as a former student-athlete, he is able to relate to students as well as help them to see their academic potential and explore all of the possibilities available.

A second-year golf student said, “Julian is a great academic advisor. He always shows he cares about every student, including the student-athletes who have lots of scheduling conflicts, by valuing their passions, questions, concerns, and life in and out of school. Whenever I had a question, he knew the answer or would find out the answer quickly. Whenever I talked about my team schedule, he already knew what courses and times would fit in my small-time frames.”

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