The College of Arts and Letters is proud of the accomplishments and commitment of its faculty and staff. Each year, in recognition of superlative achievement in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service, the college names a Carl Harter Distinguished Teacher, a Madison Scholar, and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and the Staff Recogition Award. Faculty Award Guidelines

• Carl Harter Distinguished Teacher - Recognizes exemplary commitment to teaching. 

Recipients: 2024 Chen Guo (SMAD); 2023 Liliokanaio Peaslee (Political Science); 2022 Allison Fagan (English); 2021 Dennis Blanton (Anthropology); 2020 Dan Schill (SCOM); 2019 Sean McCarthy (WRTC); 2018 Toni Whitfield (SCOM); 2017 Andrew Witmer (History); 2016 Steven Hoeltzel (Philosophy); 2015 Mark Piper (Philosophy); 2014 Corey Hickerson (SCOM); 2013 Frances Flannery (Religion)

• Distinguished Service Award - Recognizes superlative achievement in the area of service.

Recipients: 2024 Roger Soenksen (SMAD); 2023 Lori Britt (SCOM); 2022 Mary Thompson (English);2021 Mark Piper (Philosophy); 2020 Jessica Adolino (Political Science); 2019 Leigh Nelson (SCOM); 2018 Chris Blake (Political Science); 2017 David Jones (Political Science), Raymond Hyser (History); 2016 Michael Galgano (History); 2015 Carlos Aleman (SCOM); 2014 Bethany Bryson (Sociology); 2013 Beth Eck (Sociology)

• Madison Scholar - Recognizes a record of outstanding scholarship/research/creative work and its dissemination through publication, exhibition, performance or other means. Winners present a lecture on their area of expertise during the academic year. 

Recipients: 2024 Sofia Samatar (English); 2023 Shah Mahmoud Hanifi (History); 2022 Timothy LaPira (Political Science);2021 Mark Rankin (English); 2020 Richard Lawler (Anthropology); 2019 Dennis Blanton (Anthropology);2018 Debali Mookerjea-Leonard (English); 2017 Susan Opt (SCOM); 2016 Joshua Linder (Anthropology); 2015 Kerry Dobransky (Sociology); 2014 Bernd Kaussler (Political Science); 2013 Alexander Leidholdt (SMAD)

• Staff Recognition Award - Recognizes exemplary service to the university by a staff member of the college. The award is presented at the Spring Staff Workshop.

Recipients: 2024 Rebecca White (History); 2023 Lori Patton (Dean's Office); 2022 Logan Zeigler(Madison Center for Civic Engagment); 2021 Angela Carter (English); 2020 Peggy Smith (History); 2019 Sandra Purington (WRTC)

• Edna T. Shaeffer Humanist Award - Awarded annually from the Evelyn Pugh endowment for scholarly research projects on topics in the humanities. Award Guidelines

Recipients: 2022 Pia Antolic-Piper (Philosophy and Religion), Brooks Hefner (English), Laura Katzman (Art, Design, and Art History), Debali Mookerjea-Leonard (English); 2021 Annette Federico (English), Dolores Flamiano (SMAD), Philip Herrington (History), Heidi Pennington (English); 2020 Beth Eck (Sociology), Evan Friss (History), Mollie Godfrey (English); 2019Debali Mookerjea-Leonard (English), Besi Muhonja (English), Emily Westkaemper (History)

• Educational Leaves - Provide faculty members with the opportunity to devote a semester fully to scholarship. Faculty are relieved of teaching and service responsibilities and are expected to engage in activities that enhance their research, scholarship or creative work. Award Guidelines

Recipients: 2021-2022 Rob Alexander (Political Science), Imelda O’Reilly (SMAD), Emily Westkaemper (History); 2020-21 John Scherpereel (Political Science), Gianluca DeFazio (Justice Studies), Edward Yang (Political Science), Lori Beth De Hertogh (WRTC), Holly Yanacek (World Languages and Cultures); 2019-20 Jennifer Almjeld (WRTC), Kevin Reynolds (SMAD), Séan McCarthy (WRTC), Heather Scheuerman (Justice Studies)

• Legacy Awards - Support research and creative endeavors for professors who open doors and transform student lives with their teaching and mentoring. Supported by the College of Arts and Letters Alumni Board.

Recipients: 2019-20 Andrea Veltman (Philosophy), Francesca Tripodi (Sociology), Rebecca Brannon (History), Katey Castellano (English); 2018-19 Alan Kirk (Religion), Michael Seth (History), Dennis Lo (English), Amy Paugh (Anthropology); 2017-18 Yongguang Hu (History), Marianne Mason (World Languages and Cultures), Sarah Newman (Anthropology), Sofia Samatar (English)

• Summer Grants - Support research, scholarship and creative activities that lead to presentation, publication, exhibition or performance. Grants provide support for faculty salaries, travel expenses and other scholarship-related costs. Award Guidelines

Recipients: 2022 Rebecca Brannon (History), Diana Galarreta-Aima (World Languages and Cultures), Amanda Gerber (English), Adrienne Hooker and David Wang (SMAD), Matt Rebhorn (English);2021 Evan Friss (History), Elisabeth Kvernen (SMAD), Andrea Martinez Gonzalez (SCOM), Marianne Mason (World Languages and Cultures), Debali Mookerjea-Leonard (English) 2020 Colleen Moore (History), Case Watkins (Justice Studies), Allison Fagan (English), Kristin Wylie (Political Science), Iccha Basnyat (SCOM), Joseph Spear (Sociology)