Notable Honors and Awards for Seven Women Faculty Members at Colleges and Universities

Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, the Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor of Communication at the University of South Carolina, has received the 2018 Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Communication Association. The award is the association’s highest honor and recognizes her lifetime achievements in the study of human communication.

Dr. Fitzpatrick holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Ph.D. in communication from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Katherine Fusco, associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, has received the William Riley Parker Prize from the Modern Language Association for her article “Sexing Farina: Our Gang’s Episodes of Racial Childhood.” The award honors an outstanding article in literature and consists of a cash prize and a certificate. Dr. Fusco’s article discusses the character of Farina, a Black child, played by American child actor Allen Hoskins, who switches from masculine to feminine attributions in installments of the 1920s film series Our Gang, which was reborn later as The Little Rascals.

Dr. Fusco holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in English from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Amanda Glaze, an assistant professor of science education at Georgia Southern University, has received the Evolution Education Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers. The award recognizes classroom teaching and community education efforts to promote the accurate understanding of biological evolution.

Dr. Glaze holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science and a master’s degree in secondary science education both from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Alabama.

Erinn E. Knyt, an associate professor of music history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, has received the American Musicological Society’s Teaching Award for her article “Teaching Music History to Graduate Students.” The award honors a recent, exceptional article, book, digital, or online material that exemplifies the highest qualities of originality, theory, application, and communication for the teaching of musicology or music history.

Dr. Knyt holds a bachelor’s degree in music history and piano performance from the University of California, Davis as well as a master’s degree in music and a Ph.D. in music and humanities both from Stanford University.

Kay Peterson, director of the graduate program in dyslexia therapy and instructor in the School of Education at Mississippi College, has received the Etoile DuBard Award from the International Multisensory Structured Education Council. She is honored for longstanding work training teachers and for raising awareness about dyslexia.

Dr. Peterson holds a bachelor’s degree in child development from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and a master’s degree in business administration and human relations from Amberton University in Garland, Texas.

Elizabeth Bernhardt, a professor of German studies and the Johns Roberts Hale Director of the Stanford Language Center at Stanford University, has received the 2018 Wilga Rivers Award from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated leadership excellence in post-secondary foreign language education.

Dr. Bernhardt graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Wooster in Ohio where she majored in German. She also holds a master’s degree in German from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in second languages and cultures education from the University of Minnesota.

Myria Allen, professor and graduate director in the department of communication at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, has been recognized as the 2018 Outstanding Mentor in Master’s Education from the National Communication Association Master’s Section. The award is given annually to a faculty member in a master’s program who has made positive contributions to graduate education. Dr. Allen was honored for her success in mentoring and collaborating with students on research projects and for her leadership in redesigning the department of communication’s master’s program.

Dr. Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations, a master’s degree in mass communication, and a Ph.D. in organizational communication all from the University of Kentucky.