Recognizing Exceptional Faculty

POPE was nominated for his accomplishments in public education and expanding and enhancing SU’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE), for which he has served as director for the past nine years.

He has formed a close relationship with Parkside High School in Salisbury, where he serves as campus liaison and a member of the Career and Technical Education Advisory Board. That role focuses on supporting the Teacher Academy of Maryland program.

Through his conversations with school administration, Pope arranged to supervise a first-year history education student to complete Work Study hours at Parkside. The student began in a government classroom where one of Pope’s senior students was a long-term substitute. The partnership fulfilled the White House’s National Partnership for Student Success Higher Education Coalition challenge for universities to dedicate federal Work Study funds to support K-12 education.

Beyond teacher preparation, Pope is a key figure in civic education across the state, including collaborations with middle school teachers Julia Berg and Sarah Mason writing curriculum about contentious topics and organizing a collective of Holocaust educators through the Maryland Holocaust Educators Network.

In addition, he helmed SU’s successful efforts for SU to be recognized with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Elective Community Engagement Classification.

Pope’s efforts at PACE have included the transition of the Center for Civic Reflection from Valparaiso University, IN, to SU in 2019 via a USM Wilson H. Elkins Professorship Award, providing unique opportunities such as a yearlong seminar series examining local issues within the broader framework of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, also facilitated by Pope.

POPE WAS NOMINATED FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND EXPANDING AND ENHANCING SU’S INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT (PACE), FOR WHICH HE HAS SERVED AS DIRECTOR FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS.

STOCK WAS NOMINATED NOT ONLY FOR HIS WORK IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT FOR HIS SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS THAT CONNECT SU PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS AND FACULTY WITH MEMBERS OF THE GREATER COMMUNITY.

STOCK was nominated not only for his work in the classroom but also for his support of programs that connect SU philosophy students and faculty with members of the greater community.

These efforts include a program that, for years, has facilitated philosophical book discussions between students and people incarcerated at nearby Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) and a regional Ethics Bowl program also recently expanded to include ECI. As Philosophy Department chair, he also has supported the work of Dr. Cristina Cammarano, who created the Young Thinkers Club at Wicomico Public Libraries, as well as a Philosophy in Schools program, each of which helps engage younger children in age-appropriate philosophical discussions.

Additional efforts in which Stock has been involved include the Re-Envisioning Ethics Access and Community Humanities (REACH) program, supported by $181,000 in funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through REACH, he and Dr. Michèle Schlehofer, professor of psychology, are working to establish a Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility on campus, with a goal of connecting SU students and faculty with community groups to tackle problems and projects with significant ethical dimensions.

Beyond his work with students, faculty and community members, Stock is a nationally known scholar of European philosophy, with a record of peer-reviewed scholarship that most recently includes two articles currently under review and a book project in that field; a recent co-authored article on ethics pedagogy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and a second on community ethics as a practice area for philosophers; and a graphic novel in the process of being illustrated, with interest in publication expressed by a major academic press.

“Tim Stock both champions and masters many of the initiatives that contribute to SU’s overall excellence as a public-facing and public-serving regional comprehensive university,” said Dr. Maarten Pereboom, Fulton School of Liberal Arts dean. “At the heart of his many contributions lies a profound, and profoundly creative, commitment to student learning and success.”

YAO was nominated for her proactive approach to student success, reaching out to each of her students early during their time in the Perdue School of Business and encouraging them as they move toward their degrees. She serves as a resource for many who apply for professional positions and for fellowships in top graduate programs.

In the classroom, Yao focuses on career preparedness, incorporating industry guest speakers and working to connect students to jobs or graduate programs. This often results in Perdue School students receiving offers from top firms, winning national and international fellowships, and gaining admission to prestigious graduate programs, sometimes with academic scholarships.

Nominators noted that she provides this guidance not only to her own student advisees, but to others throughout the SU economics program and beyond.

“Dr. Yao is an active mentor and supporter of everyone at Salisbury University,” said Lepre. “While she does a fantastic job engaging with students in SU’s Perdue School of Business, she also has a praiseworthy history of supporting other faculty. … In particular, she has been a remarkable advocate for international faculty, encouraging them and providing thoughtful guidance to those who need it most.”

YAO WAS NOMINATED FOR HER PROACTIVE APPROACH TO STUDENT SUCCESS, REACHING OUT TO EACH OF HER STUDENTS EARLY DURING THEIR TIME IN THE PERDUE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ENCOURAGING THEM AS THEY MOVE TOWARD THEIR DEGREES.