School of Education Honors 2024 Faculty and Staff Award Winners

10/22/2024

On Sept. 25, 2024, members of the Saint Louis University School of Education gathered to celebrate the recipients of this year’s Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards.

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Outstanding Scholarship Award

The Outstanding Scholarship Award recognizes and rewards a faculty member for the most important research product or strand of research that was conducted or published within the past three years.

This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Scholarship Award is Jaime E. Welborn, Ph.D.

“Saint Louis University and the School of Education hold social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion as a primary focus in meeting the needs of our students, faculty, staff, and community," Welborn's nominator shared. "Dr. Welborn’s research, professional development work, and state/national presentations on Cultural Proficiency are extremely important to SLU and the communities we serve. Her extensive research on DEI and Cultural Proficiency are hallmarks of our work in social justice and her leadership in the application of this work at SLU, locally, regionally, and nationally, have demonstrated her commitment to putting research into purposeful action.”

“Winning the 2024 SOE Outstanding Scholarship Award is an honor that validates my dedication to impactful research regarding culturally proficient educational practice," Welborn said.

Outstanding Teaching, Advising, and/or Mentoring Award

The Outstanding Teaching, Advising, and/or Mentoring Award recognizes and rewards a faculty member for outstanding teaching, advising, and/or mentoring that supports our SOE students.

This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Teaching, Advising, and/or Mentoring Award is Donna Jahnke, Ph.D.

“Dr. Jahnke demonstrates excellence in teaching by consistently receiving outstanding reviews from her students," her nominator wrote. "Students praise her ability to make complex concepts accessible, reflected in their high achievement of student learning outcomes on signature assignments for the course. She blends lectures, collaborative projects, and hands-on activities, catering to different learning styles and fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, essential for future school leaders.”

“I feel like I have come full circle, starting my career as a teacher and now coming back to teaching in a very meaningful way," Jahnke said.

Superior Service Award

The Superior Service Award recognizes and rewards a faculty member based on their superior accomplishments for service within the past year. This year’s recipient of the Superior Service Award is Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Ph.D.

“Kathryn’s service to the SOE has been extraordinary," her nominator shared. "It has been Herculean. It is hard to capture the full depth and breadth of her contributions. Her service is far-reaching and includes oversight of the program review process for Graduate Educational Studies; oversight of the Ph.D. redesign process, managing this process with intelligence, efficiency, persistence, patience, and grace; and redesigning and co-chairing the SOE Faculty Assembly.”

“I have been taught by my mentors that leadership means supporting the work of the organization by noticing what needs to be done, being part of getting them done, and supporting others so they can do their part – being a servant leader," Pierce said. "Knowing that my colleagues recognize my leadership work helps me believe that I am honoring my mentors.”

Staff Excellence Award

The Staff Excellence Award recognizes and rewards SOE staff members for their dedicated service to the SLU community and to the broader St. Louis community.

This year there are two recipients of the Staff Excellence Award. The first recipient is Karissa Sywulka.

Sywulka serves the School of Education as the director of the STL Teaching Fellows. 

“Karissa serves as the “cheerleader” for dozens of fellows, her nominator wrote. "During the admission process, she is prompt in answering applicant questions and her kind spirit and words remind them that they can and will be successful. From social media posts highlighting their achievements to encouraging them through personal conversations or correspondence, she helps to ensure all fellows are seen, appreciated, supported, and celebrated as new teachers. Karissa lives out the SOE core values, but I especially think of her living the value of cura personalis.”

"It was encouraging to be commended for how I support my students – at the heart of teaching is loving our students,” Sywulka said.

The second recipient of the Staff Excellence Award is Executive Assistant Elizabeth Nutt.

“Elizabeth’s title is misleading," her nominator shared. "While she plays a strong supporting role to the deans, she does so much more for the School of Education. She is often the first contact that someone has with the School, and she always offers a smile and warm welcome. On a regular basis, she plays a key role in 'putting the pieces of a puzzle' together. From office space to staffing needs, she is creative in her solutions. And she does far more behind the scenes than most realize. Budgets, faculty contracts, supporting campus-wide executive searches, and overseeing student workers are just a few things included in her daily work."

“I am honored to receive the Staff Excellence Award," Nutt said. "I truly enjoy working with my colleagues and finding ways to support them. I am humbled to be nominated and recognized for this award.”

We are thankful to have these remarkable faculty and staff members on our team and continue to celebrate the good work that they do, and everyone does, in the SOE. 

For more information about Saint Louis University’s School of Education, visit our website, call 314-977-3292 or email: slued@slu.edu.