Honors & Awards

UNC Charlotte historian Aaron Shapiro has received The Midwestern History Association’s annual Jon Gjerde Prize for the best book on a Midwestern history topic for his book “The Lure of the North Woods: Cultivating Tourism in the Upper Midwest.”

Dena Shenk, professor of anthropology and graduate coordinator of the Gerontology Program, is the 2015 recipient of UNC Charlotte’s Harshini V. de Silva Award; the honor is presented annually to a faculty member who best exemplifies de Silva’s commitment to graduate students.

Dena Shenk, graduate director of UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program and professor of anthropology, has received the Mildred Seltzer Distinguished Service Recognition from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

Charles J. Brody, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNC Charlotte, has been named vice president of academic affairs at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. He begins his new role at Misericordia on July 1.

UNC Charlotte English professor Jeffrey Leak has won the top award for a nonfiction book from The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. for his critically acclaimed work, Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas.

UNC Charlotte historian Shepherd W. McKinley’s book, “Stinking Stones and Rocks of Gold: Phosphate, Fertilizer, and Industrialization in Postbellum South Carolina,” has been named the best book of South Carolina history published last year.

Roslyn Arlin Mickelson has been named the 2014 University Professor of UNC Charlotte in recognition of her outstanding scholarly achievement in a professional field, as well as demonstrated ability to excel in interdisciplinary research, teaching, and service. The University Professor is recommended to the Board of Trustees by the Chancellor and holds this title for life.

In recognition of his distinguished research and dedication to others’ scholarship over an almost 50-year career, UNC Charlotte sociology professor Murray Webster has received the national 2015 Cooley-Mead Award from the American Sociological Association’s Social Psychology Section.

UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor of English JuliAnna Ávila and her co-editor Jessica Zacher Pandya have received the prestigious 2014 Edward B. Fry Book Award for their book that explores the intersection of critical and digital literacies and the impact on students and teachers.

A UNC Charlotte psychology graduate student has found her community research efforts rewarded with the Outstanding Health Psychology Student Research award.