Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) annually recognizes outstanding faculty who have made significant contributions in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service. This year, in an in-person ceremony on April 21, six faculty members, who embody a spirit of excellence, were honored.
President Dottie L. King, Ph.D. stated at the event, “Hearing these stories, they are clearly well-deserved honors. On this day, we recognize not only our award winners, but our full faculty as well. I just want to thank all of our faculty members for what you do every day, day in and day out. You are on the front line of the mission and delivering it with distinction. Especially this year, you’ve made such a difference in the experience of our students. Thank you for your pivot and your ongoing care for this institution.”
In 1990, the Sister Mary Joseph Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award was inaugurated, named in honor of the much-esteemed Woods professor of English who embodied the highest ideals of teaching, scholarship and service.
Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award for Service
Theresa Watson, MS, lecturer of math in the science and mathematics department
Even though this faculty member became a member of the SMWC community in August 2018, she was not new to teaching and serving others, which is found within Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as well as the youth of the Terre Haute community. What stands out about this awardee is the dedication and longevity that she holds within her service activities.
Watson states “I love having a positive impact on the youth in our community. I believe that a community should be individuals who work together to build each other up and make the world a better place to live in. In my readings about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, she was a champion of prayer, education, caregiving and leadership. I strive to follow in her footsteps.”
Watson has been a member of the Girl Scout movement for 45 years and has served the organization as an adult member for the past 30 years. She has volunteered at the local, state and national level. Her proudest achievement within this organization has been as troop leader for girls in grades 6-12. She is a strong role model and provides guidance in helping these girls develop skills and confidence. She even shares that these young women have helped her develop her own leadership skills along the way.
Besides the Girl Scouts, Watson has been a part of the 4-H program for 35 years and has organized the bike rodeo for 20 years. She has been a club leader and community resource mentor in many different areas with 4-H presenting workshops for our youth in the areas of computer science, photography, forestry and animal science. She has also served on the fair board for Vigo County.
Watson serves her profession by tutoring young students in math at Saint Patrick School of the Terre Haute Deanery, the local high schools and now Vigo County children in online school since COVID. She meets with them in-person and virtually. She also serves as a tutor and instructional designer per se to her peers within the department helping with instructional technology, iPads and D2L.
Theresa is an engaged member of the sciences and mathematics department as well as the College. She has assisted with SMWC summer camps, represents the department at Pomeroy Preview Days, works midnight breakfasts, feeds the turtle and eel in Hulman Hall during the breaks, and attends all the Foundation Days alongside her students. She is a member of the Academic Support Team and is a member of the Accuplacer workgroup which was part of the Retention Committee.
Watson has a huge heart open to every student and peer she works with, and would rather build them up and be their cheerleader behind the scenes than be recognized. “I find it difficult to express all the things I do. I do these things naturally out of love, not for any awards.”
Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award for Scholarship
Felicia Stewart, DNP, FNP-C, RN-BC, associate professor and director of the Master of Science in nursing program
A member of the SMWC faculty since 2018, Felicia Stewart, DNP, FNP-C, RN-BC, has wasted no time jumping into her faculty role at The Woods. In the last 3 years, this faculty member has accumulated 17 presentations, four journal articles and is co-author of the most recent edition of the highly recognized guidebook in Nursing practice – all while launching a new graduate program, teaching new courses at an institution which are new to her, and practicing as a nurse practitioner a few hours a week in a local clinic.
Her presentations cover a wide range of topics to a wide range of audiences from community groups to at local and state levels to visiting lecturer at other universities and at national professional meetings such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Her two most noted areas are in maternal and child health and substance abuse and the need for adequate screening for this often-missed problem. She remarks that as a practitioner it is rewarding to present to groups about these issues and how communities can respond and have an impact.
Her publications are a result of collaborations with students and other faculty to engage students in the publication process. It is customary at the end of a nurse practitioner program that students complete a culminating project that dives deep into the evidence regarding a particular intervention. This helps the future clinician learn how to appraise the evidence, identify strengths and limitations of the research conducted, and then make recommendations to inform their decisions in patient care. These academicians translate research into practice faster than guidelines can be put into place. The academic exercise teaches students the organized process from clinical inquiry to discerning the implications of research findings for clinical practice more quickly and benefit patients and providers everywhere.
Her authorship is notable as being recognized as part of a 17-member American Nurses Association workgroup representing nurses across the country in all practice locations and all levels of academic preparation to update the 4th Edition of Nursing: Scope and standards of practice.
Stewart says “I hope that my students realize how this [scholarship] all connects as well beyond their time at The Woods. They should recognize that their role as health care provider is also one of leader, and as such, they have a social responsibility to continue to think critically and so they can ultimately improve the health of their individual patients and the communities in which they live. Beyond that, seizing the opportunities to actively contribute to one’s profession through presentations and publications is as much an act of service as it is a representation of academic scholarship.”
Pomeroy Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching
Antonia Taylor, MA, senior lecturer and associate director of academic services for student success
Antonia Taylor, MA, has been teaching at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College since 2007 and teaches both campus and Woods Online courses in literature and writing, along with her significant administrative duties in the Writing Center.
What really stood out this year and set this faculty member apart from the other great candidates was the maturity and growth realized over 14 years of teaching coupled with the passion to keep improving and trying new things as a life-long learner. Also, her illustration of the commitment to the mission was striking and not just lip service.
Her teaching is developmental. An example of that is in a first-year writing course. She has students consider their individual experiences as content for their papers. She states, “I have found that doing so takes some of the mystery out of writing—if they are able to focus on what they know, then they are more willing to take risks.”
Taylor illustrated how she scaffolded assignments and taught collaboration and teamwork through peer-editing and revising. Her understanding and use of assessment data was also evident when she spoke about how her teaching and methods and course design have been informed from the collected assessment data and the understanding of learning outcomes.
Besides writing, Taylor also teaches a Woods Core capstone course and upper-level literature classes. It was in the context of these courses where she acknowledges that she is deliberately focusing on the College pillars of social justice and gender equality with an emphasis on the general studies program learning outcomes of leadership/collaboration and social responsibility and has moved from just having students thinking solely about their experiences to thinking about the significance of communities different from theirs.
She is well respected and liked among students. Her course evaluations are consistently very high and students comment on feeling challenged and supported. They also comment and appreciate her inclusivity. She takes her teaching evaluations as constructive and uses them to correct things students weren’t satisfied with. She was able to tell that students weren’t making the right connections and seeing the purpose of the readings in her literature course, so she was cognizant of connecting and emphasizing this in the online discussions. Students told her the discussions would be richer if she participated so next semester she did, and she was really pleased with the student achievements.
Taylor’s materials are well organized, and very thorough, but still have a personable feeling. Her use of language in the syllabi and student feedback is friendly and inviting to complete the course. She is especially cognizant of her audience and keeps it simple and direct. She has mastered the aspects of successful teaching in both on campus and online, not something all faculty can or like to do.
Her articulation of her focused, mission-driven and intentional teaching was well-noted among the selection committee.
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
Ryan Grossman, MS
Ryan Grossman began his service at The Woods teaching online math courses in the sciences and mathematics department in 2014 and is a valued member of the SMWC community.
Grossman understands that many of our distance students struggle taking math classes online. He is a believer in individualized learning and is always available to help students understand concepts and work through problems on assignments. Grossman has developed and been the lead instructor for some math courses even in his adjunct role. He is also a great student advocate. He reaches out to Academic Affairs with concerns if a student is falling behind or he has discovered that there is an extreme family or medical issue. His goal is for all of us to work together towards the student’s successful completion of the course.
Eric Hubbard has been teaching at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College since 2019 mainly in the Master of Leadership Development program. He is responsible for developing and teaching the MLD Ethical Decision Making course and he teaches the session “Understanding Diversity and Inclusion Beyond Skin-Deep Differences” in the Graduate Certificate in Women Leadership. Eric is all about students understanding concepts and being able to apply them. He works with students to customize some of their assignments which gives them the ability to dig deeper into their self-discovery and ethical decision making. He is an excellent student advocate and meets students where they are to ensure an excellent academic experience.
SMWC Alumni Faculty Leadership Award
Marcia Miller, Ph.D., RN, chair of the department of nursing, professor of nursing
Each year, the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Alumni Association presents the Alumni Faculty Leadership Award to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding faculty leadership resulting in added benefits to our students.
Marcia Miller, Ph.D., RN, arrived at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2014 after a lengthy professional career that included many impressive accomplishments. That momentum continued when Miller began her tenure here, where she currently serves as Chairperson of the Department of Nursing.
Hired to launch the nursing program, Miller took on this formidable task with an approach that is her trademark: outstanding organization, a sense of purpose and a strong focus on long-term growth. From developing curriculum, hiring qualified faculty members and acquiring the necessary commission approvals, Miller not only got the program up and running but has been instrumental in making the undergraduate nursing program the largest enrolled program on campus. And incredibly, her work doesn’t stop there.
She has also worked to create the first-round curriculum and proposal for the master’s degree in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner program and has hired a director to see it launch. Other items on her to-do list include programs with kinesiology and addiction counseling, as well as efforts to refine program assessment approaches at the College.
And while creating a college nursing program is certainly an impressive way to demonstrate leadership skills and benefit students, Miller puts her fingerprint on the College in quieter ways as well. She was instrumental in seeking expansion of the nursing program at the state level as well as approval from SMWC to allow for Harrison College students to transfer to The Woods when normally their credits weren’t accepted. According to her award nominator, “Marcia worked long hours in assimilating the students, adding courses to the rotation and assigning faculty.” This resulted in 90% of those students who enrolled in the nursing courses staying on, and 100% of those who graduated passing the licensing exam.
Another example of her approach to leadership can be found with her involvement as a board member at Providence Healthcare. When the search for a new executive director there pointed to a young and talented assistant director who lacked experience, Miller volunteered to serve as her mentor, meeting with her every week for a year to ensure the woman had the tools she needed to succeed. “I love it all,” says Miller, describing her affection for curriculum development, program assessment, faculty development and general education. She goes on to say, “Everything that I have studied and learned from experience about leadership points to one pivotal factor: it is all about relationships. I am a strong advocate for servant leadership. I try to make sure that other people’s highest-priority needs are being served in a way that promotes personal growth.”