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WIU COEHS Faculty Excellence Awards 2014

September 25, 2014

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MACOMB, IL — Five Western Illinois University College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) faculty members were honored over the summer with the 2014 COEHS Excellence Awards. They include:

2014 COEHS Excellence in Internationalizing the Campus Award
Prior to coming to Western in 2011, Hart served as the director of diversity research and educational resources in the University of Las Vegas Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. At WIU, Hart has a dual appointment in the kinesiology and recreation, park and tourism administration (RPTA) departments. According to Department of Kinesiology Chair Janet Wigglesworth, since Hart has been a full-time faculty member in the kinesiology department and coordinator of that department's sport management master's degree program, he has "added an international element to both the department and the degree program in which he teaches. In her nomination letter, Wigglesworth wrote: "To expose his students to the global sport arena, he…attended and presented at five international conferences [in 2011, 2012 and 2013]. In addition to Dr. Hart's presentations at these conferences, he also traveled to some of [them] with WIU sport management graduate students to provide them with valuable experience not only as attendees of the conferences but also as presenters. One cannot measure the impact that international experience has on these students, but their comments upon returning to WIU were valuable to all the students as they shared their stories," she said.

Hart earned his doctorate in educational administration and leadership from Washington State University (WSU) in 2003; his master's degree in recreation administration and leisure studies from WSU in 1997; and his bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University Long Beach in 1994.

2014 COEHS Excellence in University/Community Service Award
McMillan, who graduated from Western with a master's degree in physical education (1985), began working in WIU's kinesiology department in 1990. Prior to that, she was the fitness/wellness director at the YMCA of McDonough County (Macomb, IL). According to Wigglesworth, her service activities during the evaluation period for the award are "extensive," and include service to the State of Illinois, her state professional organization (Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, or IAHPERD), Western, WIU COEHS, the kinesiology department and the Macomb community. In her nomination letter, Wigglesworth wrote that her service activities are "too numerous to list," but she provided an example of one of the areas McMillan provides community service to: "Ms. McMillan is a nationally certified CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) instructor. In this role, Ms. McMillan served as a trainer for the state of Illinois… working with 17 elementary schools (four in Moline, 11 in Springfield and two in Champaign) to help teachers implement wellness practices into the physical education curriculum and into the culture of their respective schools. In addition, she was selected by the Illinois Public Health Institute to serve as an evaluator for the revisions made to the Illinois goals, standards and performance descriptors for the content area of physical development and health."

While at WIU, McMillan was chosen to deliver the Jack Thompson Wellness Lecture (2013), was honored with the WIU COEHS Outstanding Service Award (2004 and 2007) and was named the COEHS Teacher of the Year (2002). McMillan earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Eureka College in 1973.

2014 Excellence in Teaching Award
Jensen has been at Western since 1990 and has published numerous refereed and non-refereed articles during her time at WIU. WIU Department of Curriculum and Instruction Chair Anne Gregory wrote in Jensen's nomination letter: "It is an honor and a privilege to write this letter recommending Dr. Mary Jensen for the Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Jensen not only makes extraordinary contributions daily in her role as a special education faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, she willingly and selflessly shares her gifts, talents and expertise with all students….The field of education demands that mentors and leaders be capable of demonstrating and guiding students effectively. Dr. Jensen has done this in numerous ways throughout her career at [WIU]. Currently, she serves as the advisor to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). This organization was selected as the Outstanding Small Student Organization in 2013. Further, CEC members under Dr. Jensen's tutelage have presented at state conferences, TechFest and Undergraduate Research Day on campus. These activities coupled with the volunteer work that Dr. Jensen undertakes with students outside of class speak to her dedication and commitment to mentoring these future special education professionals. It is Dr. Jensen's interest and enthusiasm for teaching and through her promotion of student learning that teacher candidates see firsthand the impact they will have in their future classrooms. Dr. Jensen thoroughly prepares for her classes, promoting discussion and interaction, modeling appropriate teacher behaviors, demonstrating and discussing assignments, coupling these assignments with interactive group activities, and providing additional amounts of her time and assistance for students who require additional support."

While at Western, Jensen was honored with the 2011 COEHS Tech Fest Educational Technology Award/Faculty Award; in 2009 and 2010, she won the HOPE (Honoring Our Professors of Excellence) by University Housing and Dining Services; and in 2009, she garnered the Provost's Award for Teaching with Technology. Jensen earned her Ph.D. in special education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990; her master's degree in special education in 1977 from Kent State University (Kent, OH); and her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1976 from the University of Utah.

2014 Excellence in Scholarly/Creative/Performance/Professional Activities Award
Prior to coming to WIU in 2009, Lee served as a visiting assistant professor at Ohio Northern University (history, politics and justice dept.) and as a part-time lecturer at Rutgers (in the School of Criminal Justice). In his nomination letter, School of LEJA Director Terry Mors wrote of Lee: "Dr. Lee has one of the most active research agendas in the college…He has managed to produce an impressive number of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, monographs, encyclopedia entries and pedagogical resources. He is also actively involved in grants and the associated research….Dr. Lee has applied for three external grants and two internal grants during the award period. His efforts resulted in the funding of the two external grants and one internal grant. The research he is doing with the University of North Carolina and Eastern Kentucky University is advancing the literature and the profession."

In addition to his extensive publishing accomplishments and his teaching duties at WIU, Lee also has presented at national and international conferences (e.g., the American Society for Criminology, 2013, 2012; the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2013; and American Society for Industrial Security, 2013, 2013). Lee earned a Ph.D. (2008) and a master's degree (2003) from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers (The State University of New Jersey); a master's degree in protection management in 2001 from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (NYC); a master of law degree (1997) and bachelor's degree (1992) in police administration from Dong-guk University (Seoul, South Korea).

2014 Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award
Yoon began working in the instructional design and technology (IDT) department in 2003. In his nomination letter, Hoyet Hemphill, IDT chair, wrote of Yoon: "Since 2003, Dr. Yoon has used emerging technologies for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, both as a teaching content area and in support of his own instruction and in support of the instructional design and group project collaborations of his students. In recent years, his students have effectively used new technologies to develop service websites for…[various] agencies and groups. This is perhaps the true proof of an instructor's ability to teach with technology, the ability of his students to create professional products that make effective use of technologies. More than just teaching the effective use of a wide range of technologies, Dr. Yoon incorporates recent research and design strategies for instructional design into guiding the students to produce instructional products that are instructionally sound with the appropriate and efficient use of emerging technologies."

In 2014, two of his scholarly works were chosen as Outstanding Research Papers by the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD), and in 2013, one his papers was chosen for the same award by the AHRD. In 2012, Yoon was honored with WIU's Provost Award for Excellence in Research. Yoon earned his Ph.D. in human resource education in 2003 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), his master's degree in teaching English as a second language in 1996 from UIUC and his bachelor's degree in English language and literature in 1996 from Sung Kyun Kwan University (Seoul, Korea).

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