Senior Lecturers Earn Distinguished University Teacher Designations
November 20, 2014
Senior ODU Lecturers Randall Spurrier, Carla Harrell and Aaron Karp were recently awarded the designation of 2015 University Distinguished Teacher by Provost Carol Simpson on the recommendation of the University Distinguished Faculty Committee.
This designation, first developed in 2012 to honor the best non-tenured and non-tenure-track faculty in the University, is held as long as the designee is employed at Old Dominion University and carries a financial stipend for four years. The 2015 awardees will be recognized at the University's annual Faculty Awards and Retirement Reception Dinner which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 5.30 p.m. in the North Café/ Hampton Newport News Rooms of the Webb Center.
Randall Spurrier has taught accounting at Old Dominion since 1999. He has developed distance courses and is faculty Advisor to Beta Alpha Psi. One student wrote of him, "Mr. Spurrier treated class, not as a time to lecture to his students but rather as time for interaction and discussion."
Carla Harrell has taught at Old Dominion University since 2002 and has taught Communication courses both face-to face and at a distance. She also serves as chief department advisor. In her personal teaching statement she says, "I learn from students, colleagues and the university community, bringing those lessons into the educational and classroom context."
Students at Old Dominion have followed courses on politics, foreign policy and security with Aaron Karp since 2005. He has served as director of the Model United Nations program since 2008. A former student states, "Each week, students were challenged to rethink history through the lens of a new theory. He explained complex ideas in simple terms and put great events in a new light."
The three new award winners join 2013-14 designees Nathan Luetke (engineering), Betsy Kennedy (education) and Terri Kubichan (business) to bring the total number of University Distinguished Teachers to six.