The annual Recognition & Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday, April 23. The event recognized student scholarship and honors as well as exemplary leadership in student employment and extracurricular activities. The program also included two awards that celebrate faculty and staff for their mentorship and impact on student learning.
The Teacher of the Year Award, selected through a poll of the undergraduate student body by the Andrews University Student Association (AUSA), recognizes an individual who goes beyond the classroom, serving as a mentor and leaving a lasting impact on students’ lives. This year’s recipient, Patricia Fitting, was honored for her service within the Division of Campus & Student Life as AUSA Senate mentor, Title IX deputy coordinator and assistant dean for cocurricular education.
Alyssa Caruthers, outgoing AUSA president, noted Fitting’s “great joy and efficiency” in her work and said, “I personally am grateful to have served in AUSA positions under her mentorship. Though she will be moving away from Andrews to new opportunities, the impact she has had on Student Life will last long after she is gone.”
The Undergraduate Research Mentor Award was given to Jay Johnson, professor of physics and engineering. Established by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Office of Research & Creative Scholarship, the award recognizes faculty mentors for their excellence in mentoring undergraduate research students.
Johnson works with multiple students each year on space weather research projects funded by the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Over the past five years, his student research team has produced five co-authored journal articles and 70 scientific presentations. Students described his high standards and patience, noting his ability to make complex concepts understandable while encouraging independent research and critical thinking. One student shared that Johnson’s guidance led them to present research at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, an opportunity they “never would have dreamed of reaching” on their own.
