LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 11, 2020) — The University of Kentucky recognized two College of Arts & Sciences faculty members and three teaching assistants with the 2020 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

This annual award recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. A selection committee based in the Provost's Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching reviewed nominations and gave the awards. 

"The diversity of disciplines reflected in the Outstanding Teaching Award winners speaks to the breadth and depth of expertise that distinguishes the University of Kentucky," said Provost David Blackwell. "But, of course, no matter the discipline, each recipient shares something of lasting importance: the art of great teaching transcends any single discipline."

Winners received award certificates and cash awards of $4,000 for regular, special and clinical title series faculty and lecturers and $1,500 for teaching assistants.

The 2020 Arts & Sciences winners are:

• Regular and Special Title Series Faculty: Betsy Beymer-Farris, Department of Geography.
• Lecturer and Clinical Title Series Faculty: Matthew Godbey, Department of English.
• Teaching Assistants: Edward Lee Bullock, Department of Anthropology; Jennifer Murray, Department of English; and Juan Fernandez-Cantero, Department of Hispanic Studies. 

These awards are usually presented during a ceremony in April that had to be canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion three years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" two years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for four straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.