Posted: Saturday, May 5, 2018

The University of Evansville's 160th Commencement ceremony took place on Saturday, May 5, at the Ford Center. Several awards were presented during the event. These included the University of Evansville Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year award, Eykamp Prize, and Outstanding Senior Service Awards.

University of Evansville Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year

The Outstanding Teacher of the Year award honors distinguished service in teaching. Professor of philosophy Anthony Beavers has been named the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year for 2018.

Beavers received a new record number of nominations for this award, not only from students but also from alumni and faculty members. Those nominating him praised his innovative teaching style and his dedication to mentoring students.

Beavers came to UE in 1991 and has served the University not only as a professor but also as a department chair and director of cognitive science.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in philosophy from Trinity College and his PhD in philosophy from Marquette University. Beavers has been published over 30 times and has been an invited speaker over 40 times. He has been a campus advisor to three out of six fraternities since beginning his career at UE.

Eykamp Prize

Through the generosity the Eykamp Family, an award for members of UE faculty was created to recognize those who have displayed extraordinary service to the University.

This year, the Eykamp Prize has been awarded to professor of David Dwyer. During his tenure at UE, Dwyer has received the Dean’s Teaching Award, the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Berger Award for Scholarship.

He secured two NSF grants totaling over $700,000, which funded the development of a textbook that is currently used in the University’s calculus sequence. He was instrumental in the decision to create a statistics and data science program, and sought grants to fund its development.

Dwyer has been a member, chair, and co-chair of numerous campus committees. Most recently he was a faculty representative on the Presidential Search Committee. Most notably, Dwyer spearheaded the Moonshot group of arts and sciences faculty who have put additional effort into assisting the Office of Admission.

Outstanding Senior Service Awards

The Outstanding Senior Service Awards are named for two of the University’s most respected alumni, Mabel Dillingham Nenneker and Guthrie May. This year, Kristen M. Fowler received the Mabel Dillingham Nenneker Award for outstanding senior woman and Cesar H. Guitunga, Jr. was given the Guthrie May Award for outstanding senior man.

Fowler graduated with a Bachelor of Science in psychology with minors in neuroscience and ethics. She has a passion to serve others, and credits her UE professors for pushing her to be interdisciplinary in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.

During her time at UE, she has had several internships and been engaged in research. On campus, she was a Phonathon caller, a member of the Chi Omega sorority, the Honors Activities Board, UE Leadership Academy, and vice president for Scholars for Syria. Fowler aspires to be a school psychologist, so she “can impact children in great ways.”

 In the fall, she will begin working toward her PhD at the University of Tennessee.

Guitunga came to UE from Maputo, Mozambique, and graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Health Services Administration degree. He was a member of UE’s soccer team and a volunteer soccer coach at Caze Elementary School. Guitunga was a resident assistant and head resident, an international orientation leader, a member of the International Student Club, and co-host of the International Bazaar. He was appointed student representative on the University Academic Honor Council, and was president/co-chair of recruitment for UNICEF Campus Initiatives. Guitunga also was a human resource intern for Deaconess Health System.

He plans to be an elementary educator, and will attend graduate school at Loyola University Maryland.

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