EDITOR’S NOTE: The story was updated on April 10, 2024, to correct a misspelling of Sarah Fischer’s name.

Indiana University is recognizing six faculty members and two doctoral students this semester for their demonstrated excellence in teaching and service.

The 2024 University Teaching and Service Awards honorees represent IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East and IU Kokomo.

For additional information, visit the University Honors and Awards website. Videos of the honorees will be released this spring.

Teaching awards

Vanchit John, professor in the School of Dentistry at IUPUI, will receive the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, which recognizes faculty who represent excellence in teaching across the university’s campuses, schools and departments.

Theresa Ochoa, professor in the School of Education at IU Bloomington, will receive the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award. Recipients of this recognition create learning opportunities that go beyond the classroom, engaging students in real-world experiences and hands-on engagements within their local communities.

Melinda L. Stanley, senior lecturer in the School of Business at IU Kokomo, will receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology. This award recognizes faculty who have made distinguished contributions to enhancing the classroom experience with new technologies.

Two individuals will be presented with the Lieber Memorial Associate Instructor Award, which recognizes young teachers who have not yet achieved faculty rank. The honorees are Sarah Fischer, Ph.D. student in rhetoric and composition at IU Bloomington, and Persis Ayeh, Ph.D. student in student health communication at IUPUI.

Cassandra Cole, adjunct associate professor at IU Bloomington, will receive the Part-Time Teaching Award. It honors remarkable teaching among part-time faculty and their contributions to IU and the community.

Service awards

Julien Simon, associate professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at IU East, will receive the John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies. This award honors faculty members and librarians from all campuses for their exceptional contributions to the university’s international programs and studies.

Sarah Heath, professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at IU Kokomo, will be awarded the W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service. This award recognizes faculty members and librarians who have shown exceptional breadth of involvement in service to the university, their discipline or their community.