Discusses Challenges, Goals for Future

Dean Björn Kjerfve presented distinguished service awards to several faculty and staff in the College of Geosciences at the College’s annual Fall Meeting held Friday, November 02, in Room 501 Rudder Tower. Recognized were Dr. David M. Cairns, Dr. Donald R. Collins, Dr. Matthew K. Howard, Mrs. Margaret “Peggy” Foster, Ms. Rhonda Simmons-Fulton, and Ms. Debra Stark. Two faculty members, Dr. Craig Epifanio and Dr. Debbie Thomas, were presented College Level Teaching Awards by the Association of Former Students, and recently retired Professor Worth Nowlin was recognized for being named Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Oceanography.

Faculty and staff were presented the Dean’s Distinguished Achievement Award in the following areas: Cairns, associate professor in the Department of Geography, for Faculty Teaching; Collins, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, for Faculty Research; Howard, associate research scientist in the Department of Oceanography, for Research Scientist; Foster, assistant to the director of Texas Sea Grant, for Administrative Staff; Simmons-Fulton, business associate III in the Dean’s Office, for Administrative Staff; and Stark, business associate II in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, for Administrative Staff.

Kelli Hutka ’97, Director of Campus Programs for the Association of Former Students, presented College Level Teaching Awards to Atmospheric Sciences assistant professor Dr. Epifanio and Oceanography assistant professor Dr. Thomas.

Dean Kjerfve also gave his annual State of the College address in which he highlighted the accomplishments of the past year and set priorities for 2007-2008. In his remarks, Dean Kjerfve noted that “Many challenges lay ahead of us for the coming year. . . . With your help, I intend to position the College of Geosciences as a ‘college on the move’ within the University and nationally, building on the momentum of the recently concluded China-US Relations Conference and the formulation of a joint Ph.D. degree with Ocean University of China. We will build on our strong foundation, follow a sustainable growth plan, and look for still greater achievements. Now let’s get going!”

For more information on the award winners or to read Dean Kerfve’s address visit the College of Geosciences website at http://geosciences.tamu.edu/.