Dr. Joanna Schwartz honored for faculty award at USG gala
Dr. Joanna Schwartz honored for faculty award at USG gala
Dr. Joanna Schwartz, professor of marketing at Georgia College & State University, was honored Friday, Sept. 8, at the University System of Georgia Gala as a recipient of the 2023 Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award.
Schwartz joins a growing list of Georgia College faculty to win this prestigious award—five in the last six years.
Three of those faculty—Schwartz this year; Dr. Brooke Conaway, associate professor of economics in 2022; and Dr. Christopher Clark, professor of economics in 2019—teach in the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology. Dr. Hasitha Mahabaduge, associate professor of physics, won the award in 2020; and Dr. Betta Vice, former associate professor of Secondary Education, won in 2018.
“Professor Joanna Schwartz has done an outstanding job serving and mentoring our students through excellence in teaching,” said Dr. Costas Spirou, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. “It is also deeply gratifying that Georgia College faculty members have received this award five times during the past six years from the University System of Georgia – further demonstrating our intentional focus on student success.”
The award is dedicated to Felton Jenkins Jr., who passed away in 2011 leaving a legacy of service to Georgia. He had a distinguished legal career and was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2006.
On the USG website, it says “Regent Jenkins was driven by a desire that every student in Georgia would have access to top-quality higher education. His focus was always on what was best for the students, and he understood keenly the connection between the success of the System’s students and the success of the state of Georgia. Education, he knew, was the key to all of life’s opportunities and possibilities.”
Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp gathered with USG officials at the gala to celebrate these extraordinary achievements of public higher education in the state. USG awards three Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Awards each year to recognize faculty with a strong commitment to teaching and student success.
For her award, Schwartz was honored for outstanding teaching at the state university level. She was recognized for her ability to create original coursework, integrate real-world experiences in her classes, offer stellar research opportunities and generate partnerships with off-campus organizations.
She was also praised for her ability to make students feel valued.
“It was an incredible honor for the Board of Regents to find my work deserving of this award,” Schwartz said. “Attending the gala and getting this recognition was a remarkable experience and easily one of the highlights of my career in academia.”
“I really want to emphasize how much it means to me and how much I appreciate the support and encouragement I’ve received from our leadership team, from my college and from all of my peer faculty and my students,” she said, “who all inspire me to be better every day.”
The gala supports need-based scholarships for more than 340,000 students who attend 26 public colleges and universities of the University System of Georgia. Its mission is to advance the work of the University System of Georgia through leadership, engagement in philanthropy, asset management and institutional advancement.
For more information on Schwartz and her award, please see this Front Page article.