Skip to main content
Spotlights

Faculty and Staff Awarded During Fall Meeting

September 15,2023

Three people standing in front of a BYU College of Family, Home, & Social Sciences backdrop.

Congratulations to the many who received awards, announced during the College of Family, Home, and Social Science's annual fall meeting. Their exceptional contributions to students and their respective fields makes BYU a better place to be, and we're so grateful for their efforts.

UNIVERSITY AWARDS

University awards recognize faculty and staff for outstanding achievements and contributions to the university. These awards are presented at the university level during University Conference.

EARLY CAREER SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

RYAN GABRIEL Sociology

ADJUNCT FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARD

APRYL COX History

JACK BAILEY TEACHING & LEARNING FACULTY FELLOWSHIP

DAN OLSEN Geography
Two people holding a framed award in front of a BYU backdrop.

PART-TIME UNIVERSITY SERVICE AWARD 5 YEARS

LIS MALMGREN School of Family Life

FULL-TIME UNIVERSITY SERVICE AWARD 10 YEARS

JALENE MCDONALD Psychology
Two people holding a framed award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

DANNY DAMRON Experiential Learning and Professional Development

FULL-TIME UNIVERSITY SERVICE AWARD 15 YEARS

KEN MILLARD Computing Services

CHARLENE CLARK Social Work

FULL-TIME UNIVERSITY SERVICE AWARD 25 YEARS

ANNE URE School of Family Life – Child & Family Studies Lab
MARGARET MCCABE Sociology

COLLEGE OF FAMILY, HOME, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AWARDS

The purpose of annual teaching awards in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences is to recognize faculty members who effectively teach and inspire students to achieve excellence in their areas of study. Faculty who receive these awards will excel in the classroom and, except for adjunct faculty, will have a publication record commensurate with a commitment to lifelong learning and development within their discipline. The recognition will provide additional opportunities for these outstanding faculty members to mentor others.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN SCHOLAR

MARK CHRISTENSEN History

Lecture will be Tuesday, February 29, 2024 at 11 a.m. in 250 KMBL
Two people with a framed award standing in front of a BYU backdrop.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

HAYLEY PIERCE Sociology
Two people holding an Excellence in Teaching Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN INNOVATION IN TEACHING

DAWN-MARIE WOOD Psychology
Two people holding an award in front of a BYU College of Family, Home, & Social Sciences backdrop.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN ACHIEVEMENT IN TEACHING

SCOTT BRAITHEWAITE Psychology
Two people standing together as one holds a framed award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING BY AN ADJUNCT FACULTY

ALISSA HUFFAKER-KELLY School of Family Life

MARTIN B. HICKMAN EXCELLENCE IN CITIZENSHIP

ROBERT RIDGE Psychology
Two people holding a framed award in front of a BYU backdrop.

MARTIN B. HICKMAN DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD

JANE LOPEZ Sociology

Lecture will be held Thursday, November 16 at 11 a.m. in 250 KMBL
Two people holding a framed Diversity and Inclusion Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

VIRGINIA F. CUTLER LECTURE

CHRIS PORTER School of Family Life

Lecture will be held Tuesday, October 24 at 7 p.m. in 250 KMBL
Two people holding a framed Scholar Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MARY LOU FULTON ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FACULTY AWARDS

RUTH KERRY Geography
Two people holding a framed faculty award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

JESSICA PREECE Political Science
Two people holding a framed associate professor award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MARY LOU FULTON PRE-CFS EARLY CAREER FACULTY AWARD

MELISSA JONES Sociology
Two people holding an Pre-CFS Early Career Faculty Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

ETHAN BUSBY Political Science

FHSS EARLY CAREER FACULTY AWARD

ADAM ROGERS School of Family Life
Two people holding an Early Career Faculty Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

ALISA KESLER-LUND History
Two people holding a Framed Faculty Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MARJORIE PAY HINCKLEY EARLY CAREER FACULTY AWARD

CHRISTIAN VOM LEHN Economics
Christian Vom Lehn holding an Early Career Faculty Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

NATALIE HANCOCK School of Family Life
Natalie Hancock holding an Early Career Faculty Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

FHSS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AWARD

MATT MASON History
CHRIS HODSON History

MENTORING EXCELLENCE AWARD

ADAM BROWN Political Science

MENTORING INNOVATION AWARD

JILL CRANDELL History
Two people holding a Mentoring Innovation Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

MENTORING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

JIM ALLISON Anthropology
Two people holding an Mentoring Achievement Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

BUILDING FAITH AND TESTIMONY AWARD

LARRY NELSON School of Family Life
Two people holding a Building Faith and Testimony Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

ENVISIONING BYU AWARD

BRUCE BROWN Psychology
Two people holding an Envisioning BYU Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

The college Administrative Advisory Council offers three awards for the administrative and staff employees within the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. These include the Dean's Platinum Service Award, the Excellence in Service Award, and the Outstanding Rookie Award. Recipients of these awards need to have excelled in their service to their respective unit or the college and demonstrated at least one of the values listed below, as adopted by the President's Council.

C- Competency
R- Respect for Sacred Resources
I- Integrity
T- Teamwork
E- Exceeding Customer Expectations
R- Respect for All Individuals
I- Innovation
A- Accountability

FHSS DEAN’S PLATINUM SERVICE AWARD

JALENE MCDONALD Psychology
Two people holding a FHSS Dean's Platinum Service Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

FHSS EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARD

TERRI ROBERTSON School of Family Life
Two people holding a FHSS Excellence in Service Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

FHSS OUTSTANDING ROOKIE AWARD

KRISTY CHRISTENSEN Anthropology
Two people holding a FHSS Outstanding Rookie Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

JENNIFER NELSON History
Jennifer Nelson holding a FHSS Outstanding Rookie Award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

UNITY IN TEACHING PRINCIPLES OF BELONGING

INSTRUCTORS

JONATHAN SANDBERG School of Family Life
JACOB RUGH Sociology
Person walking to the front of a classroom near a podium and projection screen.

PARTICIPANTS

ZACH CHASE Anthropology
BRENNAN PLATT Economics
RUTH KERRY Geography
Two people holding an associate professor faculty award in front of a BYU FHSS backdrop.

JEFF HARDY History
KIRK HAWKINS Political Science
CHELSEA ROMNEY Psychology
ASHLEY FRASER School of Family Life
SHERINAH SAASA Social Work

Recent Articles

data-content-type="article"

One Step at a Time: An Unexpected Approach to Conquering My Biggest Research Challenge

April 21, 2026 02:04 PM
When economics and international relations senior Jonah Nelson saw “20-page paper” on the syllabus, he was anything but excited — until the professor introduced an unconventional twist.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=Read more promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Meet the 2026 Social Science Valedictorians

April 17, 2026 09:00 AM
The College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences is proud to announce the eight valedictorians representing our undergraduate programs this year. While a 3.75 GPA is the starting point for consideration, these students were chosen for more than just their high marks; they were selected because they have represented their programs with distinction through faculty collaboration, peer leadership, and a deep commitment to the campus community at Brigham Young University.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=Read more promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Setting the Record: BYU Mock Trial’s Promising First Season

April 16, 2026 11:08 AM
The first BYU mock-trial teams met their goal of representing the university well — and returned with awards for performance and sportsmanship.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=Read more promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=Read more