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Recipients Selected for 2009 Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence

Howard A. White teaching excellence award recipients

The 2009 recipients of the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence were announced Friday, Oct. 2, during the University Faculty Conference. The award, named in honor of Pepperdine's fifth president who served the University as teacher and administrator for almost 30 years, is given to full-time faculty members each year in recognition of their distinguished record of teaching excellence.  

President Andrew K. Benton and Provost Darryl Tippens presented the awards with Jay Brewster, chair of the Howard A. White committee, during the conference luncheon. The awards are divided into two categories. Category one consists of full-time faculty members who have served at Pepperdine for more than six years or who are tenured. Their award includes a $3,000 stipend. Category two consists of full-time faculty who have served Pepperdine less than six years and who are not tenured. Their award includes a $2,000 stipend.

The 2009 honorees in category one are Cathy Thomas-Grant, Chair of Fine Arts Division; Victoria Myers, director of the English program and the Blanche E. Seaver Chair of English Literature; Joanne Hedgespeth, professor of psychology; Anthony Miller, professor of law; Owen Hall, Jr., professor of decision sciences; and Ann E. Feyerherm, professor of organization and management.

The 2009 honorees in category two are J. Caleb Clanton, assistant professor of philosophy, and Martine Ann Jago, associate professor of education.

The Committee for Teaching Excellence coordinated the selection process. The members of the committee identified twenty finalists for the award based upon their review of the hundreds of nominations submitted by alumni, students, faculty, and staff. The recipients were selected after consideration of additional information submitted by and about each of the finalists. 



During a career at Pepperdine that spanned almost 30 years, Howard A. White served as a history professor, a respected scholar, a gifted administrator, and a faithful steward of the University's mission. His life's work at Pepperdine as a teacher, scholar, and administrator exemplifies the commitment of the University and its faculty to students and to teaching and learning.