MSU announces Grisham, Giles winners
Two Mississippi State University faculty members have been named John Grisham Master Teachers, one of the most prestigious faculty awards at MSU.
The award is endowed by MSU alumnus and acclaimed novelist John Grisham, and was first presented in 1993. It is a tribute to the classroom and instruction excellence of MSU faculty. The 2018 recipients were MSU Department of Mathematics instructor Robert S. Banik and associate professor of history James C. “Jim” Giesen. The two have served in their positions for 11 and 12 years, respectively.
“The strengths of a great university are always in its people. I extend the thanks of the whole university to these faculty and staff honorees for their outstanding contributions during the 2017-18 academic year,” said MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner.
At the same faculty awards ceremony, professor of wildlife ecology L. Wes Burger Jr., was designated a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor. The award is one of the highest to be bestowed on MSU faculty, and is based on a faculty member attaining national
or international status as verified by external reviewers in the candidate's specific field. Burger has spent his entire 25-year academic career at MSU and is associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
Several other faculty and staff members were recognized including Brian S. Baldwin, Vergie M. Bash, Michael J. Breazeale. Richard L. Harkness, Katherine H. “Katy” Richey, Brian K. Smith and Shantia Yarahmadian.