McDaniel faculty recognized for academic and research achievements

Various awards recognizing outstanding academic and research achievements were presented to McDaniel College faculty members during the Aug. 18 opening faculty meeting, which kicked off the 2026-27 academic year.

Faculty Book Award
The Faculty Book Award is presented to full-time or part-time members of the faculty, active or emeriti, who have within the year had original book-length manuscripts published by nationally recognized publishers. 

• Kateryna Dovgan, Senior Lecturer of Art, who published "Borys Dovgan. Sculptor," which celebrates the life and artistic legacy of her father, one of Ukraine’s most distinguished sculptors. It "is a tribute to [his] exceptional artistic legacy and a valuable contribution to the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.”
• Francis "Skip" Fennell, professor emeritus of Education, for his latest publication, which takes a strengths-based approach to education, shifting “the focus from ‘fixing kids, to fixing systems.” This guide offers adaptable tasks, instructional resources, and actionable strategies designed to address inequities and redefine intervention.
• Mona Kerby, professor of Education, for "Mail on Wheels," which chronicles Carroll County postal worker Edwin W. Shriver's efforts to establish the first free rural home delivery of mail in the United States in 1899.
• Annette Bay Pimentel, online lecturer in the Writing for Children and Young Adults program, for her book documenting the origin story of Winnie-the-Pooh in recognition of the 100th anniversary of A.A. Milne's original book.

Faculty Scholarly Publications Award
The Scholarly Publication Award is presented to full-time or part-time members of the faculty, active or emeriti, who publish five or more articles in recognized publications over a three-year period. ​​​

• Cathy Felmlee Shanholtz, associate professor of Occupational Therapy, who co-authored six articles during the past three years. Her articles have addressed topics ranging from teaching in distance and hybrid instruction to licensure and academic accommodations, and a case study on building confidence in adolescents with disabilities through baking. 

Faculty Creativity Awards
Faculty Creativity Awards are presented to full-time or part-time members of the faculty, active or emeriti, typically in an area of the fine or performing arts, who receive unusual recognition.

• Gené Fouché, assistant professor of Theatre Arts, for directing, performing in, and devising seven off-campus productions since 2020, including "Sense and Sensibility," "Head Over Heels," and "South and Saints," an original devised piece.
• Linda Kirkpatrick, senior lecturer in Music, for her flute choir arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s symphonic poem "The Golden Spinning Wheel," which was inspired by the 19th-century poem by Karel Jaromír Erben. The arrangement premiered at the 2026 National Flute Association Convention in Portland, Oregon. 
• Steven Pearson, professor of Art and the Joan Develin Coley Chair in Creative Expression and the Arts, for his participation in three exhibitions, including a national juried exhibition, a group exhibition in McDaniel's Esther Prangley Rice Gallery co-curated by Danielle Silva '25, and a solo exhibition, titled "Hercules’ New Labors and Other Domestic Affairs," at The Gallery in the Scott Center at Carroll Community College.

Faculty Grant Award
The Faculty Grant Award is presented to faculty who have proposed and received $10k or more in grants from external sources in the past year.

• Heather Gable, associate professor of Nursing, who received multiple grants totaling approximately $300,000. Awards include a Professional Development Resource Grant for “Reimagining Nursing Education: Faculty Innovation, Leadership, and Practice Excellence;” a Nurse Support Program II award supporting “Instructional Innovation Equipment and Simulation Capacity;” and a grant in partnership with Carroll Community College to create a pipeline from Carroll’s associate degree nursing program to McDaniel’s B.S.N. program.
• Laura Steakin '97, lecturer and clinical coordinator in Nursing, who has been awarded $50,000 over five years through Maryland’s Nurse Support Program II. The award supports the recruitment and retention of nurse educators in Maryland by providing funds for professional development, research, continuing education, certifications, and other activities.

Special Achievement Award
The Special Achievement Award is presented to any member of the college community who reflects unusually high credit upon the college through voluntary service of an exceptional and substantial nature.

• Jim Kunz, professor of Social Work, for his work to combat food insecurity. Kunz is co-chair of the Campus Hunger-Free Task Force and regularly attends meetings of the Maryland Food Bank, Westminster Rescue Mission, and the Maryland Hunger Solutions, as well as volunteers at A Meal and More at St. Paul's United Church of Christ and the Human Services Programs of Carroll County night-by-night emergency shelter. He was instrumental in the passage of Maryland Senate Bill 789 to expand the Maryland Campus Hunger-Free Program.