Outstanding faculty recognized
Three outstanding faculty members were recognized with the university’s highest honors at the annual ceremony that culminates Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week at Augusta State. Samuel Sullivan was named recipient of the Richard S. Wallace Distinguished Service Award, Pamela Jackson received the Outstanding Teaching Award, and Trinanjan Datta received the Louis K. Bell Research Award at the Retirement and Recognition Ceremony held April 29 in the Maxwell Theatre.
The Richard S. Wallace Distinguished Service Award bears the name of a former president, and it recognizes outstanding service to the university, students, and the community. The recipient, Samuel Sullivan, has served as the vice president for academic affairs for almost a decade. A 30-year veteran of higher education, he has demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, effective planning and assessment, and student success.
Since joining Augusta State in 2002, Dr. Sullivan has served on numerous university committees including the President’s Cabinet, Academic Vice President’s Council, University Council, the Affirmative Action Committee, the Program Advisory Committee, the Retention Committee, and an Ex-Officio Trustee of the Foundation. He also leads the university’s strategic planning initiative.
He has proven himself invaluable not only to the university, but to the community. He serves on the board of directors of the Rachel Longstreet Foundation, Inc., United Way of the CSRA, Augusta Museum of History, Augusta State University Foundation, Inc., Augusta Biomedical Research Corporation, and the Medical College of Georgia Research Institute. He was also a member of the Executive Vice President/Provost Search Committee for Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly MCG).
Dr. Sullivan is a member of the Alpha Mu Boulé and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, where he takes great pride in mentoring young men to reach their potential through education.
The Outstanding Teaching Award recipient is Pamela Jackson, a professor of accounting in the Hull College of Business. Dr. Jackson, a former public school teacher, also worked as an auditor and CPA before turning to the college classroom. She joined the Augusta State faculty in 1989. With more than 30 years of service, she is a two-time recipient of the Most Valuable Professor Award, which is presented by ASU’s Student Ambassador Board.
The Michigan native says she believes that remaining active in her profession is an important part of maintaining the relevant skills and knowledge she shares in the classroom. Committed to her students, she cares what they take away from her classes and says she creates opportunities for them to apply the skills and tools she teaches.
Dr. Jackson has served the Hull College of Business in various capacities including faculty mentor, Curriculum Committee, MBA Appeals Committee, and chair of the Maxwell Chair Review Committee. Her university service includes University Council, the Recycling Committee, faculty policies, and she served as the chair of the search committee for the dean of the Hull College of Business.
Dr. Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from the University of Georgia, an MBA from Augusta State, and a doctoral degree in accounting from the University of Georgia.
Trinanjan Datta received the Louis K. Bell Research Award. An active researcher, Dr. Datta is one of seven theoretical physicists in the United States to be named a Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) Scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara, making him one of only 89 recipients to ever receive the honor. He also received the Island Dissertation Fellowship from Purdue University.
His work has been published in numerous scientific journals, and he has presented at conferences throughout the United States. His most recent research on nanoscience led to his proposing for the first time a radical route to one-dimensional superconductivity, a work which has been cited by leading experts in condensed matter physics from Stanford University and the University of Illinois. In addition to his research, he has been awarded more than $130,000 in grant funding.
Dr. Datta has served as the Phi Kappa Phi Student Research Conference organizer and a faculty mentor for student athletes. Dr. Datta joined the ASU faculty in 2007. His teaching areas are in physical and thermal physics as well as introductory physics.
He received a bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta, India, a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, and a doctoral degree in physics from Purdue University.
