From the Humanities division, Clayton Lehmann of the department of history was honored for his deep and ongoing contributions to the honors program, in which he has taught numerous courses including an extraordinary study trip to Greece, the birthplace of the liberal arts. He was also recognized for his continuing research interests in Greek archaeology and Greek athletics, and for his mentorship of students.

From Social Sciences, Betty Smith of the department of political science was recognized for her excellence as a classroom teacher, for her inclusion of practical and service learning experiences in her courses, and for a record of mentoring a wide range of students to become public servants. She was also honored for her scholarly work on campaign reform, and for expanding this work to include Native American voter turnout within South Dakota.

From the Science/Mathematics division, Yuhlong Lio of the department of mathematical sciences was honored for his work in teaching students the fundamental concepts of mathematics and statistics by incorporating modern applications into abstract courses, and by including appropriate technology used for editing data and mathematical modeling. He was also recognized for his interdisciplinary work with the medical sciences in applying statistics to the study and analysis of human disease; and for his impressive scholarly output and editorial work for international mathematical journals.

The awards, each carrying a $3,500 cash prize payable through The University of South Dakota Foundation, are presented to faculty who advance liberal arts education through teaching and research over a three-year span.

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