The College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences is proud of their faculty, staff and students. Several were named as recipients at the 2019 Chancellor’s Honors banquet. Awards were presented in two categories, the Chancellor’s Citation Awards & Campus Honors.
Recipients in our college for the Chancellors Citation include:
Honors Undergraduates Who Exhibit Extraordinary Scholarship
- Linsey Adams
- Emily Allen
- Bailey Belcher
- Kathryn Cosgrove
- Kelsie Craighead
- Alex Dawson
- Elizabeth Eshun
- Kristen Freeman
- Heather Gleaves
- Loran Grant
- Theodore Hooper
- Savannah Huffstetler
- Breana Jeter
- Carrie Johnson
- William Kennedy
- Brianna Leverenz
- Abigail Lockman
- Christina Paspalas
- Sydney Snoddy
- Stephanie Spencer
- Erica Treiber
- Haley Wagner
For graduating students who are extraordinary campus leaders with significant service to others.
Natalie Campbell
Natalie Campbell, a senior College Scholar majoring in disability studies, began her journey of advocacy and service for the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in middle school, spearheading a local campaign to educate people about the negative impact of the word retarded in casual conversation. At UT, she has worked to enhance mutual respect and improve the lives of others. After realizing that people with certain intellectual disabilities do not qualify for Tennessee’s lottery-funded Hope Scholarship, Campbell contacted the governor and General Assembly herself to explain her concerns. A Haslam Scholar and College Scholar, Campbell conducts research in support of policy and legal changes to people with disabilities at UT and elsewhere.
- Drew Ashby-King
- Kylee Ault
- Caitlin Berosh
- Jessica Eshbaugh
- Terry Gibson, Jr.
- Heather Gleaves
- Rachel Gunia
- Emilee Howard
- Marlon Johnson
- Timothy Kerr
- Nicholas King
- Tyler Kybartas
- Magen Payne
- Andrew Porth
- Ashley Scheyder
- Melissa Scott
- Ashley Sullivan
- Lillian White
- Taylor Woods
- Mary Wynn
Recipients in our college for Campus Honors include:
Bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in advising.
Jennifer Morrow
When advising or mentoring students, Jennifer Morrow tries to focus on three things: strengthening their skills, supporting them through their graduate school journey, and helping them find areas in which they can become specialists. And she does it with a personal touch. “Graduate school is difficult and at times stressful, and many students do not like to ask for help. Reminding students that we are on this journey with them is an important aspect of how we teach our students,” she said. An associate professor who has been at UT for 18 years and serves as the graduate certificate coordinator in the Department of Education Psychology and Counseling, Morrow has mentored more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students on their research projects. She has been awarded more than $750,000 from organizations including the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education to study topics such as student-friendly teaching methods, students’ sense of belonging, and strategies for reducing student substance misuse.
Bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in the classroom.
Mari Beth Coleman
Students don’t sign up for Mari Beth Coleman’s class to get an easy A. The associate professor of special education warns her students on the first day that it will be difficult. But she is committed to ensuring that her students understand the material. Many of Coleman’s students have noted that her passion for special education is exceptional and that she wants students to leave her class confident in their future success. Coleman, who also serves as co-director of undergraduate studies in special education, worked for 13 years as a special education teacher before completing her PhD and coming to UT. Reviewers say she is able to bring her passion and commitment to preparing her students for careers in the special education field.
Lauren Moret
Lauren Moret is an assistant professor of qualitative research methodology in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Reviewers and students say Moret teaches with passion and enthusiasm, encouraging her students to take risks and ask questions to get comfortable with the material. She uses interactive games, independent projects, and strategies based in the creative arts to capture her students’ attention and help them understand difficult material. A former middle and high school teacher, Moret strives to make the most out of every classroom minute by maintaining a superior level of engagement so there’s no time for students to check out. After attending one of Moret’s educational psychology and counseling classes, one reviewer noted simply, “Wow . . . I want to take the class.”
Honors a student for work in promoting cultural diversity and enrichment on campus. Kandice Duncan
Kandice Duncan has made it her mission to help underrepresented students settle in on campus and find success. As the chair of the Multicultural Mentoring Program and a student assistant in the Office of Multicultural Student Life, Duncan has mentored first-year students in their transition to college and provided both professional and academic support to students. “She is what every mentor strives to be,” a staff member wrote. “She is compassionate, studious, driven, and empathetic.” Duncan has also taken her passion for helping underrepresented populations into the larger community by volunteering as a Building Blocks mentor for youth and a Girl Talk mentor for young women. Through both organizations, she is helping to empower youth to become the best versions of themselves and advance both socially and through education. A senior majoring in kinesiology with a minor in public health, Duncan plans to pursue a master’s degree in health administration.
Nancy Thacker Maddie Stephens
Given by the Commission for LGBT People to a student who demonstrates a commitment to advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues on campus.
Nancy Thacker, a doctoral candidate in counselor education, has been a dedicated leader and advocate within the LGBTQ+ community. As the graduate assistant for the Commission for Women and the Commission for LGBT People, she’s provided exemplary support and communication. During her time at UT, she has co-coordinated the OUTstanding conference, given professional presentations about LGBTQ+ issues in counseling and higher education, and supported multiple LGBTQ+ projects, reports, and events. A clinical mental health counselor by trade, Thacker has provided clinical services primarily to college students and elementary school-aged students, with a concentrated focus on grief counseling with vulnerable populations. Additionally, much of her research and doctoral work involves learning about and educating others on ways to best serve the LGBTQ+ community. 
Senior Maddie Stephens of Knoxville holds a commitment that, in the words of a nominator, “shines through in everything she does.” When the Rock was defaced with Nazi symbols last fall, Stephens, serving as student services director for the Student Government Association, was instrumental in developing a passionate and sensible solution that took hate speech seriously but also preserved the joyful freedom of students to paint the Rock. A Chancellor’s Honors student majoring in English and minoring in leadership studies, she has made it a priority to welcome new students to campus—whether as a Welcome Week leader, an Ignite Serves team leader, or the creator of the Guide to Torchbearer Tuesdays, helping students link their experiences on campus to the Volunteer Creed. Stephens has also taken a key role in sustainability and campus recycling efforts, including the Mug Project, Earth Day, and RecycleMania events. As a nominator wrote, her actions are testimony to her belief that “students must carry their ethical commitments with them outside the classroom and try to show the wider community—including their own parents, teachers, and political leaders—why those values matter so deeply.”