2010-11 Foundation Award Winners

John R. Vile
University Honors College
Career Achievement Award

John R. Vile is a professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College, and is an internationally known expert on the United States Constitution. His distinguished academic career has focused on bringing together scholarship and commitment to excellence in student learning to forge a remarkable impact on both the academy and the citizen lives of the polity. He received his B.A. in Government from The College of William and Mary and his Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to MTSU in 1989 to assume the position of Chair of the Political Science Department, Dr. Vile was head of the Social Sciences Department at McNeese State University where he taught political science. He also has held a Visiting Lecturer position at Vanderbilt University. He was inducted into The National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2009.

Widely acclaimed for his scholarship related to the U.S. Constitution, Dr. Vile is one of the most preeminent and prolific authors on the Constitution in the world. He has authored eleven scholarly books and texts. His A Companion to the United States Constitution and its Amendments was first published in 1993 with subsequent editions published in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2011. His Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-1995 published in 1996, received a starred review by The Library Journal and the Law Library Journal named it one of the best legal reference books. It was reprinted in 1997 and released as an e-Book in 2001 with second and third editions published in 2003 and 2010. The 2010 edition also received a 4-star review. His path-breaking work, Presidential Winners and Losers: Words of Victory and Concession (2002), includes an introduction to each presidential election in U.S. It was the first such book on the topic. Other books include: Essential Supreme Court Decisions: Summaries of Leading Cases in U.S. Constitutional Law. 15th edition (2010); The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America�s Founding, (2005); Pleasing the Court: A Mock Trial Handbook (1999, 2001, 2005 and 2008) which was adopted by mock trial classes throughout the nation; The United States Constitution: Questions and Answers (1998); Constitutional Change in America: A Comparative Study of Constitutional Amendments, Judicial Interpretations, and Legislative and Executive Actions (1994); Contemporary Questions Surrounding the Constitutional Amending Process (1993); The Constitutional Amending Process in American Political Thought (1992); and Rewriting the United States Constitution: An Examination of Proposals From Reconstruction to the Present (1991). Read More >>

OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARDS

• Dr. Alyson S. Bass - Early Elementary & Special Education
• Ms. Rebecca A. Foote - Accounting
• Dr. Meredith Anne S. Higgs - University Studies/Math
• Dr. Shannon C. Hodge - Sociology/Anthropology
• Mr. John W. Sanborn - Social Work
• Ms. Melissa A. Wald - Recording Industry

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

• Dr. Virginia A. Donnell - Speech & Theatre
• Dr. C. Daniel Prather - Aerospace
• Dr. Vincent W. Smith - Business Communication & Entrepreneurship

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

• Dr. Timothy R. Graeff - Management & Marketing
• Dr. Cindi L. Smith-Walters - Biology

DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH AWARDS

• Dr. Ronald H. Aday - Sociology & Anthropology
• Dr. A. Bruce Cahoon - Biology

CREATIVE ACTIVITY AWARD

• Mr. Don J. Aliquo - School of Music

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

• Dr. John R. Vile - Honors College/Political Science

SPECIAL PROJECTS AWARD

• Dr. Scott T, Handy - Chemistry, $13,000 "Flowstart Microflow System Project"
• Dr. Heather J. Brown - Concrete Industry Management, $7,000 "Net-Zero Emergency Shelter Partnership Project"