Top, left to right: Dr. J. Keaton Grubbs, Dr. Ginger Kelso and Dr. Tim King. Middle: Dr. Warren Conway, Dr. Dusty Jenkins and Dr. Josephine Taylor. Bottom: Juanita Finkenberg, Dr. Della Connor and Dr. Janice Hensarling

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Nine Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members will be honored for their teaching abilities at the annual Teaching Excellence Convocation beginning at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in Regents Suites A and B of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

The Teaching Excellence Awards were established in 1994 to honor outstanding classroom teachers at SFA. Each of the university's six colleges selects a member of its faculty to receive the annual award based on knowledge of subject matter, quality of lectures and assignments, enthusiasm for teaching, interest in and availability to students, commitment to continuous improvement, and contribution to the quality of teaching within SFA by assisting and encouraging other faculty members. Recipients of Teaching Excellence Awards for service learning and adjunct teaching also will be presented during the convocation.

Nelson Rusche College of Business
Dr. J. Keaton Grubbs joined the SFA faculty in 2000. During the course of 23 years of private law practice, he was a partner in two law firms where he engaged in transactional, trial and appellate representation. Grubbs received his bachelor's, master's and law degrees from Texas Tech University. He teaches the foundation Business Law course in both classroom and online formats, as well as Employment Law, International Business Law and Negotiation. He also instructs International Business Law and Negotiation at the graduate level, and he has co-led several study abroad trips.

James I. Perkins College of Education
Dr. Ginger Kelso joined the Department of Human Services in 2009 after receiving a doctoral degree in disability disciplines from Utah State University. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in special education from SFA. Kelso teaches classes in the undergraduate special education program and the doctoral program in school psychology. Her research at SFA has focused on methods to improve problem-solving skills and creativity in children, as well as effective teaching practices for children and adults with disabilities.

College of Fine Arts
Dr. Tim King joined the SFA School of Music in 1983 after a successful teaching career in the Texas Public School System. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Texas Tech University and his doctoral degree from the University of Illinois. The music profession's most prestigious associations - Texas Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association - have recognized his choirs' excellence through invitational performances. King directs the SFA A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers. As director of choral activities, he supervises the choral program and teaches both undergraduate and graduate Conducting and Choral Literature classes.

Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
Dr. Warren Conway joined SFA in 2002 as an assistant professor of wildlife management and was promoted to professor in 2012. He received his bachelor's degree in wildlife biology and management from the University of Rhode Island and his master's and doctoral degrees in wildlife science from Texas Tech University. Conway teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in wildlife management including Wildlife Techniques, Vertebrate Natural History, Non-Game Wildlife Ecology and Wetland Wildlife Management. He has served as major professor for 21 past and current master's and doctoral candidates and was the 2009 recipient of the SFA Foundation's Faculty Achievement Award in Research.

College of Liberal and Applied Arts
Dr. Dusty Jenkins joined the Department of Psychology at SFA in 2010 after earning her doctoral degree in human development and family studies from Auburn University. She also holds a master's degree in counseling from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Jenkins regularly teaches undergraduate psychology courses, including Introduction to Psychology, Human Sexuality and Scientific Writing, as well as a graduate-level teaching seminar. Her research focuses on adolescent and adult development, with a specific focus on psychosocial adjustment, problem behaviors, and risk and protective factors.

College of Sciences and Mathematics
Dr. Josephine Taylor joined the SFA Department of Biology in 1992 after receiving a doctoral degree in plant pathology from the University of Georgia. She received a bachelor's degree in agriculture from SFA in 1985. Taylor teaches Introductory Biology, Mycology, Plant Pathology and Electron Microscopy. Through her research, she investigates fungal diseases of plants. Among her service activities are several leadership roles in professional organizations, including two terms as president of the Texas Society for Microscopy.

Adjunct Teaching
Juanita Finkenberg teaches stage movement classes and acts as dance and staged combat choreographer for productions in the College of Fine Arts' School of Theatre. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in exercise science with a dance specialization from California State University, Los Angeles. Finkenberg has performed as a company member of Landrum's Dance Theater, Synergism, Salve Dance Company and Ele Johnson Dance Company. She was named to the Nacogdoches City Women's Hall of Fame in 1999 and was selected as the American Association of University Women's Woman of the Year, Physical Fitness in 2009.

Service Learning
Dr. Della Connor is an assistant professor of nursing in the Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing. Her specialty and interests are in the area of kidney and urological disorders, including dialysis and chronic kidney disease. Connor earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from SFA, her master's degree in nursing from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and her doctoral degree from University of Texas at Tyler. She teaches courses in SFA 101 and electives in the nursing field.

Dr. Janice Hensarling is an assistant professor of nursing in the School of Nursing. She received an associate's degree in nursing from Angelina College, a bachelor's degree in nursing from SFA, a master's degree in nursing as a family nurse practitioner from the University of Texas at Galveston, and a doctoral degree in nursing from Texas Woman's University. Hensarling has been a registered nurse for 37 years and a family nurse practitioner for 17 years. She has practiced in clinical areas throughout East Texas and has taught Community Health Nursing for 12 years at SFA.

As a clinical component of the Community Health Nursing course, students of Connor and Hensarling gain a wealth of practical experiences in local schools, home health agencies, Hospice, rural health clinics and health fairs.