[339] Math professor with proven ‘student success’ is MTSU John Pleas Award winner

MURFREESBORO — This year’s winner of MTSU’s top honor for minority faculty is a professor with a proven track record of success with ethnic and transfer students.

Linda M. Clark, associate professor of mathematics in the Department of University Studies, will receive the 2016 John Pleas Faculty Award at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building. A printable parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

“I can honestly say that I am surprised and honored to have been selected to win the award,” said Clark. “I have a difficult time seeing myself in the same light as some of the previous award recipients. That said, it is really nice to know that your efforts to make a difference in the lives of others have not gone unnoticed.”

An 18-year veteran of the faculty, Clark is a former Faculty Senate representative for her department and a co-organizer of two ACT mathematics preparation workshops funded by a public service grant.

Among her research accomplishments is a paper on the academic success of transfer students entering MTSU. Clark presented the paper at the fourth International Conference on Research in Access and Developmental Education in 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Clark is noted for using innovative multimedia tools to motivate students to do their best work, both on-campus and in distance learning.

“While I do not believe that I can motivate all students to value mathematics, I do believe that I can create an environment that motivates students to look at math in a more positive light,” Clark said.

The John Pleas Faculty Award was established in 1997 to honor John Pleas, a professor emeritus of psychology and recipient of the 1999 Outstanding Teaching Award. It is presented annually to a minority faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service.

Nominees must have completed at least five years of service at MTSU and have a record of outstanding service. Each nominee must have three letters to support his or her nomination.

This Black History Month event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Daniel Green, director of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and chair of the MTSU Black History Month Committee, at 615-898-5812 or daniel.green@mtsu.edu.