Friday, March 03, 2017

[301] Social work professor Barbara Turnage to receive John Pleas Award Feb. 21


MURFREESBORO — An MTSU professor whose dedication to others has been the hallmark of her career is the 2017 John Pleas Faculty Award honoree.

Social work professor Barbara Turnage will receive the award in a ceremony at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the Hazlewood Dining Room of the James Union Building. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

The John Pleas Faculty Award is presented annually during Black History Month to a black faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service. It is named for John Pleas, MTSU professor emeritus of psychology.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Turnage has built a social work career that has included providing social services for with impaired and/or aging parents, new mothers and families with physical and mental health needs.

She also has counseled methadone clients and individuals who were at risk of harming themselves or others. This practical experience has informed her teaching, mentoring and research.

At MTSU, Turnage has served on MTSU’s Faculty Senate, the Forrest Hall Review Committee, the Africana Studies Program Development Committee and the International Education and Exchange Committee. She continues to serve on multiple faculty, search, admissions and qualifying exam committees.

In addition to her academic achievements, Turnage is vice chair of the Board of Directors for Journeys in Community Living, a program that supports adults with intellectual disabilities. She will assume the chair in fall 2017.

Turnage, a first-generation high school graduate, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her doctorate in social work from Tulane University, where she was granted a four-year regents’ fellowship.

A printable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap. Off-campus visitors should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.


For more information, contact Linda Clark, professor of university studies, at 615-904-8234 or linda.clark@mtsu.edu.

No comments: