Pictured: Drs. Elizabeth Haller and Benjamin Harley
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University has named Drs. Elizabeth Haller and Benjamin Harley winners of this year’s Outstanding Faculty Awards.
Haller, the 2022 NSU Foundation Faculty Excellence Award winner, is professor of English; department chair of Languages, Literature and Communication Studies; and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Harley, the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award winner, is assistant professor of English and director of the NSU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
The Foundation Faculty Excellence Award recognizes faculty for excellence in teaching and learning, a sustained commitment to faculty service, and achievements in research and creativity within their discipline. The Early Career Faculty Award is presented to an early career, full-time faculty member who demonstrates a strong record and commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.
Foundation Faculty Excellence Award
Haller, who has worked at Northern since 2009, was nominated by NSU Professor of English Dr. Lysbeth Em Benkert. Benkert wrote that, over and over, Haller demonstrates why she embodies everything an outstanding faculty member should be.
“Without a doubt, she is the best academic supervisor I have served under,” Benkert wrote. “Her current work as associate dean has only extended her impressive work. She has shepherded several key programs through the AAC process, including the new Global Language and Culture program.”
Early Career Faculty Award
Harley, who has worked at Northern since 2018, also received a letter of nomination from Benkert. Since Harley’s arrival, Benkert wrote, he has consistently demonstrated his commitment to Northern’s values of community, discovery and integrity.
“His teaching challenges and engages students in the real work of academic discovery,” Benkert wrote. “His research is consistently interesting and cutting edge. His service to the university has been tireless, supporting faculty as they do the most important part of our jobs—teaching students.”
The 2022 award winners were announced on May 7 at Northern’s spring commencement ceremony. Below is a list of past award winners.
NSU Foundation Faculty Excellence Award/Outstanding Faculty Member Award
2021 Kristi Bockorny
2020 Jon Mitchell
2019 Greg Blair
2018 Peter Ramey
2017 Courtney Waid-Lindberg
2016 Anthony Wachs
2015 Sara Schmidt
2014 Sara Christensen Blair
2013 Alyssa Kiesow
2012 Daniel Yurgaitis
2011 Erin Fouberg
2010 Robin Rosenthal
2009 Peter Kilian
2008 Gayle Bortnem
2007 Paul Everson
2006 William Wieland
2005 Jon Schaff
2004 Jon Lim
2003 Jeff Jay
2002 Grant Manhart
2001 Lysbeth Benkert-Rasmussen
2000 Ken Blanchard
1999 Connie Geier
1998 Ric Dias
- Abid Elkhader
1996 David Grettler
NSU Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award
2021 Anna Schwan
2020 Kristi Brownfield
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a student-centered institution that provides an outstanding educational experience, preparing students through the liberal arts and professional education for their future endeavors. A regional university, Northern offers rigorous academics; diverse civic, social and cultural opportunities; and a commitment to building an inclusive environment for all points of view. Northern also offers a broad-based athletics program, sponsoring 15 NCAA Division II intercollegiate varsity sports that compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). The university strives to enrich the community through partnerships such as its Educational Impact Campaign, which opened a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; new athletic and recreation fields; and an on-campus regional sports complex. With the $55 million campaign, NSU has been the recipient of more than $150 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.