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Students and professors honored for excellence in academics, service

Two students and two faculty members were big winners for the University last night. They were honored for their outstanding contributions to the academic community by the Michigan Association of Governing Boards of State Universities.

MAGB presented recognition certificates to the honorees at the awards convocation in East Lansing. The honorees also received recognition awards from the state House and Senate.

LSA seniors Rick Bernstein and Rachel Lawson received awards for excellence in undergraduate education.

"They're both extraordinary people who have literally poured their hearts into making this community a better place for everyone," said Hillel Executive Director Michael Brooks. "I don't know when they sleep."

Both students serve on the governing board of Hillel and are members of Phi Beta Kappa. Bernstein has served on the Council on Disability Concerns and is president of LSA-Student Government. Lawson has volunteered as a service leader for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day project. She also organizes a drama club at the Wayne State Correctional Facility.

Susan Alcock, associate professor of classical archaeology and classics, and Prof. James Wight, of the civil engineering department, were honored as outstanding faculty.

Alcock has taught at the University for four years. In this time she has developed five courses and worked to revise course offerings in the classics department.

Wight has worked extensively with earthquake-resistant structures around the world, from Egypt to Japan.

Both professors consistently receive high performance evaluations from their undergraduate students.

MAGB is a statewide organization of governing boards of four-year public universities in Michigan. The organization operates solely for educational and charitable purposes and strives to promote higher education.