USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards
The USM Board of Regents named five Bowie State University faculty members among 20 winners of its prestigious 2024 Faculty Awards which are the highest faculty honor given by the Board, recognizing excellence in teaching, mentoring, public service, creative activity and scholarship or research. A faculty nominating committee at each university makes recommendations to its university president, who forwards candidates to USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. The Regents Faculty Review Committee makes the final selection.
Bowie State’s faculty members receiving awards include Professor Kathryn Kawecki, Professor Elena Velasco, Dr. Anne Osano, Dr. Otis Williams and Dr. James Hyman (pictured below, l-r). They were recognized, along with other award winners, during the Board of Regents meeting at Bowie State on April 19, 2024.
Dr. Otis Williams III, chair of the counseling and psychological studies department, was recognized in the Excellence in Mentoring category. Williams has been instrumental in co-developing African-centered rites of passage for youth. He founded the African Psychological Students Association and mentors and advises current and former students, junior faculty members and members of the community.
Dr. James Hyman, an assistant professor of public administration in the College of Business, received the Excellence in Public Service award. He created Bowie State’s Philanthropy initiative and is developing a master’s program in philanthropy and non-profit management. Hyman also created a philanthropy fellowship program that provides graduate students hands-on-experience and direct immersion with leading philanthropy organizations. The program has grown from three students in the first year to eight students in the second cohort. Dr. Hyman also secured $2 million from fundraising to support the initiative.
Dr. Anne Osano won her award in the Excellence in Scholarship or Research category. Osano is a professor of Biology and studies plant metabolomics, aquaponics/hydroponics and food security. Her laboratory has worked on key questions related to the use of plant metabolomics in human nutrition and health. She and her team have made significant contributions in sustainable food production using aquaponics. Dr. Osano’s research has yielded more than 80 scholarly publications, and she has secured more than $3 million in grants. Her students travel to Kenya to conduct plant and food security research.
Kathryn Kawecki is an associate professor of Fine and Performing Arts and received her award in the Excellence in Creative Activity category. Kawecki produces creative work as a form of scholarship in theatrical design. She has built set designs for “A Song for Coretta”, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Medea”. She received the National Award for Outstanding Set for “Pipeline” at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. As a theater artist and educator, Kawecki prides herself on “bringing the stage into the classroom and her classes to the stage.” She uses storytelling to build relationships with students and is dedicated to mentoring them and smoothing their career paths.
Elena Velasco is an associate professor of Theatre and Production and is also an award winner in the Excellence in Creative Activity category. She is one of the few bilingual directors in the region. Professor Velasco is a role model inspiring Latinx artists. Her productions are centered on holistic, wellness, equity and diversity and have been described as innovative devices to teach and challenge audiences and change and improve society. In the 2022-23 season, Velasco directed and choreographed five productions including “In the Heights”, “Alma”, and “Arco Iris.” All five productions expanded representation through the stories staged and amplified, all highlighting artists of color and migrant communities. Professor Velasco also stages bilingual work at GALA Hispanic, Washington, D. C.’s premier Spanish-language theatre.