Release date: May 9, 2008
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Faculty Receive Awards for Outstanding Teaching, Research, Leadership

Ten Emory University faculty members were honored with teaching, research and mentoring awards presented at the university’s commencement ceremony May 12.

Law Professor Freer Receives Scholar/Teacher Award

Richard D. Freer, Robert Howell Hall Professor of Law, received the University Scholar/Teacher Award. The recipient is chosen by Emory faculty on behalf of the United Methodist Church Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

For 25 years, Freer has guided Emory law students, inspired colleagues and engaged lawmakers with his charismatic teaching, high standards and extraordinary knowledge of civil procedure. After earning a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, Freer clerked for federal district and appellate judges. He joined the Emory faculty in 1983 after working for three years as an associate with the Los Angeles law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.

A nationally recognized scholar on civil procedure, Freer has authored or coauthored 11 books, including a popular casebook on civil procedure and two volumes of Moore’s Federal Practice, a multivolume treatise. When Congress passed the supplemental jurisdiction statute in 1990, his scholarly critique provoked a national debate that included the United States Supreme Court. Freer serves as an adviser to the American Law Institute’s Federal Judicial Code Project and is on the advisory board for LexisNexis Law School Publishing.

Exemplifying the highest ideals of pedagogy, Freer’s demanding yet captivating teaching style has earned him great respect from students. He has been named the “Most Outstanding Professor” by Emory law students six times, selected as “Professor of the Year” twice by the Black Law Students Association and received the Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Freer has served as a visiting professor of law at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Freer has served as vice provost for academic affairs, and associate dean and dean of faculty in the Emory Law School. Freer is a resident of Atlanta (30345).

Secretary to University Receives Thomas Jefferson Award

Emory alumna Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary to the university, received the Thomas Jefferson Award, which is presented to a faculty member or administrative officer in recognition of significant service to the university through personal activities, influence and leadership.

Magee has graced Emory’s community with exceptional vision, inspired leadership and passionate advocacy. After graduating with a B.A. in sociology and M.A. in religion from Florida State University, Magee came to Emory in 1977 to begin doctoral work in religion and literature in the Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts. Since earning her Ph.D. in 1982, she served Emory College successively in several leadership roles. In 2004, she was appointed vice president and secretary of Emory, serving on the president’s cabinet and working with the Emory board of trustees.

A champion of the arts and interdisciplinary scholarship, Magee has been instrumental in bringing together diverse constituencies across the university, opening new avenues for the development and success of numerous expansive projects and programs. Her work has touched:

• the Donna and Marvin Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
• the Callaway Center
• the Math and Science Center
• the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry
• the Language Center
• the Institute for Comparative and International Studies
• the Candler Library restoration
• the new psychology building
• the Steering Committee for the Arts and Arts Council and the Emory Poetry Council

Admired for her astute insights, collegiality, wisdom and selflessness, Magee has served as mentor to many faculty, staff and students. She has taught courses on fiction, the culture of the university, Southern women writers, religion in America and biography and autobiography. Magee is a valued adviser to various governing groups on campus. She serves on the board of directors for the Art Papers and is a trustee of the Halle Foundation as well as the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. A gifted scholar and creative writer, Magee has published books on Southern women writers and Flannery O’Connor and also has written fiction and creative nonfiction published in Southern Humanities Review, Atlanta Magazine and Fiction Magazine. Magee is a resident of Decatur (30033).

Video features Thomas Jefferson Award Winner Magee

"The Legacy of Leadership" features the connection between the 2007 and 2008 McMullan Award winners and this year's Thomas Jefferson Award winner, all honored for their service.

Economics professor Dezhbakhsh Recieves Mentoring Award

Hashem Dezhbakhsh, professor and chair of economics, received the George P. Cuttino Award for Excellence in Mentoring, established in 1997 by trustee John T. Glover. Dezhbakhsh is a resident of Atlanta (30305). He has previously received the Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Emory Williams Award Given for Exceptional Teaching

Seven Emory professors received the Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching. The university’s most prestigious awards for teaching were established in 1972 by alumnus Emory Williams. The three awards in the arts and sciences are selected by a committee of Emory College faculty. Goizueta Business School, Oxford College and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing each present an award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, and one other award rotates among the professional schools. The 2008 recipients of the Emory Williams Award are:

• Frank McDonald, professor of chemistry, Emory College. McDonald is a resident of Atlanta (30306).

• Regina Werum, associate professor of sociology, Emory College. Werum is a resident of Clarkston, Ga. (30021).

• Michael Elliott, associate professor of English, Emory College. Elliott is a resident of Decatur (30033).

• J. William Eley, executive associate dean of medical education and student affairs, School of Medicine. Eley is a resident of Decatur (30030).

• Ian McFarland, associate professor of systematic theology, Candler School of Theology. McFarland is a resident of Decatur (30030).

• Kenneth Anderson, associate dean of academic affairs and associate professor of philosophy, Oxford College. Anderson is a resident of Decatur (30033).

• Sarah Freeman, clinical professor of family and community nursing, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Freeman is a resident of Decatur (30033).

• Steven Culler, associate professor of health policy and management, Rollins School of Public Health. Culler is a resident of Alpharetta (30022).

• Nicholas Valerio III, associate professor in the practice of finance, Goizueta Business School. Valerio is a resident of Atlanta (30319).

• William W. Buzbee, professor of law, Emory Law School. Buzbee is a resident of Atlanta (30345).

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate experience, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. Perennially ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, Emory encompasses nine academic divisions as well as the Carlos Museum, The Carter Center, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, Georgia’s largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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