Computer Science Assoc. Prof. David Evans recently received the 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Evans was one of 12 professors throughout the commonwealth to receive the award, which recognizes superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public education.
“The award is the highest statewide honor for faculty from both public and private colleges in Virginia,” SCHEV Assistant Director of Communications Kathleen Kincheloe said, noting that a panel comprised of previous OFA recipients and chief academic officers reviewed nominations before a committee of education and business leaders selected the 12 new award recipients. “The goal is to honor faculty for what is sometimes a thankless job.”
Evans, who has been teaching since 2000, said he has received many awards from the University and within the field of computer science, but the OFA is his first statewide award.
“It’s always nice to win awards,” Evans said. “I was surprised to win it. It’s an award that covers all fields. It’s harder for people outside the field to see what the contributions from computer science are, whereas in a field like medicine, everyone can see what the benefits are.”
Evans is the first professor from the University’s computer science department to receive the annual SCHEV award. He is known for veering off the traditional path of teaching to engage his students, computer science department chair Mary Lou Soffa said.
“I think he was chosen because he exemplifies what a professor should be,” Soffa said. “He is dedicated to students, he loves to teach and he does different things in class to keep students’ attention. In the past he has done things such as puzzles, human demonstrations and mock trials.”
Outside of the classroom, Evans led an effort in 2006 to create a majors program that would allow College students to take courses in computer science. The program aims to give its students, of which there are about 50, the opportunity to combine their interest in computer science with the liberal arts.
“For a long time, there has been a computer science program in the engineering school, but [computer science] really connects with a number of different fields.” Evans said, citing subjects like philosophy and linguistics.
Evans also serves as a research mentor to both graduate and undergraduate students. In past years, many students who have conducted research with his guidance have won state and national awards.
“U.Va. has students that are very capable,” Evans said. “They just need to be challenged with hard-to-solve problems. The hope is that I can find those problems.”
Since the first OFA ceremony in 1987, SCHEV has given out 268 awards to faculty throughout Virginia. The University has been home to 27 of the award recipients, Kincheloe said, and the winners have come from academic areas as diverse as neonatology, politics and electrical engineering.
SCHEV will honor this year’s OFA recipients at a public ceremony Feb. 19th at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 8 hours agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | 9 hours agoStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | 19 hours agoStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
