MUW Prof Receives Faculty Honor

Dr. Dan Heimmermann, provost and vice president for academic affairs at The W, presents the Kossen Faculty Excellence Award to Dr. Janice Giallourakis during commencement. (Photo by Chris Jenkins/MUW Office of Public Affairs)

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Each year awards are presented to W faculty recognizing their role as the heart of the university. This year’s recipient, Dr. Janice Giallourakis, was the recipient of two distinguished honors–the Kossen Faculty Excellence Award and Faculty Member of the Year.

Giallourakis, who has made significant contributions to the nursing program, university and the community, retires after 30 years. She has been involved with community service most of her nursing career.

The Kossen Faculty Excellence Award includes a $5,000 stipend. The award was established in 2004 by Connie Kossen, a 1964 alumna of MUW, and her husband Tom.

Criterion for the award is based on three fundamentals: excellence in teaching, excellence in scholarly or artistic achievement and excellence in service, preferably both on campus and in communities throughout MUW’s service area. Further, to be considered for this award, a faculty member must exhibit a commitment to student success in each of these three areas of responsibility.

Dr. Sheila Adams, dean for the College of Nursing and Speech-Language Pathology, said, “Her enthusiasm and energy are a part of who she is and it has a positive impact on all of us. Over the years Janice has always gone over and above in her efforts to provide quality teaching to our students.

“Providing excellent teaching and clinical experiences for our nursing students has remained a top priority for Janice over the past 30 years. Her exceptional classroom and clinical teaching have remained as an example for all faculty over the years.”

The Faculty Member of the Year Award, which includes an award in the amount of $1,000, is an honor bestowed upon the faculty member who, above all, values quality teaching. The individual selected is truly a symbol of MUW’s highly regarded faculty.

MUW’s Star and Scepter Chapter of Mortar Board and the MUW Alumni Association, which provides a generous$1,000 award, jointly recognize the Faculty Member of the Year. A faculty portrait will be placed with other awardees’ photographs on the walls of Whitfield Hall.

Giallourakis’ career at The W started in 1983 and includes previously serving as interim director of the Baccalaureate Nursing Program. She has served as the Student Nurses Association adviser since 2001.

In 2012, she was nominated for the Elsevier Exceptional Nursing Educator Award. Currently, she represents the Mississippi Nurses’ Association, District 18, and has served in various leadership roles including president, vice president, secretary, delegate and board member. Giallourakis also is a member of the American Nurses’ Association.

Her community involvement includes work with St. Joseph Catholic Church in Starkville. She has volunteered with the Salvation Army, Katrina Relief, United Way, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Leukemia Society and many more.

Giallourakis earned her master of science in nursing in psychiatric nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and her bachelor of science in nursing from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wis.

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