Diana Sturges Earns Top Honors from the University System of Georgia

September 11, 2014

Dr. Diana Sturges, professor of human anatomy and physiology in the College of Health and Human Sciences, has been selected as a recipient of the Regents’ Teaching Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award. Designated by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG), the award is among the highest honors for faculty at Georgia’s public colleges and universities. Created in 1996, the Regents’ Awards recognize the finest among USG’s full-time instructional faculty for their demonstrated educational excellence in teaching, online teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Award recipients in the past have had a record of exceptional teaching and a strong commitment to impacting student learning, ultimately fostering the academic success of students. Sturges was very excited upon learning the news. “I am very passionate about SoTL and it is an honor to be recognized at the state level,” she said. Each year, the Board of Regents considers nominations to recognize two USG faculty in the area of SoTL. “The committee was particularly impressed with the evolution of Dr. Sturges’ SoTL practice and how it has led to a stronger SoTL community at Georgia Southern University,” said Houston Davis, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor & chief academic officer of the University System of Georgia. “Her approach to research, and subsequent analysis of and reflection on the quantitative and qualitative data is exceptional. The committee was also pleased to see the extent to which she has shared her research with the larger academic community nationally and internationally through publications and presentations.” Sturges and other award winners will be recognized during an awards ceremony among 700 distinguished guests at the annual Board of Regents Gala next March. Sturges also will receive $5,000 during the event. The native of Chi?in?u, Republic of Moldova earned her medical doctorate general practitioner degree from the State Medical and Pharmacy University, Chi?in?u, Republic of Moldova. In addition, she earned her Master of Arts degree in public policy and management from the University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Portland, Maine. Sturges is chair of the University’s Academic Standards Committee, the SoTL Leadership Team and the SoTL Commons Conference. A Georgia Southern faculty member since 2004, she is a member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society.