University of Evansville professors Anthony Beavers and Kristy Miller were honored recently with the Sadelle and Sydney Berger Awards for service and scholarly activity. The two were presented with the awards by Charlie Berger during UE’s Fall Conference.

Kristy Miller, professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry, was given the Berger Award for exemplary service to the University. Since Miller came to UE in 2004, she has dedicated herself to serving the University, her department and the community.

Under her leadership as chair, her department raised a quarter of a millions dollars for instrumentation, support of undergraduate research and discretionary gifts. She is well known on campus for her enthusiasm, work ethic and tireless dedication to UE.

She has served on many UE committees, including the Physicians’ Assistant Director Search Committee, and the University of Evansville-Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Outreach. She is a member of community organizations such as the Vanderburgh County Lilly Endowment Scholarship Selection Committee, and a board member of the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville. She was named one of the “20 under 40” in 2012 by the Evansville Business Journal.

Beavers, professor of philosophy, was given the Berger Award for scholarly activity. His scholarly work is recognized world-wide. These activities have often involved undergraduate students, such as the development of UE’s cognitive science major.

His many research areas include:

• The philosophy of information

• The philosophy of cognitive science

• Computational philosophy, primarily Artificial Intelligence, machine ethics, cognitive modeling and philosophy of mind

• Meta-ethics, especially technological threats to moral realism and information ethics

His work has appeared in countless professional journals and publications. He has been invited to speak throughout the United States and all over the world about his research and his work. He is a member of several professional organizations and has participated in numerous conferences, institutes, symposia and workshops over the years as well.

In 2013, Beavers received the University’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Teaching Award. In 2012, he received the World Technology Award in Ethics, sponsored by TIME, Fortune, CNN, Science/AAS and the MIT Technology Review.

University of Southern Indiana’s English Teaching Program is now accredited through the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), meaning that it is a nationally recognized department with no conditions. The recognition signifies that the department is responsible for English Teaching, students majoring in English Teaching (ENGT) and minoring in secondary education.

Dr. Amy Montz, assistant professor in English, who spent two years leading the accreditation efforts with the help of her colleagues, says “considering the recent information about the shortage of teachers in Indiana, this is an important step in gaining future teachers of English.”

The National Council of Teachers of English is one of eight subject specific organizations with membership in the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the professional accrediting agency for teacher preparation. Institutions seeking CAEP accreditation must meet carefully developed specific conditions. One of those conditions is program approval. NCTE is responsible for reviewing undergraduate English language arts education programs for institutions seeking CAEP accreditation.

This accreditation brings various benefits for students in the program. Montz says “students will now feel completely confident in their efforts within a nationally accredited program.” She also adds that being trained in a nationally accredited program is a strong resume builder for students.