Portraits of faculty award winners side by side

Pictured: Drs. Elizabeth Haller and Benjamin Harley

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University has named Drs. Elizabeth Haller and Benjamin Harley winners of this year’s Outstanding Faculty Awards.

Haller, the 2022 NSU Foundation Faculty Excellence Award winner, is professor of English; department chair of Languages, Literature and Communication Studies; and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Harley, the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award winner, is assistant professor of English and director of the NSU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Foundation Faculty Excellence Award recognizes faculty for excellence in teaching and learning, a sustained commitment to faculty service, and achievements in research and creativity within their discipline. The Early Career Faculty Award is presented to an early career, full-time faculty member who demonstrates a strong record and commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.

Foundation Faculty Excellence Award

Haller, who has worked at Northern since 2009, was nominated by NSU Professor of English Dr. Lysbeth Em Benkert. Benkert wrote that, over and over, Haller demonstrates why she embodies everything an outstanding faculty member should be.

“Without a doubt, she is the best academic supervisor I have served under,” Benkert wrote. “Her current work as associate dean has only extended her impressive work. She has shepherded several key programs through the AAC process, including the new Global Language and Culture program.”

Early Career Faculty Award

Harley, who has worked at Northern since 2018, also received a letter of nomination from Benkert. Since Harley’s arrival, Benkert wrote, he has consistently demonstrated his commitment to Northern’s values of community, discovery and integrity.

“His teaching challenges and engages students in the real work of academic discovery,” Benkert wrote. “His research is consistently interesting and cutting edge. His service to the university has been tireless, supporting faculty as they do the most important part of our jobs—teaching students.”

The 2022 award winners were announced on May 7 at Northern’s spring commencement ceremony. Below is a list of past award winners.

NSU Foundation Faculty Excellence Award/Outstanding Faculty Member Award

2021    Kristi Bockorny

2020    Jon Mitchell

2019    Greg Blair

2018    Peter Ramey

2017    Courtney Waid-Lindberg

2016    Anthony Wachs

2015    Sara Schmidt

2014    Sara Christensen Blair

2013    Alyssa Kiesow

2012    Daniel Yurgaitis

2011    Erin Fouberg

2010    Robin Rosenthal

2009    Peter Kilian

2008    Gayle Bortnem

2007    Paul Everson

2006    William Wieland

2005    Jon Schaff

2004    Jon Lim

2003    Jeff Jay

2002    Grant Manhart

2001    Lysbeth Benkert-Rasmussen

2000    Ken Blanchard

1999    Connie Geier

1998    Ric Dias

  1. Abid Elkhader

1996    David Grettler

NSU Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award

2021    Anna Schwan

2020    Kristi Brownfield

About Northern State University

Northern State University is a student-centered institution that provides an outstanding educational experience, preparing students through the liberal arts and professional education for their future endeavors. A regional university, Northern offers rigorous academics; diverse civic, social and cultural opportunities; and a commitment to building an inclusive environment for all points of view. Northern also offers a broad-based athletics program, sponsoring 15 NCAA Division II intercollegiate varsity sports that compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). The university strives to enrich the community through partnerships such as its Educational Impact Campaign, which opened a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; new athletic and recreation fields; and an on-campus regional sports complex. With the $55 million campaign, NSU has been the recipient of more than $150 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions

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