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Extraordinary Graduate Student Teaching Award


Jennifer Ann Morrow, Niranji Pathirage, Brittany Pollard, and Alessandra Rhinehart were all recognized at the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet on April 8, 2015.

To see photos of our recent award recipients, please go to the “EPC Award Winners” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Jennifer Ann Morrow, ESM Program Coordinator, was one of four recipients of the Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award. This award is hosted by the University of Tennessee Alumni Association and is part of their continuing effort to support creative and resourceful instruction, as well as recognizing exceptional teaching. After nominations, a committee of nine narrowed things down to ten finalists who were required to provide a resume, recent student evaluations, curriculum vitae, an essay about their teaching philosophy, and their spring schedule for classroom observation. This award also came with a cash reward.

Jennifer Ann Morrow“I just wanted to say thank you to all of my students for inspiring me to always make my classes as applicable and useful as they can be. You all keep me on my toes. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love to do, which is be excited about methodology…and hopefully have you get excited about it too.”

Brittany Pollard, Counselor Education PhD Candidate, was one of four recipients of the Extraordinary Graduate Student Teaching Award. This is a university-wide award given to graduate students for extraordinary performance in teaching.

Brittany Pollard original(1)_1“I am so thrilled and honored to receive the Chancellor’s Award for Graduate Teaching. My work with the Grief Outreach Initiative has been an invaluable experience and I’m so grateful for the incredible mentorship I’ve received and the students who have made coordinating this project a dream come true!”

Niranji Pathirage, ESM PhD Candidate, and Alessandra Rhinehart, Counselor Education PhD Candidate, were each one of seven recipients of the Extraordinary Professional Promise Award. This is a college-wide award given to students for professional promise in areas such as teaching and research.

Alessandra Rhinehart“I am happy to express my sincerest gratitude to the Counselor Education program faculty, department, college, university, and Chancellor for recognizing my extraordinary professional promise in research, teaching, and other contributions to the counseling profession. It is truly an honor, not only to accept this award, but also to embark upon my professional career with the knowledge, expertise, leadership skills, and grace afforded by my professors and mentors. I celebrate my training and ability to have a significant, positive impact on my students, the counseling profession, and the lives of those indirectly impacted by my service.”