English professor earns Carnegie award
USU’s Joyce Kinkead, a professor in the English department, was honored as the Carnegie Professor of the Year for the state of Utah. Kinkead was presented with the award in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.
“It’s a stunning tribute not only to me, but to Utah State University,” Kinkead said. “I’m very pleased to bring that award home for Utah State.”
A reception will be hosted in her honor by USU President Stan Albrecht and USU Executive Vice President and Provost Noelle E. Cocket. The event will be held at the David B. Haight Alumni Center Tuesday, Dec. 3 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
One of the criterions for the award are the professor’s impact on, and involvement with, undergraduate students. Kinkead prides herself in spending extra time with her undergraduate students.
“I try to do a good job in the classroom, but when students want to do extra, I want to be there and help them support their goals,” she said.
The effect of her extra time is not lost on her students.
“Dr. Kinkead was extremely personable and always willing to give advice,” said Mitchell Dabling, one of her former students. “She never hesitated to take time to meet with you, even when she was extremely busy.”
Professor Kinkead has worked hard to come up with a teaching style that will benefit her students the most while they learn.
“I was influenced at the beginning of my career by student-centered philosophy of education,” she said. “I would like to just lecture, but my class is broken up into lecture, group work, individual presentation. Because a lot of my students are going to be future teachers in secondary schools, I make sure that I am modeling good practices that they could use in their schools.”
Another factor into the distribution of the award is support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students.
“I’m so proud of my former students,” Kinkead said. “It’s a lot of fun to mentor students.”
Kinkead received recommendations from colleagues at USU and from across the country.
“One of my favorites was from the director of undergraduate research at the University of Washington,” Kinkead said. “She said that I was a thought leader in undergraduate research.”
The process for entry into consideration of the award is long and complicated, and Kinkead struggled with specific aspects of it.
“I have a 25-page resume, and I had to get it down to one page,” Kinkead said. “There is a 700-word teaching passion statement, and I wrote six of those before I finally got the one that I was happy with.”
Kinkead started the nominations for the Carnegie Professor of the Year for USU in the ’90s when she was the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
“When we got that first one in 1995, it was such a great moment,” Kinkead said. “I don’t think in my crystal ball I could have foreseen that we would have such a run on them. I know we’ll have a lot more of them too.”
USU has produced the winner of this award for two years in a row and has had 13 total professors take home the honor.
“I feel like I’m lucky 13,” Kinkead said. “It’s come at a really nice time in my career.”
Her students see the award as justified and deserved.
“I think it is great that she received Carnegie Professor of the Year. She completely deserves it,” Dabling said. “She has been such a great asset to the university, especially with the undergraduate research program we have here at Utah State.”