Administration

Communications

Faculty members awarded for innovation and excellence
Saturday, May 21, 2011

CANTON, Mo. – Culver-Stockton College bestowed awards on two faculty members to honor teaching innovation and excellence during the 155th C-SC Commencement on May 21.

REULING PRIZE
The 2011 Walter S. Reuling Prize for Innovation in Student Learning was presented to Lauren Schellenberger, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology. Schellenberger joined the Culver-Stockton faculty in 2008 and has brought new and innovative ideas and knowledge of best practices to Culver-Stockton students.

As a member of Committee on Faculty, Schellenberger ensures that her colleagues have opportunities to pursue research and development, which further enhance the academic offerings of Culver-Stockton. She’s also a member of travel committee, which provides oversight for student courses that travel domestically and internationally.

The Reuling Prize, a cash award, goes to a faculty member selected by his or her peers. The award praises Schellenberger for her “dedication to excellence in biology education and the commitment to innovation and student learning, in and out of the classroom.”

Before joining the C-SC faculty, Schellenberger was a graduate teaching assistant at Purdue University. She has given numerous presentations related to the field of biology, and her work has been published in numerous scholarly journals, including the International Journal of Science Education. Schellenberger received her doctorate in biology education in 2009 and a Master of Science in botany and plant pathology in 2003 from Purdue University. She completed her undergraduate studies with high honors at the University of Illinois, where she received a bachelor’s degree in crop science.

HELSABECK PRIZE
Julie Straus, C.P.A., received the 2011 Helsabeck Prize for Excellence in Teaching, a cash award given annually to a faculty member who has been selected from student and faculty nominations.

Straus joined the C-SC faculty in 2008. She is an instructor of accounting, but her teaching encompasses a wide range of fields, including business, finance, management, fraud prevention and professional development. Straus’ classes provide an extraordinary experience for students, and she has embraced C-SC’s curriculum with classes known for rigor and experiential approaches to learning. Her teaching exemplifies the Culver-Stockton mission of “providing a superb education in an active learning environment.”

Straus came to Culver-Stockton after working for more than 10 years as a staff accountant and partner at Gray Hunter Stenn LLP, Quincy, Ill. Straus graduated Suma Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science from Culver-Stockton College in 1997. She received a Master of Business Administration in 2010 from Quincy University in Quincy, Ill.