FMU professors honored for research, teaching, service, governance

Four Francis Marion University faculty members were honored for their outstanding individual work during the past year at the University’s annual faculty awards dinner Thursday night at the FMU Performing Arts Center.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Coordinator of FMU’s Mechanical Engineering Program Dr. Rahul Renu received the Award for Excellence in Research; Associate Professor of Finance Dr. Jan Serrano received the Award for Excellence in Teaching; and Professor of Biology and Director of the McNair Institute for Research and Service Dr. Ann Stoeckmann received the Award for Excellence in Service.

Dr. Fred Carter, president of FMU, said these award recipients are exemplars of the overall excellence of the university’s faculty.

“Rahul, Jan, and Ann are three of the most talented faculty at FMU,” Carter said. “Their work exhibits the highest standard of scholarship and academic achievement in the areas of research, teaching, and service, respectively. We are all proud of their accomplishments and are keenly aware of how much the university benefits from the excellence of their work.”

Associate Professor of Mathematics and Coordinator of FMU’s Mathematics Secondary Program Dr. Sharon O’Kelley was also honored for her work with the Charlene Wages Shared Governance Award. The shared governance award is presented by the FMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and recognizes faculty members who have made significant contributions to shared governance – the balance between faculty and administrative leadership – at FMU.

Carter said O’Kelley is the embodiment of the spirit of cooperation present at the University.

“Sharon is one of the most collaborative and engaging faculty at the University,” Carter said. “She has also become a pillar of our strong shared governance system and is especially adept at cultivating and sustaining relationships among students, faculty, and administration. With the number of varied interests represented within each of these groups, that is not an easy task, but Sharon performs it masterfully.”

Renu earned his Bachelor of Engineering from S.M.V. Institute of Technology, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Clemson University.

Serrano earned her B.B.A. and M.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University, and her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Stoeckmann earned her B.S. from the University of Washington, and her Ph. D. from Ohio State University.

O’Kelley earned her B.A. from Erskine College, her M.S. from Montana State University and her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia.