Wright State faculty, staff receive SOCHE Excellence Awards

Shamon Green is an academic advisor in Student Success Services.

The Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) has announced 41 Excellence Awards recipients from 15-member institutions for the 2022–2023 academic year.

Academic officers at each university selected one Faculty Excellence Award winner based on their institution’s criteria, with special consideration for demonstrated excellence in teaching, service and/or scholarship. Human resource officers selected one Staff Excellence Award winner based on their institution’s criteria, with special consideration for demonstrated excellence in student success, service and/or assessment.

This year, SOCHE added a new award, the Campus Impact Award, which is based on institutional selection criteria, with special consideration for performance that made a positive impact on the university or campus, as a whole. This category was open to faculty, staff and administrators.

Wright State University recipients include 2023 Staff Excellence Award winner Shamon Green, an academic advisor in Student Success Services.

Green was selected for her ability to actively listen and coordinate with faculty advisors as well as her proven strategies for student success. Green recognizes students’ individual differences and helps them land where they want to finish. She is hailed as an exceptional role model who pays close attention to students’ individual needs, treating them fairly and with care while demonstrating rigor and imagination.

Jeffrey Peters is professor and associate chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.

Jeffrey Peters, Ph.D., professor and associate chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, is the 2023 Faculty Excellence Award winner at Wright State.

Peters’ passion for student engagement and student success drives his creative approach to education in biological sciences. His data-driven approach to improving student success, dedication to learning best practices in pedagogy applicable to the biological science curriculum, and willingness to help colleagues who seek to make the same changes have been recognized as essential elements in the department.

Peters was also the first recipient of the Wright State Student Success Champion Award for Exemplary Teaching.

“I have found that showing that you truly care about students and their success goes a long way in fostering an open and communicative learning environment,” said Peters.

Michelle Streeter-Ferrari is director of the University Center for International Education.

Michelle Streeter-Ferrari, director of the University Center for International Education, is Wright State’s 2023 recipient of the Campus Impact Award.

Streeter-Ferrari has been directly involved in the recruitment and admission of the more than 1,000 international students currently at Wright State. She also serves as an advocate and ally for international students, providing opportunities for them to assimilate seamlessly to campus, creating and implementing social and cultural events, championing students’ academic success, and helping them to secure career and employment pathways.

Passionate about the impact of a global perspective on a student’s education and view of the world, she also works to ensure all Wright State students have the opportunity to experience international education through study abroad.

As a result, Wright State was recognized by the U.S. Department of State as the top producer of Gilman Scholars for medium-sized institutions in the 2020–2021 academic year. Gilman Scholarships expand access and equity in study abroad and international internship opportunities among U.S. undergraduate students with high financial needs.