Morningside College has awarded its 2014 Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards to Dr. Anthony Kern, associate professor of biology; Dr. Patrick McKinlay, professor of political science and Dr. Christopher Spicer, assistant professor of mathematical sciences.

Morningside College has awarded its 2014 Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards to Dr. Anthony Kern, associate professor of biology; Dr. Patrick McKinlay, professor of political science and Dr. Christopher Spicer, assistant professor of mathematical sciences.

Morningside President John Reynders presented the awards during the annual faculty banquet held Friday, Nov. 21, at the Sioux City Country Club. The recipients, selected from a field of applicants by a panel of three outside evaluators, will each receive a $10,000 honorarium and $3,000 to use for faculty development.

The Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards were established in 2003 by Morningside alumni Jim and Sharon Walker of Wayzata, Minn.

Criteria for selection include teaching excellence, effective advising, scholarship and service to Morningside College. The awards are based upon the accomplishments and activities of a faculty member during the previous academic year.

Kern started teaching at Morningside in 2012. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree and a doctorate from Montana State University.

McKinlay joined the Morningside faculty in 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.

Spicer has been teaching at Morningside since 2009. He received a bachelor’s degree from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a doctorate from North Dakota State University.

Evaluators for the 2014 Sharon Walker Faculty Excellence Awards were Dr. David Dobson, associate professor of geology, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.; Dr. Christopher Gilbert, professor of political science, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.; and Kimberly Jarvis, associate professor of history, Doane College, Crete, Neb.