Esteemed faculty members Tina Hartney, Barbara Burke and Elise Wirtschafter have been recognized for their contributions to the university and academia with the inaugural Provost's Awards for Excellence. The recipients are honored in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarly and creative activity.

"This is an exceptional group of academics, reflective of the quality of faculty we have here at Cal Poly Pomona," says Provost Marten denBoer. "The three honorees were chosen in a highly selective process by a committee with representation from all eight colleges and related constituencies. I want to thank President Ortiz for making the awards possible and the evaluation committee for all its work in making the selections."

Hartney, a professor in biological sciences, is receiving the Provost's Award for Teaching. She has been a member of the university community since 2001 and is a leader in inquiry-based teaching methodologies. Hartney is credited with developing the Science Learning Portfolio, an electronic database of lab data used in courses across the sciences.

One of university's most honored faculty members, chemistry Professor Burke is the recipient of the Provost's Award for Service. Burke earned the National Science Foundation Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering, thanks to her groundbreaking work mentoring minority science students. Since 1999, she has served as director of Science Educational Enhancement Services (SEES).

A leading expert on the history of 18th century Russia, Wirtschafter is the recipient of the Provost's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity. A professor in history, Wirtschafter enjoys an outstanding record of publications in top-tiered journals, in addition to writing five books with a sixth book in progress.

The three honorees will be formally recognized at the 2011 Commencement exercises by their respective colleges.

(Photos from top: Tina Hartney, Barbara Burke and Elise Wirtschafter)