By Ryan Girves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2025) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and graduate teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2025 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Thursday, May 1. 

The Outstanding Teaching Awards annually recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate outstanding performance as instructors across all learning environments. Selected via nomination, candidates and finalists are reviewed by faculty-driven committees empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. 

There are two categories of faculty awards and a graduate teaching assistant award. Winners receive award certificates, statuettes, and cash awards.  

The winners of the 2025 Outstanding Teaching Awards are: 

Faculty 

• Kelly Bradley, College of Education  
• Diana Byrne, Pigman College of Engineering 
• Christy Brady, College of Health and Sciences  
• Juan Fernandez Cantero, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Cory Curl, The Graduate School 
• Frances Henderson, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Zada Komara, Lewis Honors College 

Graduate Teaching Assistants 

• Jesús Ponte Bernal, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Leonie Bettel, Pigman College of Engineering 
• Eric Luteyn, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

“It is critical that we continue to celebrate and render visible the scholarly and deeply human work that our winners today, and instructors across UK, continue to do on a day-to-day basis,” said Trey Conatser, assistant provost for teaching and learning, during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “And we know from students—whose success is our north star for UK’s educational mission—just how much their teachers matter.” 

The criteria for the award are comprehensive. They include effective, engaging and scholarly teaching practices; a positive impact on student learning and success; innovative, creative or skillful approaches to curricula and pedagogy; reflective teaching grounded in an improvement-oriented mindset; significant educational contributions to the department, college, university or discipline; and degree of experience, breadth of teaching and peer or student recognition. 

Starting in May, UKNow will highlight each of the winners of the Outstanding Teaching Awards. 

The Graduate School also recognized the winners of the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize and the William B. Sturgill award during the ceremony.  

Ellen D. Riggle, in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the Kirwan Memorial Prize. The Kirwan Memorial Prize was established in 1995 and recognizes its namesake's collaborative research efforts, as well as Albert Kirwan's endeavors in creating an environment at UK that promotes high-quality research and scholarship.  

Joseph H. Hammer, in the College of Education, received the William B. Sturgill award. Established in 1975, the Sturgill Award is named in honor of alumnus William B. Sturgill, who contributed to higher education through organizing and serving as president of the Hazard Independent College Foundation, in addition to working with legislators to develop the community college system across the Commonwealth. 

For more information about the awards, visit https://gradschool.uky.edu/faculty-awards.  

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.