University announces 2007-08 faculty award recipients

University of South Carolina professor of physics Dr. Sanjib Mishra has been honored with the Michael J. Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year Award, the university’s highest honor for teaching on the Columbia campus.

The award is given annually to an outstanding educator.

A graduate of Columbia University with a doctorate in physics, Mishra joined the physics department in 2000 as a professor in high-energy particle physics after teaching at Harvard University.

The selection committee said Mishra’s dedication to his students was clear within and outside the classroom.

“In the classroom, he presents clear, focused lectures that push students to their limits and beyond and then reaches out to convince them that they can and will exceed even their own expectations,” wrote one student. “His nearly continuous availability to the students during the semesters in which he teaches results in long hours often lasting well into the night providing both individual guidance and review sessions.”

The university also recognized 16 outstanding faculty members as part of its annual faculty awards program. The recipients are selected by a committee of faculty, staff and students.

Award recipients include the following: