Faculty Senate Awards 2023-2024

• Semoon and Youngshin Chang Endowed Award for Humanitarian Services: Angela Nocera
  Angela Nocera is the SAME k-12 outreach coordinator and USA alumna, has chaired the GEMS organizing committee since 2015. She has been instrumental in forging connections with industry partners in Mobile, bringing in both financial support and workshops for both parents and students.
• Outstanding Research Partner: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA).
  BCRFA has been actively involved in raising funds for breast cancer research and giving back to the researchers in the state of Alabama. Such as why black women get aggressive cancer and whether there is any difference in their immune landscape. How and why does breast cancer become metastatic, and what’s the role of lymph angiogenesis metastasis? The University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute has been fortunate to get funding from BCRFA for several years, and their support will directly contribute to making a positive impact on the lives of many.
• Outstanding Community Partner: Southwest Alabama Partnership for Training and Employment (SWAPTE). SWAPTE has partnered with Preparing All Students Socially and Academically for Gainful Employment at the University of South Alabama (PASSAGE USA) since 2018. PASSAGE USA is an inclusive postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities at USA that focuses on academic, employment, life, and social skills. Students take classes focused on life and employment skills, classes with other USA undergraduates, and extended periods of on- and off-campus work experience internships throughout the program. SWAPTE is "dedicated to building a world-class workforce with solutions to create a stronger economy. SWAPTE is a regional partnership of business, education, labor, and community leaders serving Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties." They provide direct job training experiences for people in the 9 counties they serve. Through our partnership with SWAPTE, we have provided high-quality, on-the-job training experiences for people with disabilities.
• Outstanding Teaching Partner: Franklin Primary Health Center
  FPHC, a federally qualified health center, consistently supports the faculty missions for teaching, research, and community service. The health center’s many locations serve as a clinical training site for health professional students, and clinical preceptors are invaluable to assisting faculty with teaching clinical skills. Additionally, The academic-practice partnership with Franklin has been integral in securing funding for many research projects which often require community-based clinical placements and community service outreach.