Fall convocation award winners from left: Bobby Creel, Nirmala Khandan, Jesus Barquet, Joseph Benson, Karin Wiburg, Jennifer Kreie, Darlene Reeves, Bruce Rockford Burris, Laura Madson and Greg Mack. Not pictured are Rosa Sandoval and Sergei Smirnov. (NMSU photo by Darren Phillips)

Twelve faculty and staff members were honored at the fall convocation of New Mexico State University, held Thursday, Aug. 15.

Patricia Christmore Faculty Teaching Awards, for $500 each, were awarded to Jennifer Kreie, an assistant professor in the accounting and business computer systems department, and Laura Madson, an assistant professor in the psychology department.

Much of Kreie’s research is related to computer user education, ethics in decision-making and the use of technology in teaching. Madson’s research interests include the social psychology of gender and sexual orientation and the psychological process involved in teaching. Both have shown exceptional dedication to teaching, said university Provost William Flores.

University Research Council Awards for Exceptional Achievement in Scholarly Activity, for $2,000 each, went to Nirmala Khandan, a professor of civil and geological engineering; Greg Mack, a professor of geological sciences; Jesus Barquet, a professor of Spanish; and Sergei Smirnov, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Khandan’s teaching and research activities are in the field of environmental engineering. Mack’s field of research is sedimentary geology, with a current focus on the Rio Grande Rift. Barquet, a native of Havana, teaches and researches Caribbean literature in Spanish, Hispanic literature in the United States, Spanish-American poetry and contemporary Cuban and Cuban American poetry and theater. Smirnov conducts research on photo-induced electron transfer processes.

Six faculty and staff members received Fort Bliss Federal Credit Union Achievement Awards, for $1,000 each.

Fort Bliss FCU Faculty Service Awards, for service to the university and the community, went to Joseph Benson, a professor of management; and Rockford Burris, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at New Mexico State’s Alamogordo campus.

The Fort Bliss FCU Faculty Research Award went to Karin Wiburg, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction. Wiburg co-directs a project called MathStar, which helps middle school math teachers improve learning for their students. She also directs the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers Today (PT3) program, which incorporates technology in teacher education and sends faculty and teacher candidates into the schools to work with K-12 grade teachers.

The Fort Bliss FCU Professional Staff Achievement Award in Research went to Bobby Creel, associate director of the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI). Creel has been involved in water research and research administration for more than 20 years.

The Fort Bliss FCU Professional Staff Award went to Darlene Reeves, projects coordinator at the WRRI. Reeves works closely with research faculty, research personnel at local, state and federal agencies, university students and research administrators at New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech and the University of New Mexico.

The Fort Bliss FCU Classified Staff Award went to Rosa Sandoval, an audit technician in the College of Health and Social Services Research Center. Sandoval coordinates more than 400 affiliations agreements that must be in place before students can participate in clinical rotations or field placements in such programs as health science, nursing, radiological technology and social work.

New Mexico State University’s Roush Award winners are, left to right, front row: Jeannette Haynes Writer, Marlene Chavez-Toivanen, Jennifer Kreie; second row: Danny Taylor, Sinnathamby Pankayatselvan, Enrico Pontelli; back row: Clinton B. Woodward, David L. Redford, Ricardo Aguilar-Melantzon, Jack D. Thomas. (NMSU photo by Darren Phillips)

Ten New Mexico State University faculty members received awards for outstanding teaching at a Jan. 3 convocation to open the university’s spring semester.

The Donald C. Roush Excellence in Teaching Awards are named for a former New Mexico State executive vice president who was known for his work in the area of teaching effectiveness. Recipients are chosen by the deans based on input from a variety of sources, including the results of a survey of graduating seniors.

This year’s Roush Award winners are:

Jack D. Thomas, associate professor in the animal and range sciences department, College of Agriculture and Home Economics. He has served as the advisor to the Block and Bridle Club and is a founder of the campus chapters of the FarmHouse Association and the Ceres Association.

Ricardo Aguilar-Melantzon, professor in the languages and linguistics department, College of Arts and Sciences. He has been instrumental in promoting Chicano literature on both sides of the United States-Mexico border.

Enrico Pontelli, assistant professor in the computer science department, College of Arts and Sciences. The National Science Foundation selected him for a prestigious CAREER Award to support his research in parallel computing.

Jennifer Kreie, assistant professor in the accounting and business computer systems department, College of Business Administration and Home Economics. She has introduced a computerized assessment tool into the Introduction to Computerized Information Systems course, enabling her to tailor the course content to student skill levels.

Jeanette Haynes Writer, assistant professor in the curriculum and instruction department, College of Education. She developed and taught the college’s first Native American education course.

Clinton B. Woodward Jr, professor in the civil and geological engineering department, College of Engineering. His research on methods of testing and evaluating highway bridges keeps him at the leading edge of his field and he brings this expertise to his classroom.

Danny Taylor, associate professor of agricultural economics at New Mexico State University at Alamogordo. He has received the NMSU-Alamogordo Excellence in Teaching Award, by a vote of the students, four times: 1983, 1992, 1996 and 2000.

David L. Redford, instructor of criminal justice and social science at New Mexico State University at Carlsbad. With 30 years of experience in criminal justice, security and safety, David Redford shares his real-world knowledge with his students.

Sinnathamby Pankayatselvan, instructor of mathematics at the Doña Ana Branch Community College. Since earning his master’s degree in mathematics at New Mexico State in 1994, he has been committed to enhancing student-learning outcomes at the Doña Ana Branch.

Marlene Chavez-Toivanen, instructor of mathematics at New Mexico State University at Grants. She coordinates the Alliance for Minority Participation program on the Grants campus and also coordinates and teaches the NMSU-Grants Summer Bridge program.

Jennifer Kreie, Department of Accounting and BCS

Many business owners and managers worry about employee ethics, especially in light of recent technological advancements. Employers can ease their worry by developing a code of ethics and informing their employees of the consequences of unacceptable behavior, says Jennifer Kreie, an assistant professor of accounting and business computer systems in New Mexico State University’s College of Business.With colleague Tim Cronan of the University of Arkansas, Kreie is researching ethical decision-making in the technologically advanced workplace. To learn more about what factors influence ethical decisions, they surveyed more than 600 business students to find out how they would respond to different situations, Kreie said.

Kreie and Cronan presented five scenarios in which information systems personnel made decisions in questionable ethical situations. For example, said Kreie, in one scenario a person receives software ordered from a catalog. Included was another software package sent in error, which was not listed on the invoice. The person decides to keep the software and use it without paying for it.

The researchers asked the students not only whether the decisions were ethical, but also what was the importance of the issue involved, how probable was it the students would do the same, what factors would influence their decision, and what was the likelihood someone still would make the same decision if there were a stated company policy against such behavior.

They discovered it might be possible for companies to influence their employees’ decisions, especially when the issue involved was not perceived as very important, Kreie said. She said the importance of the issue “hits the core belief of what you think is right or wrong.”

The results of their research, recently published in the journal of the Association of Computing Machinery, showed women were more conservative in their beliefs. Kreie said more women rated behaviors as unacceptable and fewer women stated they would make the same decision. For example, in the scenario about keeping the inadvertently shipped software program, about 10 percent more women than men said the behavior was unethical. Almost 20 percent more men said they would probably do the same.

Kreie said men relied more on their personal values and whether an activity was legal to determine the acceptability of a behavior. While women trusted those factors, they relied on more factors overall to make their decisions, she said, including what others would do and what the company would say. Both genders, however, said they would be influenced if they knew the repercussions of their behavior.

“We had several participants say they would do something if they thought they wouldn’t get caught,” Kreie said. “Businesses need to set the rules and make employees aware of the consequences.”

It is important that companies not only set guidelines, but also make certain the employees know they exist, Kreie said. Larger businesses might consider a formal training session to discuss the policies, she suggested, while smaller companies might benefit more from departmental discussions using scenarios tailored to their workplace as starting points for discussion.

That is how Kreie presents the topic to her students, using the classroom as a forum for ethical discussions and debate. “You don’t tell them what is right or wrong,” she said. “You get them to discuss it and stretch their thinking.”