The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte presented awards to faculty and staff recognizing their accomplishments in teaching, research and service. The 2019 Faculty and Staff Awards were presented by Dean Steven Ott on April 12 to:
Alice Tseng, Associate Professor of Economics, received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. Alice Tseng joined the Belk College faculty in 1988. She currently teaches international finance, managerial economics, mathematical economics and intermediate microeconomics. Dr. Tseng’s research expertise includes energy and health economics, forward market intervention, speculation and exchange rate volatility. She was a 2013 finalist for the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence and a recipient of the Belk College Excellence in Teaching Awards in 2008 and 2012. Her research has been published in many leading journals, including the Energy Policy journal and the Journal of International Economics. Dr. Tseng also serves on the faculty for the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems at UNC Charlotte.
Moutaz Khouja, Professor of Operations Management, received the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award. Moutaz Khouja joined the Belk College faculty in 1991. His research interests include supply chain management, technology selection and evaluation, aggregate planning, inventory management continuous improvement. He has published his work in numerous journals. Dr. Khouja teaches forecasting, production planning and control, inventory management, project management and quantitative analysis. He is a member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society and the Decision Sciences Institute.
Robert Monaghan, Lecturer in Accounting, received the Outstanding Service Award for internal and external service to the College. Monaghan's extensive service has included: Planning and executing several Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) events and meetings and serving as a speaker at the annual Southeastern Regional Beta Alpha Psi meeting. Most notably, is his role as the Faculty Advisor of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP). One of his nominators noted, “The guidance and direction that he provides to our students in this role is invaluable, and the Chapter’s success can be attributed directly to him."
Xiuli He, Associate Professor of Operations Management, received the Outstanding Service Award for internal and external service to the College as well. He's extensive service has included: Vice President for the College of POMS, guest senior editor for Production and Operations Management Journal (top 3 in the area), Associate Editor of two journals, International Journal of Production Research where she processes about 20 papers annually and International Journal of Production Research where she processed over 100 papers over her tenure, and the Faculty Advisor for the Operations Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Student Organization. Her nominator notes, “Dr. He does not list all she does. She simply views it as part of being a faculty member.”
Kexin Zhao, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, received the Best Paper Award for for her co-authored paper “Estimating Contextual Motivating Factors in Virtual Interorganizational Communities of Practice: Peer Effects and Organizational Influences” published in Information Systems Research. This journal is one of the top two peer-reviewed information system journals worldwide. Dr. Zhao’s paper theorizes and empirically estimates the incentives to participate and contribute in virtual interorganizational communities of practice from a multilevel perspective. Zhao joined the Belk College of Business in 2007 and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Cem Saydam, Professor of Operations Management, received the Distinguished Scholarship Award. Saydam joined the Belk College in 1986 and has published 42 journal articles in peer-reviewed top-tier and elite journals. His papers have over 1,100 total citations. From the nomination of his colleague: “Cem is hard-working, energetic, inquisitive and extremely creative. His excellent research skills are self-evident. Due to his reputation he attracts Ph.D. students and junior faculty members to collaborate on research from top tier programs.”
Alisha Aycoth, Undergraduate Programs Coordinator, received the Staff Member of the Year Award for excellence in 2 areas: achievements and performance, as well as her customer service and personal interaction. Her nominators describe her as cheerful, patient and creative. Stepping above and beyond was a common theme among all of the nominators’ submissions for this staff member. One of her nominators notes, “Alisha has always been a strong supporter of the Business Honors and Belk Scholars Programs, but this year stepped up above and beyond the normal call of duty." Aycoth is recognized for her dedication to the Office of Undergraduate Programs, Niblock Student Center and the Belk College.
Lee Perkins, Technology Support Analyst, also received the Staff Member of the Year Award for his outstanding education support and creativity as well as his achievements and personal interactions. His colleagues describe him as positive, respectful and essential to the College. One nominator calls him the “Belk College King of our giving campaigns.” Another nominator notes, “Among the core values of Belk College, knowledge, innovation and intellectual growth are central to who we are as a college and what our mission is. Lee easily exemplifies this shared value by being dedicated to intellectual curiosity, advancing his (and others’) knowledge and promoting innovation.”