By Jacob Brown, Staff Writer
Back in November, when Newman students were studying for finals and preparing for Thanksgiving break, the university put on a banquet where it honored three faculty members with the 2025 Faculty Excellence Award.
Now, those faculty members are talking about what the honor meant to them.
There were five award finalists: Audrey Hane, professor of communication; Rachel Cheek, assistant professor of nursing; Yelando Johnson, associate professor, division chair and director of the Master of Social Work program; Sumia Ehsan, assistant professor of chemistry; and Patrick Nance, associate professor of accounting.
At a Nov. 14 banquet, Hane, Cheek and Johonson were announced as the winners.
Hane said she feels honored and humbled to have received the award because she works with so many other great faculty members.
“What distinguishes Newman is that all of our faculty are exceptional and excellent,” she said.
At the event, Cheek said, the host would read off numerous accomplishments of each professor, and she almost started to cry. She remembers thinking, “Wow, wouldn't it be wonderful if those statements and accomplishments were said about me?”
Cheek was surprised, humbled, and delighted when she was selected, she said, adding that she did not expect to win after finding out who the other finalists were.
Cheek’s teaching style comes from her experience as a healthcare provider, she said.
She’s been educating patients for 15 years, having to explain to patients exactly what is going on with their bodies. She also spent six years in the ER and works in women’s health.
She said she tries to create a safe space for her students. Over the years, she said, patients have taught her that the healthcare field can appear to be scary and uncomfortable and cause the unsafe brain stem spaces to light up, making it difficult to hear and listen well.
“I’ve always worked hard on my manners, language and approach as soon as I walk in the room because nobody learns when they don’t feel safe,” she said.
Cheek said she knows everything is not easy in her class, but she also knows that with a safe environment, her students can be at ease and relax.
“There’s going to be hard assignments and exams, but we are going to get through it together because this is safe,” she said.
Hane said that she has found it profound that students give her their time and attention and said that is something that has to be honored.
She said she tries to provide the best experience possible for students and also tries to see the topics she teaches through her students’ eyes.
Her ultimate goal, she said, is that her students walk away from each class feeling like they invested their time wisely.
Hane has been teaching for 30 years. She said she spends time thinking about the learning outcomes for each of her courses and tries to tie that into her students' lived experiences and the mission of Newman.
“I believe deeply in the mission, that we are here to empower students to transform society,” she said.
The Vantage was not able to reach Johnson by press time, but she was quoted in an article by Newman’s University Relations department saying that she was honored to have been chosen.
“‘Hearing my name called at the Faculty Excellence Awards Banquet was an unforgettable and deeply moving moment,” Johnson said in the article. “It affirmed the dedication I put into teaching, mentoring and supporting students.”
PHOTO: Courtesy, University Relations
