Daniela Jankovska

Harry E. and Carmen S. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Department of Retailing Instructor Daniela Jankovska on receiving the 2021 Harry E. and Carmen S. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year award — the college’s top teaching honor. The student-nominated award is determined by a committee of faculty, staff and students. After a rigorous review process, three finalists are chosen each year to represent three of the primary departments within the college, and then further evaluation of the finalists is conducted to determine a winner.

As this year’s college-level awardee, Jankovska’s students nominated her for her knowledge, passion for teaching and dedication to her students’ success.

“She was really a saving grace for me,” says student Parker Elmore. “Transferring in as a sophomore during COVID was really hard but being able to go to her class every week and just get to talk to her, be around her and feel her happiness like a ray of sunshine was so helpful for me and is probably what kept me in school.”

“She’s very hands-on and I always felt encouraged to achieve my very best,” adds student Alyssia Ross. Fellow student Rachel Geisler agrees, saying “She really cares about her students’ success, both inside and outside the classroom.” Finalists for the award included Associate Professor Sandy Strick of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management and Clinical Instructor/Internship Coordinator Matt Dunn of the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management.

Students praised Strick and Dunn for their empathy, inspiration and understanding of students’ needs as well as their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

Stephen Shapiro

Patricia G. Moody Researcher of the Year

Brian J. and Linda L. Mihalik Global Scholar

Congratulations to Professor Stephen Shapiro of the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management who won two awards this year –  the Patricia G. Moody Researcher of the Year and the Brian J. and Linda L. Mihalik Global Scholar award.

The Patricia G. Moody researcher of the Year award is the most prestigious recognition of scholarly achievement given by the college. Any full-time faculty member of the college with evidence of quality research within the previous four years may be nominated by their peers. A peer review committee reviews each nomination across criteria including the research impact and importance, creativity, authorship, grant funding, and journal rankings for published work. Finalists for the award included Jeff Campbell, chair of the Department of Retailing and Ercan Turk, a professor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

The Brian J. and Linda L. Mihalik Global Scholar award was endowed by the Mihaliks to support teachers who work hard to create pathways to global knowledge and scholarship through study abroad and international collaboration.   

Since 2017, Shapiro has published 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, given 31 academic presentations and secured more than $192,000 in grant funding. His research interests are focused in the areas of ticket pricing and consumer behavior as it relates to both purchase and charitable contribution decisions. Specific research topics include dynamic ticket pricing in sport, consumer behavior within the ticket purchase process, college athletic donor behavior, factors affecting price and demand for the sport product, attitudes and sport consumption in college athletics, and fantasy sport consumer behavior.

Shapiro also serves as interim director of graduate studies and director of international graduate programs for the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management.

Becky Moran

HRSM Staff Member of the Year

Congratulations to Becky Moran, winner of the 2021 Staff Member of the Year award! Moran is  program manager for McCutchen House, the student-operated restaurant and learning laboratory in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. She is responsible for the planning and promotion of McCutchen House events which include luncheons, private meetings, graduation ceremonies, special dinners, parties and receptions, in addition to the restaurant's daily operations. Moran also helps oversee the college's annual alumni homecoming party and silent auction, which provides financial support for student study abroad and conference travel.

Moran also serves on the College of HRSM Alumni Society Committee (becoming a board member in 2016) and as chair of the college social committee. She was nominated for her dedication to the college, her willingness to always go above and beyond to bring projects to fruition, and her friendly and positive leadership style. Moran has served the college for more than 17 years and is also an alumna.

Hyejo “Hailey” Shin

Patricia G. Moody Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year

Best Doctoral Student Paper Award

Congratulations to Hyejo “Hailey” Shin, doctoral student in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, on winning the Patricia G. Moody Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year award and the Best Doctoral Student Paper Award. Shin’s research interests are in the areas of consumer behavior toward technology adoption in the tourism and hospitality industry. Her winning paper was titled, "Technological Innovation and Guest Satisfaction: The Perspective of Luxury Hotels."

Hyunsu “Henry” Kim of the Ph.D. in Hospitality Management program and Misun Won of the Ph.D. in Sport and Entertainment Management program were also finalists in both categories.

Jackie Hague

Ph.D. Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Jackie Hague of the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management on winning the inaugural College of HRSM Ph.D. Teacher of the Year award. Hague has more than 25 years of marketing experience in consumer packaged goods, sport and entertainment partnerships. Her research areas of interest include brand and entertainment characters, anthropomorphization, personification, marketing and family businesses. She teaches the Official Class of NASCAR and has helped provide students with career connections in the sport and entertainment industry.

Ryan Dastrup of the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management and Xiao Ma of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management were the other finalists for the award.