Distinguished Alumni Award

Since 1980, this award recognizes graduates of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences whose lifelong contributions sustain its beliefs and values.
 
Jan Hathcote
As associate dean for academic affairs and research, Jan Hathcote (BSHE '74) is responsible for all aspects of teaching and research in the college. But Hathcote also has served at the university level, as well as with national organizations, to ensure that all college students receive excellent educations.

Arriving at FACS in 1990 as an assistant professor of textiles, merchandising and interiors, Hathcote collaborated closely with her colleagues to reenergize the fashion-merchandising curriculum and also was instrumental in establishing the PhD program in international merchandising. Her shift to an administrative position has not meant losing touch with students. Since 1998, Hathcote has taught more than 6,000 of them in the FACS 2000 course She also mentors graduate students and has watched 28 of them earn their master's degree. Hathcote's skills as an instructor and her understanding of curriculum issues led to her being named the college's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1992, to be inducted to the UGA Teaching Academy in 2004, to serve many years on the university's curriculum committee, and most recently, on multiple committees as part of UGA's decennial bid for reaccreditation.

Throughout her career, Hathcote has maintained an active research program, focusing her studies on international trade and procurement, target marketing, and micromarketing. She has published widely and has presented her research at international conferences in seven countries, including France, Finland, Thailand, and Morocco.

Former Dean Sharon Nickols points to the college's convocation as a good example of the confidence that Hathcote engenders in all who work with her: "She has organized the event in advance, as she does for everything, so that all the participants know where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to do. The procession moves forward, she is the last person in the line. All is well."

Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award

Established in 1999, this award, named for the fourth dean of the College, is presented to graduates who have made substantial achievements yet are midway in their careers.

Shelly Nickols-Richardson
I>n writing about Shelly Nickols-Richardson (MS '94, PhD '98), Don Bower notes that she served both as "Diploma Elf" and "Commencement Liner-Upper" during her years at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Far more seriously, Bower, professor emeritus of child and family development and past president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, comments on Nickols-Richardson's numerous professional achievements.

"She is a stalwart member of AAFCS," Bower says in a letter of support, "having served in a variety of state and national roles," including as president of AAFCS in 2008-2009 and presiding over the association's centennial celebration. "Shelly exemplifies the qualities targeted by the Pou Award," he says. "She has national and international stature attained by only a few FACS professionals, and even then, late in their careers."

Rick Lewis, Nickols-Richardson's major professor while she was completing her PhD, says one of his first thoughts when reviewing her vita was, "When does she sleep?" Nickols-Richardson began her career at Virginia Tech in 1998. In 2003, she joined the nutritional sciences faculty at Pennsylvania State University and is currently a professor. Among her accomplishments, Nickols-Richardson has a lengthy list of published research in prominent journals, in addition to directing her department's graduate program. She also has achieved one of the highest honors for a nutrition researcher—selection to the Dietary Guidelines Committee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to her research, Nickols-Richardson has a record of commitment to teaching and outreach. "It is uncommon to find a faculty member who has the unique skills to blend all three missions successfully," Lewis says. "The majority of senior faculty members in the field of nutrition and dietetics will never make the contributions to the field that Dr. Nickols-Richardson has accomplished already in her relatively brief career."

Outstanding Service Award

Established in 1999, this award is presented to College of Family and Consumer Sciences graduates for continued involvement in a community organization, the College, or its Alumni Association.

Kristi Hughes Farner
When Kristi Hughes Farner (BSFCS '03, Child and Family Development; MS '07, Child and Family Development) became concerned about the excessive dropout rate among Clarke County high-school students, she didn't just complain. She got busy, serving on the advisory board of the AT&T Graduation Project and acting as liaison between a local high school and the Athens-Clarke County Chamber of Commerce, to ensure that more students earned diplomas.

Working with local schools is just one of Farner's many activities in addition to her full-time job as development coordinator for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. She also is governor of the board of the Mikell Camp and Conference Center, an Episcopal youth camp located in Toccoa that she formerly attended as a camper, volunteer counselor and summer staff member. "Kristi has been instrumental in recruiting qualified advisors and has done the vast majority of work" in establishing a planned giving program for the camp, says the Rev. Kenneth Struble, Camp Mikell's executive director.

Farner also established a chapter association for her college sorority, the Alpha Alpha chapter of Phi Mu, as a way of connecting Alpha Alpha alumnae wherever they happen to live. And she has been the sorority's advisor since 2007, when her predecessor, Ali B. Gant, was expecting twins. "Because of Kristi we have a stronger group of women," Ali writes. "She is admired by the members for her fairness, understanding and enthusiasm. She is the ideal role model for these future leaders."

Aiding her alma mater is another priority for Farner, who has served on the UGA Young Alumni Council for the past two years. Julie Cheney, assistant director of the UGA Alumni Association, writes that Farner "loves UGA. She loves giving back—in time, in money and in building relationships that are meaningful. I truly believe our university is better because of Kristi's dynamic energy, endless volunteer hours, and willingness to put service before herself."

Creswell Award

Named for Mary E. Creswell, the first dean of our College, this award recognizes a current or retired faculty or staff member who has provided leadership in motivating and guiding students.

Joan Fischer
In the 16 years she has led the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Joan Fischer (MS '82, PhD '92) has seen it grow from 79 majors in 1995 to its current size of 162 undergraduates and 10 graduate students. During those years, she also completed two 10-year self-studies of the program and a five-year program assessment. The most recent self-study received exemplary ratings from the site-visit team of the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education.

According to her colleagues, Fischer doesn't just head the program but is intimately involved in every aspect. "She is a person of the highest integrity and is generous with her time and expertise, ensuring that our faculty work productively together to provide a quality educational experience for our students," says Mary Ann Johnson, the Bill and June Flatt Professor in Foods and Nutrition.

One of the key measures of a dietetics program's success is the pass rate on the national registration exam. For more than a decade now, 99.5 percent of FACS dietetics students have passed that exam. In addition to overseeing the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Fischer also finds the time to conduct research on nutrition for older adults as well as on the role of nutrients and plant-derived chemical non-nutrients, such as anthocyanins found in blueberries, for the prevention of cancer.

Perhaps most telling are the comments of students on the important role Fischer plays in their futures. "Dr. Fischer is a wonderful professor," says Beth O'Shea (BSFCS '09, MS '10). "She is an excellent resource for information, spends a lot of time organizing meetings for students in order to guide them through the extremely competitive internship application process, and helps them transition into the profession of dietetics. And she is a great asset not only to students but to the college as well."

Pacesetter Award

This award is given to an individual who has graduated from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences within the past 10 years and who actively promotes its beliefs and values.

Sara Brubacher Marcketti
Sara Brubacher Marcketti (MS '02, Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors) discovered her love for historic-costume research while she was a UGA undergraduate studying art history. "I was enthralled by the subject matter and Dr. (Patricia) Hunt-Hurst's passion for the topic," she recalls.

After receiving her master's degree at UGA she headed to Iowa State University, where in 2005 she earned a PhD in textiles and clothing with a minor in higher education. She served two years as a lecturer before being appointed assistant professor in the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management. In 2009, she became curator of Iowa State's Textiles and Clothing Museum.

Though a relatively young researcher and scholar, Marcketti has already been professionally recognized. For example, in 2009 she won two best-research-paper awards from the International Textile and Apparel Association, and she also received the ITAA Rising Star Award that same year. Marcketti's achievements reflect quantity as well as quality. She has produced 27 refereed journal articles, written or contributed to eight books, and secured nearly $550,000 in internal and external grants.

Her teaching also elicits praise, from colleagues and students alike. "Sara challenges students to learn the material and do well in her classes," says Sara Kadolph, professor emeritus in Marcketti's Iowa State department. "Her projects develop students' research, analytical, problem-solving and writing skills." In 2010, Marcketti received an Early Achievement in Teaching award from Iowa State's College of Human Sciences.

Ashley Garrin, a recent graduate, highlights Marcketti's innovativeness in the classroom. "She uses numerous items, from her own scholarly literature to historic garments to video clips from YouTube, to spark students' interest," says Garrin. "And she encourages students to further their interests by providing them with hands-on research experience. Her passion for students and their learning is not easily replicated. Were it not for Dr. Marcketti, I would not have entered graduate school or aspired to become a professor."