Indiana State University Newsroom

Four Indiana State University educators received the Caleb Mills Distinguished Teaching Award Thursday (April 17) during the university's annual Faculty Recognition Banquet.

Named for a 19th century educator who helped to shape Indiana's public education system and served as the state's second superintendent of public instruction, the Mills Award recognizes Indiana State's most distinguished teachers.

This year's recipients are John Conant, professor and chair of the department of economics; Lindsey Eberman, associate professor of applied medicine and rehabilitation; Robert Johnson, associate professor of mathematics and computer science; and Jennifer Schriver, professor of psychology.

Conant joined the department of economics in 1981 where he has taught a wide variety of graduate and undergraduate courses. He has served as both the department chair and director of the Center for Economic Education since 1996. Recently, his taking Indiana State students to Yellowstone National Park to teach courses in natural resource and public economics has led to his work as a founding member of the Board of Advisors for the Yellowstone Studies Center.

"As an economist and economic educator, I think it is critical for our students to learn to work collaboratively with colleagues from around the world," Conant said. "I've most enjoyed the courses where I've taken students to study sustainable local economic development in Thailand, China, and Morocco. Working with ISU colleagues as well as colleagues abroad to teach these courses has been very rewarding. I'm particularly grateful to Indiana State for providing me an opportunity to teach in a large and diverse set of students and courses."

Conant holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, a Master of Arts in economics from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tennessee.

Eberman primarily serves as program director for the post-professional master's degree in athletic training. She has also assumed many roles in the delivery of undergraduate education within the department connecting her with Residential Life and Themed Housing, First Year Programs, and the Honors Program. In 2012, she was named Honors Faculty of the Year for her commitment to the students and values of Honors education.

She has facilitated 75 theses and research projects with various methods of inquiry in just six years at Indiana State. She said her core values of teaching are about connecting with students, understanding their perceived limits, and helping them to understand how to find solutions. Whether through instruction, scholarship, or community engagement, she aims to integrate these values throughout our programs and provide students opportunities for self-directed, community-based activities to help them develop into engaged citizens.

"I am very honored to be selected as a recipient of the Caleb Mills Award for Teaching Excellence," Eberman said. "I know I have great relationships with students and I am able to connect with them in the classroom, but it is really nice to feel their support and appreciation. Equally important, this award represents the respect of my peers for my role as a teacher; the most important role we play on this campus."

Johnson has been a member of Indiana State's mathematics and computer science faculty continuously since 1985.

 He received his doctorate in mathematics from the State University of New York in 1985 after previously earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin and a master's degree in statistics from Southern Methodist University.

He has taught a wide range of courses at Indiana State, ranging from freshman calculus to graduate topology and theoretical and applied probability.

"I am very fortunate to receive the Caleb Mills Award. It reflects the great enjoyment I have experienced in teaching and sharing mathematics with the many outstanding students I have known at Indiana State University."

A faculty member in Indiana State's psychology department since 2001, Schriver has broad experience at the university, including working as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and associate vice president for student success.

She teaches a broad range of classes for first-year students, upperclassmen, and graduate students, including classes focused on an introduction to psychology, mental health disorders, and forensic psychology. Schriver earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama.

"I am truly honored to receive the Caleb Mills Distinguished Teaching Award. The award represents a rich history of teaching excellence at Indiana State, and I've been fortunate to learn from many outstanding teachers across this university," she said. "I'm also grateful to the students who I have been so fortunate to teach and who have taught me so much in the process. I'm reminded every day how lucky I am to be engaged in a profession that I so enjoy and that is so much fun."

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-2014/i-TjttDh8/0/L/march%2007%2C%202014%20john%20conant%209636-L.jpg - John Conant

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-2014/i-HSnxw2w/0/L/03_20_14_eberman_lindsey-7-L.jpg - Lindsey Eberman

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-2014/i-rJbFFLM/0/L/043_18_14_robert_johnson-9712-L.jpg - Robert Johnson

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-2014/i-CxkdBjs/0/L/03_21_14_schriver_jennifer-16-L.jpg - Jennifer Schriver

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu