NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State University faculty Dr. Michelle Fazio Brunson, Dr. Rebecca Macijeski, Dr. Sean Bartley and Dr. Hiram "Pete" Gregory were presented with Faculty Research Awards, which recognize faculty who have achieve exemplary milestones in their scholarly and creative research. The awards were presented during the university's fall Faculty Institute.

Dr. Brunson was named winner of the Dr. Marietta LeBreton Louisiana Studies Award, which honors faculty whose research careers have been dedicated to Louisiana topics in any discipline. Nominees must have made significant contributions to their field of study through publications, creative pieces, presentations or sustained work on a major project related to history, culture, languages, science, math or other disciplines in Louisiana. The focus of the research must illustrate a significant connection to Louisiana.

Brunson is director of graduate programs in Early Childhood Education and the driving force behind the Cradle to College service learning initiative, which remaps the cradle to prison pipeline by addressing early childhood literacy. Research shows that when children fall behind in reading by third grade, the likelihood that they will later be incarcerated increases dramatically. Fazio-Brunson collects early learning supplies and assembles literacy bags that are distributed to at risk children and their families at no charge.

Macijeski and Bartley were both named winners of the Dr. Mildred Hart Bailey Research Award that recognizes outstanding research or distinguished artistic performance or creative work completed within the past three years. Nominations are judged on scholarly or creative significance, national, regional or local impact, originality and ingenuity of project design and critical recognition by experts in the field.

Macijeski is associate professor of English and coordinator of Creative Writing Programs in NSU's Department of English, Languages and Cultural Studies. She has published two volumes of poetry in the past three years and has been nominated multiple times for several awards. Her first chapbook of poetry, "Autobiography," was the winner of the 2021 Split Rock Press chapbook competition and was published in 2022. Her second chapbook, "Aprocryphal Girl," was released earlier this year.

Bartley is assistant professor of Theatre History in the Department of Theatre and Dance. He co-authored the book "Experiential Theatres: Praxis-Based Approaches to Training 21^st Century Theatre Artists." The book was selected for the 2024 Edited Works Award by Americans for Theatre in Higher Education-the largest and most respected professional organization in the field.

Gregory was named winner of the Dr. Jean D'Amato-Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors senior faculty whose careers have included a significant commitment to research and service to their discipline through publications, creative pieces, presentations, research grants or sustained work on a major project. Nominees must have remained dedicated to a consistent research agenda spanning his or her career.

Gregory joined Northwestern State's faculty in 1961 and is the university's longest-serving employee, marking his 64^th year as professor. He is director and curator of NSU's Williamson Museum, established in 1921, and throughout his career has received numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

"Dr. Gregory exemplifies the commitment to lifelong learning, research and teaching that is at the heart of our profession," said Dr Greg Handel, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. "His study of the history and culture of Louisiana's Native American peoples enriches our understanding of the state's past and provides a foundation for cultural exchange and community enrichment in the future.

NSU's Faculty Research Awards are named for three former faculty members in honor of their contributions to research and scholarship.

Dr. Jean D'Amato-Thomas was professor of Classics in the Louisiana Scholars' College from its inception in 1988 and was active in developing the Great Books curriculum that is central to the program. D'Amato's scholarly interests included Latin literature, art history, and the interface between art and science; she received the Mildred Hart Bailey Award in 1992 and continued her study of antiquities in southern Italy with research awards from the American Philosophical Association, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. She died in 2010.

Dr. Marietta M. LeBreton, for whom the award was named, was a professor of history at NSU for more than 45 years. She was the author of "Northwestern State University: A History 1884-1984," published by the NSU Press to commemorate the university's centennial. She was head of the Department of History from 1980-1983 when she returned to the classroom for the remainder of her career. She died in 2009.

Dr. Mildred Hart Bailey, for whom the award is named, joined the NSU faculty in 1963 and initiated NSU's graduate program in reading. She earned many honors during her tenure at NSU and retired in 1989 after 25 years of service to the university, serving her last five years as Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.

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