Professor Ashley Howard is the recipient of the 2024 James N. Murray Faculty Award, which honors an untenured faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding rapport with students and who creates an exemplary classroom atmosphere.

Damani Phillips, who serves as head of jazz studies and jointly appointed in African American Studies, is an accomplished performer, scholar, teacher, and composer. The Collegiate Scholar Award was inaugurated in 2008 to recognize mid-career faculty for exceptional achievement. The award carries a financial award to support the recipient's teaching and research initiatives.