BYU professor honored as Big 12 Conference Faculty of the Year
BYU biology professor Rick Gill, a devoted BYU fan, suffered a major heart attack in early 2024 while at a men’s basketball game. While recovering, BYU Academic Vice President Justin Collings informed him he had been named Big 12 Faculty of the Year.
The Big 12 recognizes one faculty member from each of the Big 12 schools for excellence in innovation and research. Gill was praised by his colleagues for being a “master teacher” and being “student-centric.” He feels this award reflects the importance of building meaningful connections with students.
Hands-on studio training allowed BYU art students to contribute to stained glass windows for new temples
Two BYU art graduates, Katelyn Abrams and Gianna Cummard, spent the summer interning at a Springville stained glass studio. They had the chance to create stained glass windows for several Latter-day Saint temples in Wyoming, Mexico and Papua New Guinea.
From cutting and fitting glass to soldering and assembly, these students were immersed in the intensive, detail-oriented work of crafting stained glass with little prior experience.
A friendly competition with Utah Valley University encourages students to vote in local elections.
A friendly competition called the “Campus Cup ‘Lite’' involved a race between BYU and Utah Valley University to see who could register the most students to vote in a local election. The purpose of the competition was to help students understand why civic engagement matters even on a local level.
Aaron Skabelund, professor of history and director of the Office of Civic Engagement, emphasized that student involvement in local elections now will increase the likelihood they will stay involved later in life.