Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity
The Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity is one of the highest honors bestowed to faculty at the university level by consensus of all deans. Nominees are selected for producing the highest quality research or creative activity. Researchers create innovative solutions to the challenges that matter most – turning their research into practical change that improves lives. Creative faculty challenge perspectives, evoke emotion and enrich dialog through composition, performance, visual expression and design. Each honoree receives $2,500.
Requirements: Full-time faculty who have been at TCU five years or more and have not been honored with either Deans’ Award nor the Chancellor’s Award in the previous seven years.
Nomination Process: Colleges and schools follow internal guidelines for their nomination processes. Each may submit one nominee, with AddRan College for Liberal Arts allowed to submit two: one from Humanities and one from Social Sciences.
Timeline: Each fall, the Provost’s Office submits Call for Nominations and nomination packets to deans. Deadline for nominations is mid-March. Deans convene and vote. Honorees are announced in April.
2026 Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity
Gina Alexander
Professor of Nursing
Harris College for Nursing & Health Sciences
What colleagues say: Dr. Alexander’s research focuses on health promotion and nature-based therapeutics. She co-developed RxPLORE™: Prescribing Life Outdoors and Real Exploration, to promote equitable access to nature, strengthen environmental education, and foster conservation practices. RxPLORE™ integrates research, service-learning, advocacy, and community partnership, reimagining conventional treatment to include contact with nature, recreation in green space, and environmental stewardship. She has received external and internal funding to support her research. Her recent publications center on climate-related health impacts, equitable access to parks and nature, nature-based therapeutic approaches, school garden initiatives, and improving food literacy among vulnerable groups. Outcomes of her research include peer-reviewed publications, national collaborations, and tangible improvements to local policies and environments.
Stacie McCormick
Associate Professor of English
AddRan College of Liberal Arts
What colleagues say: Dr. McCormick has served in leadership roles—mentoring scholars across ranks and generations, building cross-institutional collaborations, and translating her cutting-edge research into high-impact learning experiences in and beyond the classroom. She demonstrates extraordinary intellectual range, methodological innovation, and ethical commitment to community-centered knowledge. She is the author of the groundbreaking book We Are Pregnant with Freedom: Black Feminist Storytelling for Reproductive Justice. Her research addresses challenging questions that are meaningful not only for academics trying to create more patient-centered care that reverses health inequities, but for the community at large. Her research is read and cited in English and performance studies, and is informing conversations in public health, health policy, and reproductive and maternal health care.
Harry Parker
Professor of Theatre
College of Fine Arts
What colleagues say: Whether directing, writing, or mentoring, he creates environments where generosity, rigor, and excellence coexist. He is communicative, organized, and serious about the work. He can bring forward big ideas while keeping things practical. His work is thoughtful, emotionally balanced, and rooted in a strong understanding of how theatre actually lands on an audience. He is deeply intelligent, prepared, and invested in the work. He has been a meaningful artistic force in this region for many years and for many people. His contributions as a director, writer, educator, and leader continue to shape artists, audiences, and institutions alike. His leadership as a multifaceted artist who moves easily between the worlds of professional and academic theatre inspires the entire department.
2026 Deans’ Awards for Teaching and Creativity Nominees
Vassil Mihov, Neeley School of Business
Hana Dobrovolny, Davis College of Science & Engineering
Qinghua Yang, Bob Schieffer College of Communication
Hayat Hokayem, College of Education
Luis Romero, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
2025 Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity
Michael Faggella-Luby, Special Education
Emily Lund, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Anton Naumov, Biophysics
2024 Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity
David G. Allen, Management and Leadership
Taryn Ozuna Allen, Higher Education Leadership
Kat Barger, Physics and Astronomy
2023 Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity
Hanan Hammad, History
Peter Frinchaboy, Physics and Astronomy
Tee Tyler, Social Work
2022 Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity
Aesha John, Social Work
Endia Lindo, Special Education
Adam McKinney, Dance
2021 Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity
Gregg Cantrell, History
Sarah Quebec-Fuentes, Mathematics
Sarah Hill, Psychology
2020 Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity
Greg Friedman, Mathematics
Abbie Shipp, Management and Leadership
Williams Gibbons, Musicology
For a complete list of Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity nominees and honorees from 1986 to present, contact the Provost’s Office at provost@tcu.edu.