The Carolyn B Hunter Distinguished Faculty Service Award will be presented to Linda Spatig. After completing doctoral studies at the University of Houston in 1988, Spatig came to Marshall to take a position as assistant professor in the college of Education and Human Services.

             Spatig says she has worked with countless wonderful students-so many who were eager to grow and learn and to make positive contributions in schools and communities. In recent years, she has worked primarily with graduate students and found it especially rewarding-both personally and professionally-to collaborate with them. They have conducted research on important educational programs such as the Head Start Transition Demonstration Project in Cabell and Wayne counties, the National Science Foundation’s VOICES program in Kanawha and McDowell counties, the Lincoln County Girls’ and Boys’ Resiliency Programs, West Virginia Educare, the West Virginia Partnership to Promote Community Well Being and the Global 21 Program sponsored by the June Harless Center for Research on Rural Education. In each case, their research continues for several years, during which they provided formative feedback to individuals and groups working to improve schooling and community services in West Virginia. Based on research with each program, they made presentations at national conferences and published their findings in reputable refereed journals and books. Some of Spatig’s research with the Lincoln County Youth Resiliency programs was conducted during the year she was selected as the John Deaver Drinko Fellow.

             Spatig has three accomplishments of which she is extremely proud. First, she worked with colleagues- over a period of several years and against staunch resistance at times- to establish what has become a nationally accredited, high quality child care facility, the Marshall University Child Development Academy.

             Second, she worked with others to bring the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) and its journal, the Journal of Appalachian Studies, to Marshall. They worked diligently, with support from Marshall faculty and administrators, to develop a competitive initial proposal. They them prepared a second proposal when they found we were in a run-off tie with another university. Marshall was selected and, eight years later, the ASA continues to call Marshall University its home. Spatig has served as assistant editor for the journal for the past three years.

               Third, she has obtained, with assistance from others at the university and ASA, a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant for Marshall. As a result of the award, two permanent research fellowships to support research on diversity in Appalachia were created. The Wilma Dykeman Faces of Appalachia Post- Doctoral Research Fellowship is an annual award to an individual in the Appalachian region, and the Sarah Denman Faces of Appalachia Fellowship is awarded annually to a Marshall University faculty member.

                In addition to university-based service, she has been involved in various community services. Spatig has worked most extensively with two organizations that tirelessly strive to provide high- quality services for children and their families- the West Virginia Team for Children and River Valley Child Development Services. The Hunter Award was created by the MUAA for the purpose of recognizing outstanding achievements and providing incentives for continued service from faculty to the community, the university and students in their respective fields. Award nominees are evaluated on their professional service to the community, as well as their service to the university and its students.

From Marshall Magazine, Spring 2010