SU's Cone, Egan Earn University System of Maryland Board of Regents' Faculty Excellence Awards

SALISBURY, MD---Two from Salisbury University have earned the University System of Maryland’s highest faculty accolade: the Regents’ Award for Excellence. Dr. Randall E. Cone of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department was honored for teaching. Dr. Chrys Egan of the Communication Arts Department was lauded for mentoring.

Cone, associate professor of mathematics and computer science, is the technical lead for The Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology’s new high-performance computer lab. He also brought the American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC8) to SU, is as an advisor for multiple student clubs, and serves on numerous committees and organizations, including the Faculty Senate.

“Dr. Cone’s contributions exemplify the student-centered learning environment that is the goal for SU,” said University President Charles Wight. “Rather than treating students as passive recipients of information, Dr. Cone’s goal is to spark their curiosity and have them take more responsibility for their learning.”

“Dr. Cone’s student evaluations are, across the board, excellent,” said Dr. Don Spickler, chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department. “Students appreciate and respond well to Randy’s style and personality. They feel that his courses are challenging and rigorous, but they also recognize and appreciate the devotion Randy has to them and that he guides them every step of the way so that they can be successful.”

Cone earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He came to SU in 2015 from the Virginia Military Institute, where he was an assistant professor of mathematics.

Egan, professor of communication arts, is president of SU’s Faculty Senate, co-director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (OURCA), director of the Center for Extended and Lifelong Learning’s Youth Innovation Academy and a scholar-in-residence for SU’s Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON).

“Dr. Egan’s contributions exemplify the student-centered learning environment that is the goal for SU,” said Wight. “She empowers students to not only engage in meaningful research, but to also be advocates and ambassadors for this high-impact teaching practice. She routinely takes students to national and regional conferences to support their networking and presentation skills.”

Dr. Maarten Pereboom, dean of the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, praised Egan’s dedicated to teaching, scholarship and service.

“Dr. Egan is the kind of scholar-teacher that thrives at a university such as ours, and through mentoring she has had a positive impact on the academic experiences of hundreds of students,” he said. “While training students in the research methodologies of her academic discipline and engaging them with its epistemologies, she also very importantly empowers them to deploy those skills in pursuit of exploring and understanding issues and causes they are passionate about.”

Egan’s accolades include being named among The Daily Record’s 2019 Maryland Top 100 Women, and receiving SU’s Distinguished Faculty, Outstanding Research Mentor, Alumni Association Faculty Appreciation, President’s Diversity and Outstanding Faculty awards.

She earned her Ph.D. in communication and media from Florida State University.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.