Magazine-Winter-2025 - Flipbook - Page 30
A LU M N I HAL L
OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TEACHING AWARDS
The University of Alabama National Alumni Association honors four exceptional
faculty members each year with the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award,
the Capstone’s highest honor for excellence in teaching.
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DR. SRIRAM AALETI
DR. PATRICK FRANTOM
is a professor and
associate department
head for graduate studies
in the department of
civil, construction and
environmental engineering
at UA. He earned his B.
Tech in civil engineering
from the Indian Institute
of Technology, Madras,
followed by M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees in civil engineering
from Iowa State University.
Dr. Aaleti’s research
addresses the durability and
safety of structures under
natural hazards, contributing
to U.S. building codes
and improving industry
practices.
He has been recognized
with multiple honors,
including the Faculty
Excellence Award for
Undergraduate Education
from UA’s College of
Engineering, two Faculty
Excellence in Graduate
Education Awards in 2022
and 2025, and the 2024
Donald H. McLean Civil
Engineering Professor of the
Year Award.
is a professor in the
department of chemistry
and biochemistry at The
University of Alabama.
He earned a bachelor’s in
biochemistry from Louisiana
State University in 1999
and a Ph.D. in biochemistry
from Texas A&M University
in 2005, followed by a
postdoctoral fellowship at
the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in New York.
Dr. Frantom’s unique
approach to teaching and
research helps students
better understand health
and disease at the
molecular level. Since
arriving at UA, he has
secured more than $3.5
million in external research
funding.
His contributions
have been recognized
with multiple honors,
including the UA Provost’s
Assessment Award for
Outstanding Program
Assessment in 2017 and
selection as a Distinguished
Teaching With Technology
Fellow in 2014.
ALABAMA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
DR. HEATHER ASHLEY
HAYES is an associate
professor at The
University of Alabama,
where she directs the
University’s largest doctoral
program in the College
of Communication and
Information Sciences.
She holds a Ph.D. in
communication studies
from the University of
Minnesota and a graduate
degree in neuroscience
from Harvard University.
Her work deepens the
understanding of how the
brain shapes learning and
how accessibility drives
innovation.
Hayes is the recipient
of the 2023 National
Communication Association
Donald Ecroyd Award for
Outstanding Teaching in
Higher Education and the
2024 Southern States
Communication Association
John I. Sisco Excellence in
Teaching Award. She is a
finalist for the 2025 National
Brain Tumor Society Quality
of Life Research grant.
DR. KAGENDO MUTUA
is a professor of special
education, co-founder
and executive director of
the nationally accredited
CrossingPoints Program,
and director of the office of
international programs in
the College of Education.
She earned her Ph.D.
in special education from
Kent State University, an
M.S. in special education
from Clarion University,
and a B.Ed. in secondary
education from Kenyatta
University. Since joining
UA in 2001, she has led
transformative efforts
to strengthen teacher
preparation for serving
youth with significant
disabilities.
Mutua’s contributions
have been recognized
through numerous honors,
including the E. Rogers
Sayers Distinguished
Service Award and the
McCrory Faculty Excellence
Award for Service. Her work
embodies UA’s enduring
commitment to transforming
lives through education.
