December 4, 2007

LIVINGSTON, Ala.--University of West Alabama Provost David Taylor recently announced the recipients of the annual Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards. Holly Holycross, administrative assistant to the provost, received the Support Staff Excellence Award. Mike Pratt, interim director of information systems, was presented with the Professional Staff Excellence Award. Dr. Tom DeVaney, professor of education and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, was named the 2008 Trustee Professor.

Holycross joined UWA in 1999, serving in her current position for the last seven years. In addition to her responsibilities in Academic Affairs, Holycross has voluntarily taken on significant responsibilities in support of the Sumter County Fine Arts Council and Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Her letters of nomination for this award speak to her extraordinary organizational skills and her outstanding job performance.

Pratt, a 1997 UWA graduate, has served as a network technician and network manager since 1999. Recently promoted to interim director of the department, he has been one of the most instrumental forces in the development of the University’s technical infrastructure. He was a key player in the University’s eCampus Initiative, which led UWA to be the first public institution in Alabama to enjoy comprehensive wireless internet access. Pratt also serves as an official at UWA athletic events.

DeVaney joined the UWA faculty in 1984, advancing to the rank of professor and serving as department chair and dean of the College of Education. DeVaney recently led the College of Education through a very successful NCATE review. He also began the University’s Partnership School Program, with UWA currently partnering with 26 school systems statewide. As former Dean of Education and current Dean of Graduate Studies, DeVaney has also played a key role in the success of UWA’s online programs and the growth and development of the UWA Campus School.

He received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in secondary education, with an emphasis in science, from Tennessee Technological University in 1967 and 1975, respectively. He received his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Tennessee in 1978. DeVaney served as center director for the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from 1977 to 1983.

The Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards were established in 1996 through an endowment by the late Mrs. Bell's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L.G. Cunningham. Candidates for the awards are nominated by the University community, and the winner in each category is selected by a committee of peers.