OXFORD, Miss. – Sheila Skemp has taught history at the University of
Mississippi for nearly three decades, and her longtime dedication has
been recognized with this year’s top faculty research award.
Skemp, Clare Leslie Marquette Professor of American History,
received the prestigious Faculty Achievement Award at the recent fall
faculty meeting. Provost Morris Stocks presented her with an engraved
plaque and a $2,000 check.
The award, which debuted at UM in
1985, recognizes professional scholarship, high scholarly standards and
overall outstanding career performance.
“The award is a perfect acknowledgment of her dedication to her
students and her research,” said Joseph Ward, chair and associate
professor of history. “She is a model faculty member as both a teacher
and a scholar.”
“I had no idea I was being considered for the award,” Skemp
said. “I find it to be a very humbling experience. When I look at the
members of my own department and at other faculty members across the
campus, I see any number of people who are just as deserving of this
honor. We all are dedicated teachers, productive researchers and highly
involved in service activities at both the local and national – and in
some cases, international – levels. If anything, it makes me want to
work harder.”
Skemp holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of
Montana and a doctorate in history from the University of Iowa.
Skemp joined the Ole Miss faculty in 1980. Her service includes
a stint as acting director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender
Studies. She has written several books, including “William Franklin:
Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King” (Oxford, 1990), “Benjamin and
William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist” (Bedford,
1994), “Judith Sargent Murray: A Brief Biography with Documents”
(Bedford, 1998) and “First Lady of Letters: Judith Sargent Murray and
the Struggle for Female Rights” (University of Pennsylvania Press,
2009).
Skemp also co-edited Sydney V. James’ final book, “The Colonial
Metamorphoses in Rhode Island: A Study of Institutions in Change,”
which was released in April 2000.
Nominations for the award are solicited by the provost’s office
by sending a notice to the deans of the university’s colleges and
schools who then forward it to department chairs. The selection
committee, which consists of members nominated by the deans and a
Faculty Senate representative, chooses the recipient based on dossiers
prepared for each nominee. Special consideration is given to evidence
of research, such as publications, books and grants, as well as
teaching and service.