U of M Crookston faculty announced as recipients of 2025 Award for Excellence in Academic Unit Service

Four faculty members from the University of Minnesota Crookston have been announced as recipients of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Academic Unit Service. Megan Bell, Ph.D., Ali Saeedi, Ph.D., Matt Simmons, Ph.D., and Sharon Stewart, Ph.D., were among the 70+ faculty members across the University of Minnesota System to receive the award. The Award for Excellence in Academic Unit Service recognizes ongoing institutional service at the local level. One award is available for each department or unit, across all five campuses.

Associate Professor Megan Bell serves as the program director for the communications program in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Department, and led the effort to develop and introduce a new major in sport media and communication. She also serves on numerous campus and system committees including the All-University Honors Committee, Restart Your Degree pilot program, chair of the faculty search committee for agricultural business tenure-track position, course fee committee, and as a member of the curriculum committee and the liberal education sub-committee.

Associate Professor Ali Saeedi recently led a successful search for a tenure-track faculty member in the field of finance for the Business Department. In addition, he continues his strong service record in his disciplinary field serving as an editorial board member for The Journal of Analytics (2020 - present), The Journal of Financial and Behavioral Research in Accounting (2022 - present), The Iranian Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance (2016 - present), and Novel Explorations in Computational Science and Behavioral Management: Multidisciplinary Journal of Accounting, Management & Psychology (June 2023 - present). In 2024, Saeedi participated in outreach programs sponsored by the American Accounting Association and participated in panels at the association's annual conference to share research insights and contribute to the advancement of accounting education.

Associate Professor Matt Simmons serves in numerous campus and community roles inside and outside the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department. His work with Student Affairs focuses on designing and implementing a variety of student fees on campus, and he serves on the campus' Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) committee. Simmons also serves on the faculty professional development committee, and is the department representative to the curriculum committee as well as the liberal education sub-committee. He served as the chair of the search committee for the recent forestry faculty position. At the disciplinary level, Simmons serves as a reviewer for the journals Restoration Ecology and Ecological Processes, and has been nominated in a director role for the Agassiz Environmental Learning Center in Fertile, Minn.

Associate Professor Sharon Stewart serves as the chair of the Math, Science and Technology Department and is also a member of the campus curriculum committee. She serves on the campus wellness committee, takes a leadership role in the first year experience working group, and also serves on the promotion and tenure committees in two departments on campus. In 2024, Stewart took a central role in developing two multi-campus degree programs (Mortuary Science and Human Nutrition), and also has served on multiple faculty search committees. At the community level, Stewart serves as a nutritional consultant to multiple nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the region, and also serves on the advisory board for the respiratory care and dietetics programs at the University of North Dakota as well as Northland Community and Technical College.

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