UVA Wise Announces Faculty Promotions

Last month, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) announced a new professorship to support service to students. Funded by Richard B. Gilliam Sr. and the Richard and Leslie Gilliam Foundation, the Dana G. Kilgore Endowed Professorship in Accounting was established with a gift of $1.5 million and helps to attract and/or retain a scholar in the field of accounting.

This week, UVA Wise is pleased to announce that Ning Zhou, an alumna of the College who has taught accounting courses on campus since 2019, will be the inaugural holder of the Kilgore Professorship. 

“I was very excited to hear about the professorship because Dana was my own accounting professor, and she was not only an excellent teacher, but also a wonderful mentor,” says Zhou. 

Zhou recently completed her Ph.D. in just three years, while continuing to teach at the College. 

“One of the most important lessons I learned from Professor Kilgore is that being a good professor does not mean making the class easy. It means preparing students well,” Zhou says. 

Income generated from the endowment of a professorship may be used to support the base salary of the professorship holder and for non-salary support costs related to the scholarship pursuits of the professorship holder. And Zhou is in good company with several other faculty at UVA Wise also holding the honor.

Bruce Cahoon, Ph.D., Buchanan Endowed Chair of Biology; Mark Clark, Ph.D., Kenneth Asbury Professor of History; Heather Evans, Ph.D., John Morton Beaty Endowed Chair in Political Science; Nancy Haugen, Ph.D., Kathleen Miller Strunk Endowed Professor of Nursing; and Tegan Makal, Ph.D., Van W. Daniel III Endowed Professor in Chemistry, all hold endowed professorships and, in addition to teaching, engage in important research and scholarship that informs their classes. 

The announcement of the Kilgore Endowed Professorship occurred at nearly the same time as a group of faculty promotions were approved by the College’s Advisory Board and the University’s Board of Visitors. 

Teresa L. Brown was promoted from Assistant Professor of Geology to Associate Professor of Geology. Troy E. Makal was promoted from Assistant Professor of Biochemistry to Associate Professor of Biochemistry. Ricky D. Mullins was promoted from Assistant Professor of Education to Associate Professor of Education. Cody T. Sanders was promoted from Associate Professor of Physical Education to Professor of Physical Education. 

“The College has a long history of faculty excellence which includes both award-winning teaching as well as research and scholarship,” says UVA Wise Chancellor Donna P. Henry. “It is wonderful when we are able to celebrate the legacies of retired faculty and inspire current and future faculty through the generosity of our donors.”