UT Law professor, students receive Chancellor’s Honors awards

One professor and four students of the University of Tennessee College of Law were recognized for excellence and service during the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet on April 19.

Wendy Bach, associate professor of law, receive the Excellence in Teaching Award, bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in the classroom.

Bach “ranks among the most dedicated members of the law faculty and has distinguished herself as one of the college’s truly great teachers,” her nominator writes. A colleague describes her as having the characteristics of a great clinical professor: “supportive, yet blunt when she needs to be.”

Student Jennifer Dobbins was the recipient of the LGBT Student Leadership Award, given by the Commission for LGBT People to a student who demonstrates a commitment to advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues on campus. Dobbins serves as a graduate research assistant for the commissions for LGBT People and Women. She keeps everyone informed about proposed legislation and other pertinent developments across the nation.

“Jennifer understands the intersectionality that we mean by diversity,” her nominator writes. “People who are marginalized often identify as members of more than one minority.”

UT Law students Brady Cameron Cody, Sara Ohlman, and Katherine Elizabeth Smalley each received two awards: the Top Collegiate Scholar Award, which honors students who exhibit extraordinary scholarship, and the Extraordinary Professional Promise Award, which is presented to students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research, or other contributions.

For more information about the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet and a complete list of winners, visit honorsbanquet.utk.edu/2016-winners.