2021 Circle of Excellence Recipients

(Tahlequah, Oklahoma) – Northeastern State University has announced the 2021 Circle of Excellence Award honorees.

NSU faculty members were nominated by their peers in one of three categories: teaching, research and service. A selection committee of past honorees chose one nominee in each category for this recognition.

The 2021 Circle of Excellence Award honorees are: Dr. Halil Kaya for research, Dr. Alissa Proctor for teaching and Dr. Suzanne Farmer for service.

A professor of finance on the Broken Arrow campus, Kaya joined NSU in 2013. His research interests include corporate finance, financial markets and entrepreneurship. Kaya has more than 120 journal publications in these areas, two of which have received the best paper award at academic conferences. He earned his Ph.D. in finance from Texas Tech University.

Proctor is a professor in the Oklahoma College of Optometry. She came to Tahlequah in 2005 to complete a family practice residency. Proctor’s research interests include assessing new optometric technology, pediatrics and vision therapy.

Farmer started teaching at NSU in 2011 after graduating with her Ph.D. in history from The University of Mississippi. She is an associate professor of history and the director of the NSU Center for Women’s Studies. Farmer said she has a passion for education and providing platforms to elevate others’ voices.

“The Circle of Excellence Honor represents the best of the best faculty at Northeastern State University,” Dr. Renée Cambiano, faculty council president, said. “I truly feel that the faculty at Northeastern State, as stated in our mission, have high expectations for student success, provide quality teaching, challenging curricula and engage in research and scholarly activities that impact our communities and this honor highlights these achievements.”

Each faculty honoree of the Circle of Excellence Award receives $2,500 that he or she can receive as a check or use for professional development. The Office of Academic Affairs and the NSU Foundation provide support for this award.

For more information, contact Cambiano at cambiare@nsuok.edu.