Pictured left: Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P., President of Providence College; Dr. Vance G. Morgan, professor of philosophy; Dr. Joan Branham, associate professor of art history and Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence; Dr. Hugh Lena, Acting Vice President for Academic Administration

Providence, RI -- Dr. Vance G. Morgan, professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy at Providence College, has been named the recipient of the College's third annual Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award.  The award is presented annually to the faculty member who best exhibits excellence in teaching, passion and enthusiasm for learning, and genuine concern for students' academic and personal growth.

The recipient receives a cash stipend; formal acknowledgement at the College's Academic Convocation in September; and has his or her name inscribed on a plaque that is displayed prominently in Phillips Memorial Library on campus.

Morgan, who holds a doctorate from Marquette University and a master's from the University of Wyoming, came to the College in September 1994 as an assistant professor of philosophy after teaching the previous three years at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. He was promoted to associate professor of philosophy in 1997, earned tenure a year later, and was elevated to full professor in 2002.

Morgan's areas of academic specialty include ethics, philosophy of mind, and Early Modern philosophy. He teaches General Ethics, as well as an honors Development of Western Civilization course, and a senior (capstone) seminar.

Morgan views teaching as "a vocation," and according to students and colleagues, establishes a natural classroom environment where free expression and critical thinking are encouraged.

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