Bigham receives teaching and service award

Dr. Darrel Bigham, professor of history and director of Historic Southern Indiana, has received a 2007 University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) Mid-America Region Excellence in Teaching and Faculty Service Award.

UCEA is the principal organization for continuing higher education in the United States. The award is given to an individual who has provided outstanding leadership and service to continuing education in the UCEA Mid-America region and is based on length of service, creativity in programming, benefit to the institution, and overall contribution to the field. It is only available to faculty members who are not in continuing education units.

In nominating Bigham for the award, Leslie Townsend, assistant director of Historic Southern Indiana, cited Bigham’s role as director of Historic Southern Indiana, a heritage-based regional outreach program; development of the annual Lincoln Institute for Teachers and earlier institutes focused on the Lewis and Clark bicentennial; appointment to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission by President Bill Clinton; creation of the Lincoln States Bicentennial Task Force; books and other publications; and many awards, including the Indiana Historical Society’s 2002 Hoosier Historian award, the 2000 Tall Sagamore of the Wabash, bestowed by Governor Frank O’Bannon, 1997 Evansville Rotarian of the Decade, and the 1989 USI Distinguished Professor Award.

Bigham joined USI in 1970 and will retire at the end of June 2008.