KEARNEY – Three University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty members were recognized Friday for excellence in teaching, service and scholarship and research.
Michelle Beissel Heath, Julie Campbell and Janet Graham received the prestigious Pratt-Heins Faculty Awards during the annual Faculty/Staff Convocation on campus. Each honoree received a plaque and $2,000.
Presented annually since 1981, the awards honor the legacy of Warren Pratt and his daughter Ruth E. Heins while recognizing distinguished UNK faculty members. Pratt was a Kearney businessman, civic leader and attorney, and Heins graduated from the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney in 1914 before teaching at Kearney Public Schools. The Pratt-Heins Foundation has sponsored the awards for 45 years. They were presented Friday by foundation trustee Tom Tye.
Michelle Beissel Heath
Pratt-Heins Award for Scholarship and Research
A UNK faculty member since 2009, Beissel Heath is the Martin Distinguished Professor of English and Martin Chair in the Department of English.
She has established an international reputation through her research in Victorian and children’s literature. Her scholarly record includes peer-reviewed journal articles, contributions to edited collections, book reviews and presentations at international and national conferences.
Her 2018 book, “Nineteenth-Century Fictions of Childhood and the Politics of Play,” examines games and play in British and American children’s culture during the 19th century. Her research in this area has earned competitive grants and fellowships, including a Mary Valentine and Andrew Cosman Research Fellowship from The Strong National Museum of Play and a Children’s Literature Association Faculty Research Grant.
Joe Sutliff Sanders, a university associate professor at the University of Cambridge, has known Beissel Heath and her work for more than a decade. He praised the sustained quality of her scholarship and the reputation she has developed within the field.
“Michelle has been publishing important, peer-reviewed scholarship since 2009,” Sanders wrote in his letter of support, noting that scholars around the world view her as someone “in whom they believe we should invest.”
Beissel Heath continues to expand that body of work. She is writing a second book and was invited to contribute a chapter on games and 19th-century children’s literature for a multivolume history of children’s literature being published by Cambridge University Press. Sanders called her “the leading expert on the topic of play in children’s literature.”
Megan Norcia, a professor and director of scholarly innovation and student research at Florida Gulf Coast University, described Beissel Heath as “an important, careful scholar” whose work has made a lasting contribution to the study of children’s literary and material culture.
“She is a person of vision and grace who is remarkably generous with her colleagues and her students, helping everyone to grow as scholars and engage in a life of the mind,” Norcia wrote.
Julie Campbell
Pratt-Heins Award for Service
Campbell joined the UNK faculty in 2006 and has twice served as chair of the Criminal Justice Department, where she continues to positively impact students and colleagues as a professor.
Since 2018, she has also served as faculty coordinator for the Thompson Scholars Learning Community, advising students and connecting them with resources and support.
That commitment to students is a defining part of Campbell’s service. She advised nearly 360 Thompson Scholars and criminal justice students in 2025, taking time during those meetings to discuss more than course schedules.
“When she meets with students for advising, she does not simply work with them to identify classes for the following semester,” professor Theresa Wadkins, chair of the Criminal Justice Department, wrote in her nomination. “She connects with them and finds out what is and isn’t working for them during the semester and provides resources and helpful suggestions in order to provide every opportunity for them to be successful.”
A fellow for the Center for Great Plains Studies, Campbell serves as faculty adviser for the UNK chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, a national criminal justice honor society, and regularly accompanies students to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences annual conference. This past year, she took eight students to Philadelphia, where the UNK team earned first place in an Instagram challenge and second place in Quiz Bowl, and one student received an Alpha Phi Sigma Member Achievement Award.
She’s also involved with UNK’s Loper Launch Enrichment Camp and the annual Criminal Justice Conference and Career Fair on campus. Campbell has served on UNK Faculty Senate and numerous university committees and task forces, and she is a certified Green Dot crime prevention trainer.
Her impact reaches into the community, as well. Campbell’s community involvement includes current and previous roles with the Nebraska Juvenile Justice Association, Nebraska Center for Justice Research, Nebraska Coalition for Victims of Crime and Residential Assistance to Families in Transition, a program that supports families facing homelessness or housing instability.
“She can be counted on to help others in her department and beyond and does so with great passion,” Wadkins wrote. “People from across campus regularly comment what a great asset she is to this university.”
Janet Graham
Pratt-Heins Award for Teaching
Graham is an associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of English. She’s been a UNK faculty member since 2020 and an educator for more than 25 years.
Graham teaches courses ranging from general studies composition to undergraduate and graduate classes in literature, literary theory and pedagogy. She has taught 15 different courses at UNK and developed Nebraska Life Writing, an experiential learning course that allows students to explore local stories through memoir, biography, natural history and other texts.
“Not only has she taught a wide range of classes, she does so with innovative teaching strategies and creative syllabi,” UNK English professor Megan Hartman noted. “She includes interesting and new texts, provides guiding questions that allow the students and professor to explore ideas together and makes the literature pertinent to modern-day concerns.”
Her student evaluations consistently rank among the highest in the College of Arts and Sciences, with students praising her ability to make them feel heard, challenge them academically and help them develop as teachers, writers and scholars.
That influence is especially evident among the future and current educators she teaches.
“Dr. Graham is the teacher I aspire to be,” stated former student Amy Woodcock, who teaches at E.J. King Middle High School in Japan. “Of course, I gained so much content knowledge from her, but I learned what it looks like to truly listen and inspire students.”
Graham’s teaching emphasizes practical application and collaboration. Undergraduate students practice instructional techniques through what she calls a “Lit Teaching Lab,” while graduate students – many of whom are already working as teachers – examine and refine their own approaches in the classroom.
She’s equally committed to mentorship outside the classroom, working with undergraduate and graduate researchers whose projects have been presented at conferences and UNK’s Student Research Day, with several earning awards.
“Dr. Graham is a positive force within the field of teaching,” former student Kenny Mitchell stated. “Her enthusiasm for teaching and her passion for interpersonal connection create a positive atmosphere where the learning, learning environment and the people within that learning environment matter. She is an asset to the University of Nebraska at Kearney.”
Sandra Loughrin
R.I.S.E. Award for Institutional Engagement
Sandra Loughrin, an associate professor of sociology, received the R.I.S.E. Award for Institutional Engagement during Friday’s event.
Presented by Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Engagement Maha Younes, the award recognizes a faculty member whose leadership and commitment foster connection and strengthen the university community. Honorees receive a plaque and $1,000.
Loughrin has been a member of the UNK faculty since 2013, building a reputation as a dedicated teacher, mentor and collaborator whose impact extends well beyond the classroom. Her work reflects a commitment to connecting teaching, research and service, with a focus on creating meaningful learning experiences for students.
One of the strongest examples is the Period Poverty Project, a student-driven initiative first piloted in fall 2023 and expanded campuswide in February 2024.
Today, free menstrual products are available in eight academic buildings and restocked weekly by student volunteers. Since its launch, nearly 10,000 products have been distributed to members of the campus community, with the project operating entirely through donations.
As faculty adviser and principal investigator, Loughrin oversees the program while working alongside students on fundraising, coordination and research. She has guided undergraduate researchers whose work has led to conference presentations, awards and publication opportunities.
Her collaborative approach reaches across campus. She helped organize the 2026 No Limits Conference, bringing together more than 100 students, faculty and community members and showcasing 61 student presentations. She has also helped develop interdisciplinary courses and contributed to campus initiatives focused on student engagement and academic success.
Colleagues describe Loughrin as an unwavering supporter of students who is generous with her time and committed to helping others succeed. Her work strengthens the student experience while inspiring those around her to do the same.
“Since her first year at UNK, Dr. Loughrin has been a stalwart member of multiple UNK teams, an unwavering student supporter and advocate, with a dedicated commitment to doing that which is best for students,” her nomination stated. “Her office door is always open, and students feel recognized in their endeavors as they work with her. Regardless of where or how the work takes place, whether in the classroom, for a research project, for a campus organization service or for community activities, students agree that working with Dr. Loughrin is rewarding.”