Texas A&M University-Victoria recently is pleased to acknowledge the contributions of three faculty members who have excelled in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service.

The following faculty members were recognized with awards:

• Faculty Award for Distinguished Teaching – Hardik Gohel, associate professor of computer information sciences, College of Natural and Applied Science
• Faculty Award for Distinguished Scholarship – Yixi Ning, professor of finance, College of Business
• Faculty Award for Distinguished Service – Nadya Pittendrigh, associate professor of English, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

“These faculty members have demonstrated excellence and distinction in three key areas that contribute to a university’s success,” said Allen Rasmussen, acting provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Their efforts in teaching, scholarship and service have left a lasting impact on the university and its students.”

Hardik Gohel

Gohel is teaching state-of-the-art data science and AI courses at the College of Natural and Applied Science at A&M-Victoria. When teaching his students, Gohel focuses on an inclusive approach that integrates active, passive, and kinesthetic learning strategies. Active learning is supported through discussions and problem-solving activities, passive learning through clear explanations and visualizations, and kinesthetic learning through hands-on exercises and experiential tasks. Rather than treating these as fixed learner types, Gohel intentionally blends all three approaches to create a well-rounded learning environment. This ensures that students engage with the material in multiple ways, whether the course is delivered in-person, online, or in a hybrid format.

In addition, Gohel is passionate about integrating his applied AI research into his curriculum, particularly in emerging areas such as generative AI, agentic and autonomous systems, and trustworthy AI, along with their impact on modern technology. As part of this effort, he focuses on real-world examples and contemporary challenges in his teaching. He also advocates for integration of AI tools into classroom instruction and hopes that more faculty members will adopt innovative approaches to include these technologies into their teaching.

“My teaching focuses on institutional impact and professional development, particularly in the area of AI,” he said. “It is rewarding to know that I am contributing to our students’ success. As AI continues to evolve, it is becoming a foundational skill for the next decade, making its integration into education both timely and necessary. I am grateful to Texas A&M University–Victoria for recognizing me with this new award.”

Yixi Ning

Ning has been part of the university’s faculty for 20 years. His research focuses on corporate finance and investments including venture capital, and some of his more recent research publications have included “The Relative CEO to Employee Pay for Luck” and “Can an All-Weather Investment Strategy Survive in ‘Bad’ Weather?”

Research is a major feature of a university, he said. It helps bolster the reputation of the university while also keeping faculty abreast of the latest industry developments and giving students access to the most current and relevant information in their classes. In addition, faculty research is one of many requirements for the College of Business to maintain its AACSB International accreditation.

“I want to thank the awards committee for recognizing my work and encouraging faculty to pursue their research,” Ning said. “Many faculty members regularly use their research when teaching, which is beneficial for the students and the university as a whole. I hope the university will continue to support and reward quality research in the future.”

Nadya Pittendrigh

Pittendrigh received the distinguished service award for her wide range of work across campus. During the past year, she has served as the president for the Faculty Advisory Council, worked with a variety of student organizations, organized several writing events on campus and has served on the search committees for several of the university’s top leadership positions. She also has partnered with the Nonprofit Leadership Academy by pairing her professional writing students with local nonprofit organizations to help them create promotional strategies and social media campaigns. She also was a member of the team that worked on the university’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaccreditation.

As a writing professional, Pittendrigh knows the importance of using her skills and teaching others to use their gifts in a collaborative, community-minded way, she said. She doesn’t necessarily think of her efforts as service so much as a way to work together with people who have multiple perspectives to solve problems. That focus on finding ways to collaborate and learn from others with different ideas and values is something she brings to everything she participates in, including her classrooms.

“A lot of the teaching we do is not just direct knowledge, it’s demonstrating that people can enter trustworthy relationships with each other to build social trust,” she said. “I’m honored and grateful that my work has been recognized by the awards committee and my colleagues.”