Charlotte’s Esteemed 2024 Fall Commencement Marshals
University marshals are distinguished faculty members selected to represent their colleagues at ceremonial functions of the University,, including commencement. These honorees are symbols of faculty excellence and leadership in teaching, professional achievement and service to campus and community. This year’s University marshals Mark West, Erik Byker, Lisa Russell-Pinson and Margaret Quinlan.
MARK WEST
Mark West, professor of English, is the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 13, for the College of Health and Human Services, College of Humanities & Earth and the Klein College of Science.
West is an accomplished teacher and scholar who inspires his students year after year and has established himself as a leading expert in the field of children’s and young adult literature. He has helped build the children’s literature program at UNC Charlotte by attracting other exceptional faculty in the field, making the program an internationally recognized center for the study of children’s literature. West’s dedication to education and community engagement has earned him prestigious accolades including the Bonnie E. Cone Professorship in Civic Engagement, the 2021 Distinguished Faculty Award from the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association, the Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service and the Anne Devereaux Jordan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Literature.
ERIK BYKER
Erik Byker, professor of reading and elementary education, is the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 3 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13, for the College of Arts + Architecture, Belk College of Business, College of Computing and Informatics, Cato College of Education and William States Lee College of Engineering.
Byker is an accomplished teacher, mentor and leader known for encouraging and providing opportunities for students to display their scholarship. He has taught students at every level, from first-year through doctoral candidates and strongly believes in developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Byker was the recipient of the 2021 Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching and the Teaching Advisory Board member for the National Humanities Center in 2023, among other awards. A faculty fellow in the Office of Undergraduate Research, Byker is chair of the Undergraduate Research Conference, director of the Cato College of Education’s Prospect for Success program and director of the applied understanding of global education minor.
LISA RUSSEL-PINSON
Lisa Russell-Pinson, associate teaching professor of writing, is the University marshal for the doctoral hooding ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 14.
Russell-Pinson creates and teaches academic writing courses designed for matriculated graduate students, along with developing and delivering support programming for doctoral-level writers at the University. Her areas of expertise include academic writing, English as a second/foreign language in higher education settings, written medical discourse and affective factors in the writing process. Russell-Pinson’s current research focuses on doctoral students’ experiences in the dissertation process, especially factors that impede dissertation-writing progress and interventions that help writers succeed. She regularly serves as a peer reviewer for manuscripts, book chapters, research articles and conference proposals.
MARGARET QUINLAN
Margaret Quinlan, professor of communication studies, is the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, for the Graduate School.
Quinlan is an exceptional graduate mentor who has worked to enhance graduate student success at UNC Charlotte. Her research examines the nexus of public perceptions of medicine, science and technology, historic and current. Quinlan also investigates the role communication plays in public understandings of medical expertise, illness and health. She co-authors a monthly column in Psychology Today, produces research translations for blogs and magazines, and is regularly interviewed on local, regional and national media. In addition, Quinlan serves as director of the Health and Medical Humanities interdisciplinary program.