Delta Alpha Pi students honor two Clemson University faculty members

Published: April 12, 2011

By Hope Snipes

CLEMSON — Two Clemson University faculty members were recognized by members of Delta Alpha Pi for their commitment to being open and inclusive educators. Delta Alpha Pi (DAPi) students nominated D.E. “Steve” Stevenson and Sandra Garrett for the award.

“By recognizing Steve Stevenson and Sandra Garrett, DAPi students are making a clear statement that as educators these individuals inspire their students, serve as resources and approach life in a proactive manner,” said Arlene Stewart, Student Disability Services director.

The selection process for the award is left solely to the students in Delta Alpha Pi. The honor society at Clemson conceived of the Extraordinary Educator Award last year to recognize faculty who create a welcoming classroom climate, provide clear expectations and timely feedback, explore ways to incorporate natural supports for learning, use a variety of instructional methods, use technology to enhance learning opportunities and encourage student-faculty dialogue. Stevenson and Garrett were honored at an April 3 induction ceremony for new members of Delta Alpha Pi.

Stevenson earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1965 and a master’s in computer science from Rutgers in 1975. He was a captain in the U.S. Army, serving in Korea in 1966 and Vietnam in 1968. After leaving the Army, he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories in Piscataway, N.J., until 1980. He received a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences from Clemson in 1983. He an associate professor in the School of Computing and director of the Institute of Modeling and Simulation Applications.

Garrett received her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering at Clemson in 1999 and her master’s and Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Purdue University in 2002 and 2007, respectively. During her master’s degree program she worked in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center before transitioning to health care systems for her dissertation. Her current research focuses on cognitive human factors in complex systems, such as health care systems engineering. Garrett is the Student Affairs chairwoman for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and is on the Academic Outreach Committee for the Society of Health Systems. She also is a member of several professional associations and has headed a Creative Inquiry project since 2008.

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Delta Alpha Pi
Delta Alpha Pi, founded in 2004 at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, recognizes the academic accomplishments of honor students who have disabilities. The three Greek letters stand for disability, achievement and pride. Students who meet the Delta Alpha Pi criteria receive a letter of invitation to participate through the established initiation process. All invited students, who have a documented disability, must work with the university's Office of Student Disability Services and demonstrate an interest in disability issues. Undergraduate students must have completed a minimum of 24 credits and attained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.10. Graduate students must have completed a minimum of 18 credits and earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30. Clemson’s Nu Chapter was established in 2008.