Faculty Excellence

Dr. Crystal D. Tran has demonstrated outstanding teaching excellence and unparallel distinction in service to student learning and research within and beyond the confines of the University of St. Thomas classroom. This is in addition to her myriad additional duties as a department chair, long-serving Faculty Senate representative, and Institutional Review Board member where she has not only mentored students in ethical research and leadership, but also demonstrated cross-disciplinary excellence as a faculty-mentor and critical support system. Dr. Tran is a leader in teaching, learning and inclusion as demonstrated in her “Let’s Discuss Discussions”  at the "Anthology Together" 2023 Conference in July, to an international audience from over 40 nations. Having taught over 12 different Psychology courses at the University of St. Thomas with a consistent 4.80 to 5.00 student course evaluation average rating, Dr. Tran's exemplary dedication to students' holistic, differentiated, applied, and collaborative lifelong learning is laudable and highly celebrated. In the words of her student nominator: “Dr. Tran always goes above and beyond to help her students. The mere existence of the class careers in psychology is thanks to her and her care for students' success. She has helped me countless times outside of her normal office hours and she has found a way to help me even when she had to go an extra mile for that such as when she had to leave the office early, but I had a deadline to meet, and she still met with me over zoom. She thinks first of what is good for the students and advises from a place of deep kindness seeing the students' needs and aspirations rather than what is always convenient." Congratulations, Dr. Tran!

Cullen Foundation Chair in English Literature Dr. James Matthew Wilson has exemplified the spirit of intellectual excellence in research and publishing, in addition to directing UST’s popular Master of Fine Arts in writing program. The author of fourteen books, four of them have come in the last year. A prolific and highly regarded poet, his most recent collections of poems include Saint Thomas and the Forbidden Birds (Word on Fire, 2024) and Two Poems for Martyrs (Benedict XVI Institute, 2023). T. S. Eliot: Culture and Anarchy (Wiseblood, 2024) appeared in their Wiseblood Essays in Contemporary Culture series. And a massive work on the Catholic influence on three Irish poets was also released: Catholic Modernism and the Irish “Avant-Garde”: The Achievement of Brian Coffey, Denis Devlin, and Thomas MacGreevy (CUA Press, 2024). This is in addition to a raft of articles and essays in peer-reviewed, public, and popular journals, and work on a new monograph, The Wayward Thomism of John Finlay, about the work of the 20th-century Alabama poet.

This follows a career of award-winning intellectual and creative work. The Strangeness of the Good (2020), won the poetry book of the year award from the Catholic Media Awards. The Dallas Institute of Humanities awarded him the Hiett Prize in 2017; Memoria College gave him the Parnassus Prize, in 2022; and the Conference on Christianity and Literature twice gave him the Lionel Basney Award. In addition to his role at the University of Saint Thomas, he serves as poet-in-residence of the Benedict XVI Institute, scholar-in-residence of Aquinas College, editor of Colosseum Books, and poetry editor of Modern Age magazine.

Dr. Michael E. Sullivan exemplifies the joyful spirit of Christian service, embodied in a sacred vocation of caring for others. As the Program Director of Graduate Studies, Project Director for Title V Grants (PSON), and Program Director of Health Care Administration Graduate Studies (CSB), Michael Sullivan has spearheaded numerous community health initiatives. Some of these include securing a grant for Naloxone kits distributed campus-wide and educating the community on a proactive response to campus drug overdose. During the pandemic, his partnerships with United Memorial Medical Center and the City of Houston enabled UST to provide over 1900 free covid tests and administer over 1800 vaccinations. Annually, he coordinates the administration of the flu vaccine to faculty, staff, students, and the community at large, and he recently penned a “Healthy Living Community Resource Manual” to address healthcare access and help provide ancillary support services to those needing them.

In his mission of forming the next generation of nurses, Dr. Sullivan has established an extensive network of partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations. With creative problem solving, skilled resource acquisition, and a heart of gold, Michael Sullivan continues to make an enduring impact in the lives of many. With this award, we recognize his compassionate service and dedication to the promotion of justice in the service of faith. Congratulations, Dr. Michael Sullivan!