ITTA BENA, Miss.— Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dr. Candace Carter-Stevens and senior Math and Computer Science major Henry Akaeze will represent Mississippi Valley State University during the 31st Annual Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) program, slated for Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Jackson.
Each year, HEADWAE honors an outstanding faculty member and outstanding student from each participating member institution of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities.
"I am very grateful to have been chosen for such an amazing distinction,” said Akaeze, a native of Nigeria. I owe to Valley, especially the Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences (MCIS) Department, for the scholar I have become over the last four years. I dedicate the award to my parents who are watching from up above and to everyone who has helped me get to where I am today. I am very grateful.”
Cleveland, Miss. native Carter-Stevens also expressed gratitude for being named the faculty representative for MVSU.
“I am grateful and humbled Mississippi Valley State University has afforded me the opportunity to represent our institution as the 2018 HEADWAE faculty honoree,” she said. However, this award is not about me; it’s about our amazing students at MVSU. The students motivate and inspire me to continue to learn and refine my teaching to become a more efficient and effective educator.”
The honorees will begin the day with a visit to the State Capitol where they will be recognized by the Senate and House of Representatives and given a tour of the Capitol. The tour will be followed by an awards luncheon, during which Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant will deliver the keynote address.
“We are so pleased that Governor Bryant will deliver the keynote address for the HEADWAE Luncheon this year,” said Dr. Glenn Boyce, Commissioner of Higher Education. “He has been a stalwart supporter of this program for many years and his presence will mean a great deal to the student and faculty.”
HEADWAE was established by a Mississippi Legislative Resolution to annually honor the academically talented students and faculty members of Mississippi's higher education institutions who have made outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence.
The Appreciation Day, hosted by the Legislature each February in Jackson, is the Legislature's way of saying "thank you" to students and faculty for their commitment to the future of Mississippi.