Christina Janise Wickard, Ph.D, associate professor of undergraduate education in Midwestern State University’s Gordon T. & Ellen West College of Education, is the recipient of the 2023 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award. The award was presented Monday, Feb. 13, by Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., and MSU Texas Interim President Keith Lamb.

The research award is one of two awards presented annually at each TTU System component institution through the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards (CCDTRA) that recognize academic excellence across the Texas Tech University System.

Wickard (formerly McIntyre) is coordinator of the curriculum and instruction graduate program. She teaches field-based English and reading methods, educational psychology, and graduate curriculum courses. She has published articles on a variety of topics such as culturally responsive teaching and content area movement integration; however, her main research interests focus primarily on pre-service teacher professional development and pedagogy.

“I am interested in a lot of different areas of research, but as diverse as my interests are they all seem to focus on the main topic of preparing future teachers for the diverse classrooms they will be teaching in,” Wickard said. “That is also what my teaching focuses on as well. I teach educational psychology, methods of teaching English, and classroom management so my research helps support what I do in the classroom.”

Interim President Keith Lamb said he was thrilled that Wickard was named an award recipient. “Dr. Wickard has more than 30 peer-reviewed publications since coming to MSU Texas some 10 years ago,” Lamb said. “Her primary research interests are on pre-service teacher professional development and pedagogy. Indicative of her dedication to our students, Dr. Wickard consistently mentors students in their own research.”

“I am sincerely humbled by this award and it is nice to receive this amazing support and recognition from my colleagues and the university,” Wickard said. “The majority of my research is collaborative so I owe my success to the people around me, such as my husband, but especially my colleagues in the West College of Education and the West Foundation.”

She was awarded the Gordon T. and Ellen West Foundation Distinguished Professor from 2019 to 2022. Before entering higher education, Wickard was a classroom teacher and counselor and one of her most cherished accomplishments was being selected as a finalist for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.