School Announces Annual Faculty Awards

UNC School of Law presented four awards to distinguished faculty on Friday, May 14, in an online ceremony.

The awards presented include:

The Robert G. Byrd Award for Excellence and Creativity in Teaching, awarded to Beth S. Posner ’97, Clinical Associate Professor of Law. The Byrd Award is named for Robert G. Byrd, an alumnus of the school who served as a member of the faculty from 1963 until 2004, and as dean from 1974-1979.

The James H. Chadbourn Award for Excellence in Scholarship, awarded to Rick Su, Professor of Law. The Chadbourn Award is named for James H. Chadbourn, editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review in 1930-1931, a member of the Carolina Law faculty from 1931-1936, and a co-author of leading texts in civil procedure, federal court and evidence. In 1933, while at UNC, Chadbourn bravely authored a controversial work titled “Lynching and the Law.” This award honors a faculty member’s distinguished law journal article. Su was recognized for his article “Democracy in Rural America” (98 N.C. L. REV. 837).

The Van Hecke-Wettach Award, awarded to Maxine Eichner, Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Law. Every other year, this award—named for two Carolina Law deans of the 1930s and 1940s respectively, Maruice Van Hecke and Robert Wettach—is conferred for the completion of an outstanding book or monograph. Eichner was recognized for her book The Free-Market Family: How the Market Crushed the American Dream (and How It Can Be Restored) (Oxford University Press, 2020).

The Charles E. Daye Award for Excellence in Service, awarded to Donna L. Nixon, Clinical Professor of Law & Electronic Resources Librarian. This award is conferred annually based on service performed within the two years prior to the year in which the award is given. A faculty member is honored for exemplary public service, measured by the time, effort and creativity devoted to service, as well as the impact on the community.