Five honored at 10th annual UAB National Alumni Society luncheon

The University of Alabama at Birmingham National Alumni Society (NAS) bestowed honors for professional achievement and philanthropy to five people Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, at the 10th annual Alumni Leadership Recognition Awards and Scholarship Luncheon at The Club.

 September 23, 2010

Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham National Alumni Society (NAS) bestowed honors for professional achievement and philanthropy to five people Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, at the 10th annual Alumni Leadership Recognition Awards and Scholarship Luncheon at The Club.

Charles Watkins, Ph.D., received the Ellen Greg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching. The award is presented annually to a full-time, regular UAB faculty member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to teaching throughout his or her career at UAB. It is considered the highest annual prize for teaching presented by the university. To be eligible, faculty members must be past recipients of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and have taught at UAB for 20 or more years. Watkins was selected for the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008. Watkins, a chemistry professor at UAB for 40 years, recently retired but is still teaching.

Marquita Davis, Ph.D., received the 2010 NAS Distinguished Alumni Award. The award is given each year to a UAB graduate for outstanding professional and community accomplishments. Davis has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, non-profit service and state government. In 2008, she was appointed by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to serve as the commissioner of the Department of Children's Affairs. She received her doctorate in early childhood education and development from UAB in 1998. In 2008, she received the Childcare Resources' Children's Advocate Award "Friend of the Children" and the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award. 

Andrew Marsch III received the NAS Honorary Alumnus Award for exceptional contributions to UAB and its programs. Marsch has served UAB for more than 27 years and has been assistant vice president for Student Life since 1998. He directs programs including Athletic Team Support, Campus Recreation, Counseling and Wellness, Non-academic Student Conduct, Student Involvement, Student Media and the Women's Center. From 1990-1998 he was associate dean for Student Life/director of Student Programs and from 1989-90 was assistant dean. He was UAB's first full-time director of intramural and recreational sports from 1983-1989. He is now UAB's Title IX officer and ADA officer and serves on the University Care Team, Core Curriculum Steering Committee, Athletic Advisory Council, Campus Planning, Safety Committee, chairs the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges selection committee, Board of Student Media and Program Allocation Board. Marsch was integrally involved in the planning and development of the Campus Recreation Center. He also was president of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs and on its foundation.

Zack Cloud received the NAS Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. The award is presented to a UAB alumnus who has graduated from the university within the past 10 years. Cloud is a vice president in the fixed income division of Morgan Stanley and has been employed with the firm since 2005. A 2002 graduate of the UAB School of Business with bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance, Cloud has been an integral part of creating the UAB New York Alumni Chapter, of which he is chapter president. 

Earl Foust was honored as an NAS Honorary Life Member. Foust is president of Valmont Global Utility Division and Valmont Newmark Inc. He has received numerous industry awards, including the 1992 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Birmingham Chapter Engineer of the Year and the 1993 Birmingham Engineering Council's Engineer of the Year. In 2007, he was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and in March 2010 was appointed by the governor to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors for a five-year term. 

About the UAB National Alumni Society

The UAB National Alumni Society (NAS) has more than 9,500 members and 62 chapters around the world. It provides support to the university through scholarships, grants and gifts, and offers its members personal and professional networking opportunities.