Three UNK faculty members recognized with prestigious Pratt-Heins Awards.

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) – Kyle Luthans, Miechelle McKelvey and Theresa Wadkins accepted the prestigious Pratt-Heins Awards during the annual Faculty/Staff Convocation in the Fine Arts Recital Hall. Each honoree received a plaque and $2,000.

The Pratt-Heins Awards were established to memorialize the exemplary life and public service of Warren Pratt and his daughter Ruth E. Heins. Pratt was a businessman, civic leader and attorney in the Pratt, Hamer and Tye law firm in Kearney. Heins graduated from the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney in 1914 and taught at Kearney Public Schools.

The Pratt-Heins Foundation has sponsored the awards for the past 41 years.

• KYLE LUTHANS – PRATT-HEINS AWARD FOR SCHOLARSHIP AND RESEARCH

Luthans joined the UNK faculty in 1999 and currently serves as a professor and chair in the Department of Management. He’s also been the John Becker Endowed Professor of Business since 2011.

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus, Luthans has published 27 articles in refereed journals, including prestigious publications such as Human Resource Management, the Journal of Management Education and Business Horizons. His research has been cited more than 4,500 times and he’s presented at numerous national and international conferences.

• MIECHELLE MCKELVEY – PRATT-HEINS AWARD FOR SERVICE

A UNK faculty member for 16 years, McKelvey strives to build relationships across the university and community to achieve a common goal. It’s important to her to see others succeed, whether it be a student in the classroom, a colleague pursuing their own journey in teaching or research, a staff member wanting to improve their work environment or a community member looking to enhance some aspect of their surroundings.

In the Department of Communication Disorders, where she’s a professor and chair, McKelvey helped create an innovative team that engages students and mentors rising stars in the faculty. As a result, her department recently received the Teamwork Excellence Award from UNK Staff Senate. McKelvey also initiated the creation of an online master’s program in communication disorders.

• THERESA WADKINS – PRATT-HEINS AWARD FOR TEACHING

A graduate of Kearney State College, Wadkins started her teaching career as a lecturer here in 1990 and steadily advanced to full professor.

She served as chair of the Department of Psychology for seven years and currently leads the long-term care management master’s degree program. She’s also interim chair of the Department of Criminal Justice.

Wadkins is a pioneer in alternative teaching formats. Early in her career, she helped launch telecourses in general psychology and abnormal behavior and society through the personalized system of instruction. Long before COVID, she developed an array of online courses covering topics such as criminal behavior and psychology, memory and cognition and health care ethics.

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