C-N recognizes faculty, staff with highest honors

Carson-Newman University presented some of its highest awards to faculty and staff during its 57^th annual Honors Convocation on April 14.

Those honored were Jasmine Lindsey, Ande Munsey, and Julie Rabun.

The University presented Rabun with the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Award. The honor is the University’s highest recognition of a tenured faculty member who is active within the community and recognized by their peers, students and alumni as an outstanding teacher and mentor.

Rabun joined Carson-Newman’s art faculty in fall of 2002 and began serving as chair of the Art Department in 2014. Throughout her tenure, she has been credited for being an inspiring teacher in the classroom and a tireless mentor for her students.

She used her talents to help with C-N’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) on service-learning, creating a service-learning course in the graphic design program, which paired art students with non-profit organizations in need of professional design work. This and other efforts led her to be honored with a Twin Pillars Award for Service-Learning. Over the years, she has directed or served as a reader on multiple honors projects and has helped design C-N’s annual student and faculty literary journal, “Ampersand.”

Rabun has not only served as an ambassador for the Art Department, she has also sought to improve and enhance it. She established a Mac computer lab in the Warren Art Building and has helped maintain it. She oversaw a committee that launched a major outreach and fundraising effort that replaced all the windows in Warren. She also helped secure funding to maintain and upgrade the building’s two art galleries, the Michael Alvis Gallery and the Julie Rabun Student Gallery.

An artist and freelance graphic designer and illustrator, Rabun’s work has been featured in several publications, and her work has been showcased in numerous exhibits.

Rabun received her undergraduate degree from Rhode Island School of Design before earning her Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Jasmine Lindsey and Ande Munsey are this year’s recipients of the SOAR Award, the highest honor given to staff members. Recipients must have served C-N for at least five years and exhibit passion for furthering the University’s mission, excellence in their job performance, and positivity in their spirit and attitude.

As data management coordinator for C-N’s School of Education and Counseling, Lindsey is central to assisting faculty, supporting students, and collaborating with colleagues. Whether through assisting with administrative details for the William Blevins Institute for Spirituality and Mental Health or helping coordinate the Mossy Creek Literary Conference, she is often praised by her colleagues for her professionalism, grace, and integrity. She is credited with being creative, thoughtful and forward thinking, and dedicated to upholding the University’s Christ-centered mission.

Munsey serves as coordinator of institution research and development. A native of Morristown and resident of Talbott, Munsey has a reputation as a welcoming soul on campus. Of his some 30 years in higher education information technology, 12 have been at Mossy Creek. While at Carson-Newman he has shown a tireless dedication to his work while exhibiting a true dedication to the University’s mission. His colleagues describe his Christ-like humility and voice of encouragement. Munsey’s compassion for those around him is evident, as he often takes time in his busy day to help and to listen to others.