During Berea College's 149th Commencement, the highest faculty honor -- the Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching -- was presented to Andrew Baskin, associate professor of Black Studies and General Studies.

Andrew Baskin and Janice Blythe were recognized during Commencement.

Baskin, who joined Berea's faculty in 1983, earned a bachelor of arts degree from Berea College in 1972 and a masters degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Prior to teaching general and Black Studies, Baskin served as director of the College's Black Cultural Center and taught in the history department. He is editor of THE GRIOT, the journal of the Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc. He currently serves as Vice President of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission. He is on the Kentucky Humanities Council's Speaker's Bureau, giving talks state-wide on "Berea College: Black and White Together" and "Lincoln Institute: The View from Berea College."

Professor Janice Blythe, professor of Child and Family Studies, and a Berea faculty member since 1986, received the Paul C. Hager Award for Excellence in Advising.