Megan Toland received the 2023-24 Arkansas Tech University Cupola Award during the ATU Evening of Excellence at the Hull Building Student Union on Monday, April 29.
Toland is associate professor of journalism in the ATU Department of Communication and Media Studies.
According to the criteria for the ATU Cupola Award, it is presented on an annual basis to an Arkansas Tech employee who has “gone above and beyond to deliver the highest standard of service for students and deserves to be recognized for consistently striving to achieve excellence.”
Toland is a two-time graduate of Arkansas Tech. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and a Master of Arts degree in multimedia journalism before embarking upon a career in public relations and marketing.
After five years in that profession, she became an adjunct instructor at ATU in 2013. Full-time employment as visiting instructor of journalism followed the next year, and it wasn’t long before she earned an appointment as assistant professor of journalism. The ATU Board of Trustees granted Toland tenure during the spring 2020 semester and she was promoted to associate professor in spring 2023.
Toland was voted ATU professor of the year by the Arkansas Tech student body in 2019-20 and she received the ATU College of Arts and Humanities Mentor Award for Distinguished Student Advising in 2022-23. She is faculty advisor for the ATU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
“This is one of those awards you read about someone else receiving and you are really happy for them,” said Toland. “It was me tonight, so it just means a lot. I’m here because of the students. I love my students and I love my job, so this helps to symbolize that.”
