BRIDGEWATER, VA (Rocktown Now) – Bridgewater College remembered the founder of the College with the recent presentation of awards to three faculty members for their reported excellence in teaching and scholarship, two staff members for dedicated service and one student for academic excellence. 

Awards were presented to the following:

MARTHA B. THORNTON FACULTY RECOGNITION AWARD
Professor Benjamin M. Erickson
Senior Instructor of Communication Studies

Professor Benjamin M. Erickson, Senior Instructor of Communication Studies, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2006. He earned his M.A. in communication from University of Maine, Orono, earlier that year. In addition to teaching a variety of undergraduate communications courses, Erickson is also coordinator of the Master of Arts in Digital Media Strategy program and teaches the sequence of courses in which students complete their final projects for the degree. Erickson also serves as Director of Community Engagement, connecting faculty and students to community organizations for service-learning and volunteer opportunities; advises the APO service fraternity and the Student Support Foundation; and is Co-Director of the Future Scholars Institute, a program that brings underserved high school students to BC in the summer. Prior to coming to BC, Erickson worked on state-level political campaigns in Maine. His research interests include political campaign rhetoric, public speaking pedagogy and the use of service-learning in the classroom.

BEN AND JANICE WADE OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD
Dr. Elizabeth E. MacDougall
Professor of Psychology

Dr. Elizabeth Eaton MacDougall, Professor of Psychology, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2020. She earned her B.S. in psychology from Geneva College in 1988, her M.A. in clinical psychology from Loyola University Maryland in 1990 and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1994. MacDougall teaches a variety of undergraduate psychology courses, including Clinical Psychology, Applied Neuropsychology, and Measurement & Statistics. She also serves as Director of Student Research in a role that manages BC’s donor-funded summer research projects, The Research Experience @ Bridgewater and the Martin Science Research Institute, as well as other student research opportunities. She also advises the Bridgewater Chapter of Psi Chi, the psychology honor society. Prior to coming to BC, MacDougall taught at Hood College and Loyola University Maryland. She also consulted as a clinical psychologist, mostly working with geriatric patients. Her research interests include psychometrics, geriatric assessment and the psychology of religion and spirituality.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Dr. Jennie M. Carr
Associate Professor of Education

Dr. Jennie M. Carr, Associate Professor of Education, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2012. She earned her B.S. in liberal studies from Bridgewater College in 2005, her M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Eastern Mennonite University in 2009 and her Ph.D. in curriculum and teaching from Northcentral University in 2012. Carr teaches several methodology courses in the Teacher Education Program and serves as Clinical Partnership Coordinator, advising and assisting students with hands-on experiences. As the Elementary Education Program Coordinator, Carr developed the curriculum for BC’s new elementary education major, launched in fall 2025. She is the NCAA Faculty Athletics representative and the athletic team mentor for the men’s and women’s soccer teams. Prior to coming to BC, Carr was an elementary teacher for Rockingham County (Va.) Public Schools. Carr’s research focuses on instructional technology, mathematics instruction and teacher candidate perceptions. She has authored three book chapters and over 35 articles in the field of education.

JAMES O. AND SYLVIA KLINE BOWMAN PEACE AND JUSTICE AWARD
James O. Yeboah
Area Coordinator for Training, Education & Accountability

James O. Yeboah, Area Coordinator for Training, Education & Accountability, came to Bridgewater College as a first-year student in 2019 and has been an active member of the College community ever since. He earned a B.S. in biology in 2023 and an M.S. in human resource management in 2025, both from BC. Yeboah began his career at Bridgewater as a Resident Advisor during his sophomore year, advancing to Senior Resident Advisor and then, upon graduation, to a full-time position as Area Coordinator. In his current role, Yeboah leads residence life training, education and accountability initiatives; supervises and mentors resident advisors; and works with departments across campus to support students and respond to crises. Yeboah says his work centers on building safe communities and supporting student growth and accountability. A former captain of the men’s soccer team, Yeboah has also served as a youth soccer coach for Harrisonburg (Va.) Parks & Recreation and as a volunteer at Sunnyside Retirement Community. 

DANIEL CHRISTIAN FLORY AWARD
Elizabeth J. Henderson
Associate Director of Financial Aid

Elizabeth J. “Betsy” Henderson, Associate Director of Financial Aid, joined Bridgewater College in 2004 as a Financial Aid Counselor, working her way up to Assistant Director in 2009 and then to her current role. Henderson is responsible for managing the complex details of awarding millions of dollars of merit, federal, state and institutional aid to eligible students. She has also developed hundreds of database queries and reports to manage student aid and make sure the College remains compliant with various regulations. While she jokes that no one working as a financial aid professional ever dreamed of that job as a child, Henderson says that she loves the challenges of the role and enjoys working with students and colleagues at BC. Henderson earned a B.S. in psychology with a minor in business administration from Virginia Tech in 2004. Outside of work, Henderson is an active member of the Mill Creek Church of the Brethren.

BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE FOUNDER’S AWARD
Kristopher N. Schultz ’26 

Kristopher N. Schultz, from Altavista, Va., recently graduated with a major in health and exercise science and minors in Spanish and leadership with community engagement. He was a member of the men’s swimming team, chaired the BC Honor Council, served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was president of Eagles Christian Fellowship, a new club that was started earlier this year. Schultz also held several on-campus jobs, including Student Ambassador for the Office of Admissions, SOAR Mentor in Student Life and Lifeguard Supervisor for the Nininger Hall pool. Off campus, Schultz was a lieutenant on the Bridgewater (Va.) Volunteer Rescue Squad and worked at a summer camp in Tennessee for the past three summers. This summer Schultz will be moving to Charlottesville, Va., to take a position as a Pediatric Emergency Department Technician with UVA Health, and he plans to apply for an M.S. in nursing program to continue his education.