George Shields, Furman University vice president for academic affairs and provost, is one of three professors from across the nation to be named a 2018 Cottrell Scholar TREE Award recipient.

The Transformational Research and Excellence in Education awards are presented by Research Corporation and recognize the “outstanding research and educational accomplishments” of the organization’s Cottrell Scholars. Shields, who is also a professor of chemistry at Furman, was named a Cottrell Scholar in 1994 and is the first professor from a primarily undergraduate institution to receive the TREE Award.

“This is an exceptional honor for George and for Furman,” said President Elizabeth Davis. “George is a notable scientist who has made highly significant, internationally regarded contributions to the field of computational chemistry for decades, even while serving as Furman’s provost. We’re exceptionally proud of this accomplishment and George’s continuing efforts to champion high-impact undergraduate research through The Furman Advantage and nationally.”

The TREE Award consists of an unrestricted $20,000 award sent to the awardee’s institution on behalf of the recipient’s educational and scholarly work. An additional $5,000 award is provided to the recipient to support lectures and travel to other institutions to help broadly communicate innovative research and educational accomplishments.

As Furman’s chief academic officer, Shields is responsible for the faculty and related administrative departments that support all undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. He came to Furman in 2016 from Bucknell University, where he served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and was a professor in the chemistry department. He has also taught at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Hamilton College and Lake Forest College.