Awards and Accolades

By Jade Norden, University Communications
June 17, 2026
University earns three Telly Awards 
Arlene Islas

Arlene Islas

Three U of A projects have won Telly Awards, an international honor recognizing excellence in video and television. 

The 2026 U of A award recipients, announced in May, are below. 

The projects were directed by Arlene Islas, video communications manager and broadcast director in University Marketing and Communications. 

The Telly Awards received nearly 14,000 entries from 55 countries this year. Entries were reviewed by a judging council, featuring more than 250 video experts across the world. 

AZPM receives Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards 
Illustration of a jewelry maker working at a bench under a task lamp, with the Arizona Illustrated logo and the text: “Eveli—A Jeweler, A Dreamer.”

AZPM's project "Eveli: A Jeweler, A Dreamer" received a 2026 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation in the Small Market Television category.

Arizona Public Media was honored with eight Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, including a third consecutive Excellence in Innovation award. 

These awards, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, recognize exceptional storytelling, investigative reporting, innovative community collaborations and commitment to public service journalism. Regional winners are automatically entered into the national competition, to be announced later this year. 

The 2026 AZPM Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards include: 

Small Market Television Category 

Small Market Radio Category 

The RTDNA, the largest professional broadcast and digital journalism organization, promotes and protects responsible journalism. 

Read more about the awards in a story on the AZPM website. 

Savir-Baruch recognized by SNMMI 
Bital Savir-Baruch

Bital Savir-Baruch

Dr. Bital Savir-Baruch, professor of radiology and imaging sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, received the Steven M. Pinsky Distinguished Service Award/Gold Medal from the Central Chapter Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) in March. 

The award, named for the late Pinsky, a nuclear medicine physician devoted to radiology and nuclear medicine education, recognizes chapter members who have contributed to the betterment of nuclear medicine and SNMMI. 

Savir-Baruch's philosophy of care provides patients with exceptional service in diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging and radioablation therapy, according to the society. She is also an active member of SNMMI. 

SNMMI provides opportunities for continuing education and discourse in the science and advancement of nuclear medicine. 

Read more about the award. 

WOW Center wins AACTE award  
Library reading area with bookshelves, tables, and several people studying and sitting together in a bright, welcoming space.

The College of Education’s Worlds of Words Center of Global Literacies and Literatures won the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s 2026 Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives. 

The College of Education's Worlds of Words Center of Global Literacies and Literatures received the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education's 2026 Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives.  

The award honors programs or organizations that advance intercultural, global, cross-cultural and international perspectives in educator preparation.  

The WOW Center holds approximately 40,000 volumes of children's and adolescent literature focusing on world cultures and indigenous peoples – the largest collection of its kind in the U.S.  

The award was presented to Kathy G. Short, director of WOW and Regents Professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies, during the AACTE 2026 conference in February in New Orleans.  

AACTE elevates education and educator preparation through research, professional practice, advocacy, and collaboration.