“I feel very honored and am very appreciative to receive this award,” said John E. Lochman, the Doddridge Saxon chairman in UA’s clinical psychology department.

The annual award recognizes professors from the 14 SEC member universities who have meritorious records in teaching and scholarship and who serve as role models for other faculty and students, according to a news release from the SEC.

Lochman will receive a $5,000 honorarium from the Southeastern Conference and will be UA’s nominee for the SEC Professor of the Year Award. The SEC Professor of the Year receives an additional $15,000 honorarium and will be presented at the annual SEC awards dinner in Destin, Fla.

Lochman said he will be proud to represent UA in the Professor of the Year competition.

“I really have enjoyed my time at UA. The school has played an important role in my life,” said Lochman, who is in his 15th year at the Capstone.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a great group of colleagues, graduate and undergraduate students in my time here,” he said.

The 64-year-old native of Springfield, Ill., earned a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University. He earned a master of arts in psychology and a Ph.D in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut.

Lochman also directs the Center for Prevention of Youth Problem Behavior at UA and now serves as president of the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice of the American Psychological Association.

“The SEC Faculty Achievement Awards provide an opportunity for each SEC university to showcase the strengths of its faculty, who excel in many disciplines with varying areas of expertise,” Auburn University President Jay Gogue, who is also president of the Southeastern Conference, said in a news release. “In the SEC, we are fortunate to have professors who understand the value of classroom instruction, research guidance and scholarly contributions to the overall success of student education.”

Chosen by a selection committee of SEC Provosts, the SEC Faculty Achievement Awards and the SEC Professor of the Year Award are part of a set of non-athletically related activities the Southeastern Conference has undertaken to encourage academic leadership and collaboration within the SEC membership.