Carroll College honors two faculty members during commencement week

Carroll College marked its 116th commencement week by honoring Dr. Julian Nolen and Dr. John Rowley, two faculty members whose work shapes students long before they cross the stage at Nelson Stadium. The college conferred degrees on 281 graduates at Saturday’s ceremony, but the awards highlighted the teaching and research that help define the Helena school’s identity.

Nolen received Carroll’s 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award, which the college says is given by faculty, staff and students to recognize an exemplary educator. Carroll lists Nolen as an associate professor of psychology, a licensed psychologist and owner of Montana Counseling and Assessment. He earned his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 2015 and brings more than 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families.

At Carroll, Nolen teaches experiential and adventure therapy alongside other psychology courses, and the college points to his use of immersive learning, real-world applications and study abroad experiences in Costa Rica and Scandinavia. Those examples matter at a school where students often want more than textbook theory. Nolen’s classes are built around practice, connection and, as Carroll describes it, frequent laughter, giving psychology majors direct experience that can translate into counseling, human services and other people-centered careers.

Rowley received the Distinguished Scholar Award, presented by faculty, staff and students for significant scholarly contribution to a discipline. Carroll lists him as an associate professor of chemistry with interests in physical chemistry, photoelectrolysis, electron transfer and renewable energy. His work has helped build an undergraduate research culture that gives Carroll students access to hands-on science with practical value in fields such as energy and materials research.

Rowley was selected as a 2025-26 Fulbright Scholar to teach and conduct research at the University of Rwanda in Kigali, an opportunity tied to a spring 2024 Carroll trip to Rwanda and the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology. He is one of 13 Carroll faculty members to receive a Fulbright award since 1987, a sign of the college’s long-running international reach. Carroll also said Rowley helped create three course-based undergraduate research experiences that span the freshman to senior level, and he has supported summer research students through external grants.

The college said Rowley received a $45,812 Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence grant in April 2025 for a UV-Vis-NIR and fluorescence spectrophotometer. More than 75 Carroll students used spectroscopic techniques in research and coursework between spring and fall 2024. Together, the honors show how Carroll uses faculty excellence to recruit students, strengthen academic loyalty and prepare graduates for work and graduate study after they leave Helena.