Lafayette Faculty and Staff Saluted for Distinguished Teaching, Scholarship, and Service

Outstanding professors and other members of the Lafayette community were honored tonight for distinguished teaching, scholarly research, and service to the College at Lafayette’s annual pre-Commencement awards dinner.

President Daniel H. Weiss, Wendy L. Hill, provost and dean of the faculty, and Alan R. Griffith ’64, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented awards and citations.

Weiss recognized June Schlueter, Charles A. Dana Professor of English, and Mercedes Benitez Sharpless, librarian in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights, who are retiring and have been elected to emerita status. He also recognized John Piper, who is retiring as coordinator of sports clubs, and Linda Thomson, who is retiring as assistant to the vice president for College Relations. James Woolley, Smith Professor of English, was also recognized for his 11 years of service as clerk of the faculty. Susan A. Niles, professor of anthropology, will succeed Woolley as clerk in July.

Griffith recognized retiring trustee Riley Temple ’71, the vice chair of the Board, who has been elected to emeritus status. Also leaving the board is E.Mimi MacLean ’93,who is concluding a five-year term as alumni trustee. Nancy Brennan Lund ’74 will succeed Temple as vice chair.

Griffith announced that J.B. Reilly ’83 and Sylvia Daniels Weaver ’75 were elected to the board. Each will begin a five-year term July 1.

The evening featured the awarding of prizes in recognition of exceptional teaching, scholarship, and service to Lafayette. The awards are funded through designated gifts to the endowment.

Marquis Distinguished Teaching Awards for distinctive and extraordinary teaching went to Terese Heidenwolf, associate director for research and instructional services in Skillman Library; Owen McLeod, associate professor of philosophy; Polly Piergiovanni, associate professor and head of chemical and biomolecular engineering; Lorenzo Traldi, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Mathematics. An endowed fund established by Walter A. Scott ’59 and his wife, Kate, provides for four annual awards.

Olga Anna Duhl, professor of foreign languages and literatures, received the Mary Louise Van Artsdalen Prize for outstanding scholarly achievement. The award was established by Dr. Ervin R. Van Artsdalen ’35 in memory of his wife.

Robert Kurt, associate professor of biology, is the recipient of the Delta Upsilon Distinguished Mentoring and Teaching Award. The award was established in 2000 by alumni of the Lafayette chapter of Delta Upsilon fraternity on the 115th anniversary of the fraternity’s founding. It recognizes members of the faculty for distinctive and extraordinary teaching through mentoring, which may include advising, undergraduate research, independent study, or any of the many one-on-one mentoring activities that take place in a student-centered learning environment.

Patricia Donahue, professor of English, received the Carl R. and Ingeborg Beidleman Research Award recognizing excellence in applied research or scholarship. The prize was established by Carl R. Beidleman ’54, professor emeritus of finance at Lehigh University, and his wife, Ingeborg.

Rose Marie L. Bukics, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of Economics and Business, is the recipient of the James E. Lennertz Prize for Exceptional Teaching and Mentoring. Established by Leslie F. Muhlfelder ’81, the College’s vice president for human resources and general counsel, the award honors Lafayette faculty member James E. Lennertz, associate professor of government and law, for his exceptional teaching, devotion to students, and extraordinary ability to challenge students to realize their full intellectual potential.

Elizabeth McMahon, professor of mathematics, received the James P. Crawford Award. Established by Jonathan Bernon ’84, the prize rewards a faculty member who has demonstrated a high standard of classroom instruction. The award honors the late James P. Crawford, who taught in the Department of Mathematics from 1957 to 2003.

Deborah Byrd, associate professor of English, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.

Deborah Rosen, professor and head of history, received Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarly contribution to her discipline.

Yvonne Gindt, assistant professor of chemistry, and James Ferri, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, received Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Faculty Lecture Awards in recognition of excellence in teaching and scholarship. Each will deliver a featured lecture during the 2008-09 academic year.

Also recognized were this year’s Jones Faculty Lecturers, Chip Nataro, associate professor of chemistry, and Andrea L. Smith, associate professor of anthropology and sociology.

Jorge Torres, associate professor of music, received the Office of Intercultural Development’s Excellence in Diversity Education Award.

Ian Smith, associate professor of English, and John Shaw, associate professor of psychology, are the recipients of Student Government Superior Teaching Awards.

Mario Cozzubbo, associate director of plant operations for trades; Karen Forbes, director of counseling services; and Jeff Goldstein, director of health services, are recipients of the new Lafayette College Distinguished Service Award. It is presented annually to one or more employees who have either maintained a record of sustained outstanding service or performed a specific service during the year that contributed to the College’s success.

Bob Nourse, senior planned giving officer, is the recipient of the Gary A. Evans Administrative Prize, presented to an administrator or staff member who has provided a high level of service to the College, its alumni, or students over a substantial period of time. The award was established by an alumnus in tribute to the extraordinary service of Gary A. Evans ’57 to Lafayette over more than three decades, including service as director of admissions, vice president for college relations and development, and executive assistant to the president.

Susan Burns, senior associate director of admissions, and David Johnson, associate provost, received the Cyrus S. Fleck Jr. ’52 Administrator of the Year Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the campus community. Cy Fleck, for whom the award, instituted in 2002, is named, served Lafayette as an administrator for more than four decades, including 32 years as registrar.

Five faculty members and four administrators were honored for 25 years of service to Lafayette. They are G. Lyle Hoffman, professor and head of physics; Wayne S. Leibel, Kreider Professor and head of biology; Clifford A. Reiter, professor of mathematics; Thomas R. Yuster, associate professor of mathematics; Mercedes B. Sharpless, librarian at Kirby Library; Diana Buchok, manager Public Safety Operations; Thomas DeFazio, coordinator of chemical and environmental engineering laboratories; Hugh Harris, director of Public Safety; James Meyer, assistant director of Public Safety.

Robert S. Mattison, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Art History, and Diane Windham Shaw, special collections Librarian and College archivist, received the Daniel L. Golden ’34 Faculty Service Award in recognition of distinguished service to Lafayette through the Alumni Association and alumni activities.

Five faculty members received Joseph Johnson Hardy Memorial Fund Awards. The award was established in 1923 by Harry S. Gay 1882 in memory of Professor Hardy, who taught mathematics and astronomy at Lafayette from 1870 to 1915. The income from this fund is divided annually among the five members of the faculty who have achieved the longest continuous service to Lafayette without regard to rank.

Honored were Edward R. McDonald, professor of foreign languages and literatures, who joined the faculty in 1964; Stephen E. Lammers, Helen H.P. Manson Professor of the English Bible in the Department of Religious Studies (1969); Robert I. Weiner, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of History (1969); Rado Pribic, Oliver Edwin Williams Professor of Languages (1971), and Dan F. Bauer, professor of anthropology and sociology (1972).

A number of faculty promotions will take effect with the 2008-09 academic year. The following faculty members have been promoted to associate professor with tenure: Yvonne Gindt, assistant professor of chemistry; Qin Lu, assistant professor of mathematics; Christopher Ruebeck, assistant professor of economics and business; Skip Wilkins, assistant professor of music; and Yih-Choung Yu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Sharon Jones, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been promoted to full professor. Jorge Torres, associate professor of music, has been granted tenure.