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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 Edward W. Ahart ’69, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented awards and citations.
Photos of Award Winners and Reception
Weiss recognized William J. Collins, associate professor of computer science, and Ann V. McGillicuddy-DeLisi, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Psychology, who are retiring and have been elected to emeritus status. He also recognized Karen O’Reilly, who is retiring as payroll manager in the Controller’s Office, and Charles Norman, who is retiring as Roman Catholic chaplain.
Read about Collins and McGillicuddy-DeLisi.
Ahart recognized retiring trustees Jeffrey P. Feather ’65 and Michael H. Moskow ’59, who have been elected to emeritus status. Also leaving the board is Megan Axelrod ’74, who is concluding a five-year term as alumni trustee.
Read about Feather and Moskow.
Ahart announced that James R. Birle, Jr. ’83, John A. Fry ’82, and Douglas R. Marvin ’69 were elected to the board. Each will begin five-year terms 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 Diane Cole Ahl, Arthur J. and Barbara Rothkopf Professor of Art History; James Ferri, associate professor of chemical engineering; Yvonne Gindt, associate professor of chemistry; and Bruce Murphy, Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights. An endowed fund established by Walter A. Scott ’59 and his wife, Kate, provides for four annual awards.
Robert Mattison, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Art, 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.
Mary Armstrong, associate professor of English and chair of women’s and gender studies, 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.
James Dearworth, assistant 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.
The B. Vincent Viscomi Engineering Prize for Excellence in Mentoring and Teaching was awarded to Yih-Choung Yu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Viscomi, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, taught at the College for 41 years, including 14 as head of civil engineering.
Rebecca Kissane, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology, 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.
Andrew Smith, associate professor of English and chair of film and media studies, 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.
Scott Hummel, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.
Paul Cefalu, associate professor of English, received Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarly contribution to his discipline.
Steven Mylon, assistant professor of chemistry, and Joseph Shieber, associate professor of philosophy, 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 2011-12 academic year.
Also recognized were this year’s Jones Faculty Lecturers, Justin Corvino, assistant professor of mathematics, and Alix Ohlin, assistant professor of English.
Denise Galarza Sepúlveda, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures, received the Office of Intercultural Development’s Excellence in Diversity Education Award.
Jamila Bookwala, associate professor of psychology, and David Stifel, associate professor of economics, are the recipients of Student Government Superior Teaching Awards.
John Colatch, College chaplain and director of religious life, and Michael S. Jordan, director of international and off-campus education, 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.
Pamela E. Brewer, associate dean of students and director of student life programs, and Kimberly A. Spang, associate vice president for development & advancement services, are the recipients 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.
The recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes sustained, distinguished performance by members of the support staff, plant operations, public safety, and administrative staff, are Robert Bouton, technician in psychology; George Bright, associate director of athletics; Roger Clow, director of College communications; Patsyann Long, administrative assistant in the Office of the Provost; and Paulette Poloni, director of administrative information systems. Bright, Clow, and Poloni received their awards this evening. Bouton and Long will receive theirs at events later in the year.
Eight faculty members and two administrators were honored for 25 years of service to Lafayette. They are Evan D. Fisher, professor of mathematics; Gary P. Gordon, professor of mathematics; H. David Husic, professor of chemistry, John T. McCartney, professor of government and law; Elizabeth W. McMahon, professor of mathematics; Joshua I. Miller, professor of government and law; Julio A. Piazza, instructor and head coach of track and field/cross country; George M. Rosa, professor of foreign languages and literatures; Suzanne R. Westfall, professor of English; Paul H. Zimmerman, associate vice president and controller.
Six 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; Robert I. Weiner, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of History (1969); Rado Pribic, Oliver Edwin Williams Professor of Languages (1971); Jerome F. Heavey, professor of economics (1973); Anthony D. Novaco, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Physics (1973); and Howard G. Schneiderman, professor of anthropology and sociology (1973).
David A. Veshosky, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, received the Daniel L. Golden ’34 Faculty Service Award in recognition of distinguished service to Lafayette through the Alumni Association and alumni activities.
A number of faculty promotions will take effect with the 2011-12 academic year. The following faculty members have been promoted to associate professor with tenure: James Dearworth (biology), Rebecca Kissane (anthropology and sociology), Steven Mylon (chemistry), and Todd Wey (electrical and computer engineering). James DeVault (economics), Scott Hummel (mechanical engineering), Robert Root (mathematics), David Shulman (anthropology and sociology), and Andrew Vinchur (psychology) have been promoted to full professor.