Faculty and Staff Saluted for Distinguished Teaching, Scholarship, and Service at Annual Awards Banquet

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

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President Allison Byerly, Wendy Hill, provost and dean of the faculty, and Edward Ahart ’69, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented awards and citations.

Byerly recognized Robert Cohn, Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Religious Studies and chair of the Jewish Studies program; John Greco, professor of electrical and computer engineering; David Johnson, professor of English; and Julio Piazza, instructor of athletics, who are retiring and have been elected to emeritus status. She also recognized Ellis Finger, who is retiring as director of the Williams Center for the Arts.

Read about the retiring faculty
Read Finger’s citation

Provost Wendy Hill, left, and President Alison Byerly presented awards to faculty and staff.

Ahart recognized trustee Susan Carras ’76, who has been elected to emerita status. Also leaving the board is Mary Stengel Austen ’86, who is concluding a five-year term as alumni trustee.

Read about Carras

Ahart announced that Dave Reif ’68 was elected to the board. He 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 Paul Barclay, associate professor of history; Anne Raich, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; Ida Sinkevic, associate professor of art; and Nancy Waters, associate professor of biology. An endowed fund established by Walter A. Scott ’59 and his wife, Kate, provides for four annual awards.

Paul Cefalu, professor of English, 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.

Lawrence Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences 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 Lennertz for his exceptional teaching, devotion to students, and extraordinary ability to challenge students to realize their full intellectual potential.

Angelika von Wahl, associate professor of international affairs, 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 its 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.

Edward Ahart ’69, left, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented a special award to trustee Carl Anderson ’67 for serving as chair of the Easton Committee since 2003.

The B. Vincent Viscomi Engineering Prize for Excellence in Mentoring and Teaching was awarded to Joshua Smith, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. Viscomi, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, taught at the College for 41 years, including 14 as head of civil engineering.

Justin Corvino, associate professor of mathematics, 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.

Jennifer Kelly, associate professor of music and director of choral activities, 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 Crawford, who taught in the Department of Mathematics from 1957 to 2003.

David Brandes, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.

Anthony Cummings, professor of music, received the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarly contribution to his discipline.

Christopher Phillips, assistant professor of English, and Rebekah Pite, assistant professor of history, 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 2014-15 academic year.

Also recognized were this year’s Jones Faculty Lecturers, Lisa Gabel, associate professor of psychology, and Caroline Lee, associate professor of anthropology and sociology,

The faculty of the Latin American and Caribbean studies program received the John T. McCartney Excellence in Diversity Education Award.

Rachel Goshgarian, assistant professor of history; and David Sunderlin, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences, are the recipients of Student Government Superior Teaching Awards.

Mary J.S. Roth ’83, associate provost for academic operations, 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.

Linda Arra ’74, executive director of career services, 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 positions as director of admissions, vice president for college relations and development, and executive assistant to the president.

Richard McAteer, member of the Board of Trustees Easton Committee, is the recipient of the Daniel H. Weiss Award for Leadership and Vision. Established by Michael LeWitt ’70 and Lynne LeWitt P’13, the award is presented annually to a Lafayette-related individual or group of individuals who have demonstrated leadership and vision.

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 Kimberly Beasley, administrative assistant to the vice president of development and college relations; Harry Folk, supervisor of the engineering machine shop; Todd Werkheiser, custodian; and John Wilson, geology lab coordinator.  Folk and Wilson were recognized this evening. Beasley and Werkheiser will receive their award at events later in the year.

Frank Tavani, Fred M. Kirby II ’42 Head Football Coach, received the Maroon Club Athletic Staff Achievement Award.  The award is given to a full-time athletics department staff member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the College and its athletics program.

Six faculty members and five administrators were honored for 25 years of service to Lafayette: Pamela Brewer, associate dean of students and director of student leadership; Susan Burns: assistant dean of admissions and director of technology; Arlina DeNardo, senior development officer; James DeVault, professor of economics; Karen Forbes, director of counseling services; Wendy Hill, provost and dean of the faculty; Donald Jackson, Hugel Professor of History; Lawrence Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences; Karl Seeler, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Andrew Vinchur, professor of psychology; and Nancy Williams, assistant to the provost.

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 McDonald, professor of foreign languages and literatures, who joined the faculty in 1964; Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History (1969); Rado Pribic, Williams Professor of Languages (1971); Jerome Heavey, professor of economics (1973); and Howard Schneiderman, professor of anthropology and sociology (1973).

Scott Hummel, professor of mechanical engineering and Jeffers Director of 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 2014-15 academic year. The following have been promoted to associate professor with tenure: Christopher Phillips (English), Rebekah Pite (history), Joshua Smith (mechanical engineering), and Julie Smith (economics). David Nice, associate professor of physics, has been granted tenure. David Brandes (civil and environmental engineering) and Polly Piergiovanni (chemical and biomolecular engineering) have been promoted to full professor.