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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 the annual pre-Commencement awards dinner.
John McKnight, dean of intercultural development, received the Daniel H. Weiss Award for Leadership and Vision.
President Alison Byerly, Provost Abu Rizvi, and Edward Ahart ’69, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented awards and citations.
Rizvi announced the appointment of Ian Smith, professor of English, as the inaugural Richard H., Jr. ’60 and Joan K. Sell Chair in the Humanities.
Byerly recognized William Miles, professor of chemistry, who is retiring and will be elected to emeritus status. Two former faculty members, Wendy Hill, William C. ’67 and Pamela H. Rappolt Professor of Neuroscience and Edward Gamber, David M. ’70 and Linda Roth Professor of Economics, will also be elected to emeritus status. Bryan Washington, associate professor of English, who passed away in December, has been awarded emeritus status.
Two members of the administration have retired this academic year. They are Nancy Ball, director of sponsored programs, and Joan Lichtenwalner, associate director of admissions.
Ahart recognized trustees Carl Anderson ’67, Joe Cox ’68, Doug Marvin ’69, and Peter Simon ’75, who are retiring from the board and will be elected to emeritus status. He announced that Trustee Barbara Levy ’77 will receive the Lafayette Medal for Distinguished Service at next week’s Commencement, and that board vice chair Steve Pryor ’71 will step down from that role but continue his service as a trustee.
Ahart also announced that Claudine Lilien ’90 and Alvin Yearwood ’83 will be elected to the board. They 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.
Luis Schettino, assistant professor psychology, received the Carl R. and Ingeborg Beidleman Research Award.
Marquis Distinguished Teaching Awards for distinctive and extraordinary teaching went to Mary Armstrong, associate professor of English and women’s and gender studies; Ismail Jouny, Charles A. Dana Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Caroline Lee, associate professor of anthropology and sociology; and Mary Jo Lodge, associate professor of theater. An endowed fund established by Walter A. Scott ’59 and his wife, Kate, provides for four annual awards.
David Nice, associate professor of physics, and Joshua Sanborn, professor of history, 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.
Chip Nataro, professor of chemistry, 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.
Elizabeth McMahon, professor of mathematics, 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.
Patsyann Long, administrative assistant in the provost’s office, is the recipient of the Gary A. Evans Administrative Prize.
Deborah Byrd, professor of English, 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.
The B. Vincent Viscomi Engineering Prize for Excellence in Mentoring and Teaching was awarded to Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. Viscomi, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, taught at the College for 41 years, including 14 as head of civil engineering.
Patricia Donahue, professor of English, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.
Luis Schettino, assistant professor psychology, 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.
Susan Basow, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology, received the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarly contributions to a discipline.
Alessandro Giovannelli, associate professor of philosophy, and Daniel Sabatino, assistant professor of mechanical 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 2016-17 academic year.
Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, was awarded The B. Vincent Viscomi Engineering Prize for Excellence in Mentoring and Teaching.
Also recognized were this year’s Jones Faculty Lecturers, Ingrid Furniss, associate professor of art, and Carrie Rohman, associate professor of English.
Two new awards were given out this year. The Faculty Award for Excellence in Community Engagement Pedagogy went to Art Kney, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and the Faculty Award for Distinguished Leadership in Community-Based Teaching and/or Research was given to Elaine Reynolds, associate professor of biology, and Rob Root, professor of mathematics.
Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History, received the John T. McCartney Excellence in Diversity Education Award.
Michael Nees, assistant professor psychology, and Joel Shelton, visiting assistant professor of government and law, are the recipients of Student Government Superior Teaching Awards.
Matthew Hyde dean of admissions, 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.
Patsyann Long, administrative assistant in the provost’s office, 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.
Mary Jo Lodge, associate professor of theater, received a Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award.
John McKnight, dean of intercultural development, received 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 Serena Ashmore, secretary in engineering; Lisa Karam, coordinator in engineering; Hannah Tatu, user services specialist; Mary Toulouse, director of the language lab; and C. Jayne Trent, secretary in mathematics. Karam, Tatu, and Toulouse received their awards this evening. Ashmore and Trent will be acknowledged at an event later in the year.
Dave Blasic, athletics business manager, 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.
Nine faculty members and five administrators were honored for 25 years of service to Lafayette:
Seven 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 members of the faculty who have achieved the longest continuous service to Lafayette without regard to rank. Honored were:
David Sunderlin, associate professor of geology and environmental sciences, 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 2016-17 academic year. The following have been promoted to associate professor with tenure: Peter Gildenhuys (philosophy), Kirk O’Riordan (music), Megan Rothenberger (biology), Daniel Sabatino (mechanical engineering), and Luis Schettino (psychology). Wendy Wilson-Fall, associate professor of Africana studies, has been awarded continuous tenure. Mary Armstrong (English/women’s and gender studies), Katalin Fábián (government and law), and Andrea Smith (anthropology and sociology) have been promoted to full professor.