Faculty and staff saluted for distinguished teaching, scholarship, and service

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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 Alan R. Griffith ’64, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented awards and citations.

Weiss announced the establishment of a new endowed chair–the David M. ’70 and Linda Roth Professor of Art. Curlee R. Holton, professor of art and founding director of the Experimental Printmaking Institute, has been appointed to the new position.

Weiss recognized Dan F. Bauer, professor of anthropology and sociology, who is retiring and has been elected to emeritus status. He also recognized Beverly A. Bortz, who is retiring as coordinator for the engineering division, Patricia A. Facciponti, who is retiring as instructional technologist, and Robert H. Nourse, who is retiring as senior planned giving officer.

Read about Bauer. Read his citation.

Read the citations for Bortz, Facciponti, and Nourse.

Griffith recognized retiring trustee Nancy Brennan Lund74, who has been elected to emerita status. Also leaving the board is Pamela Gaary Holran ’88, who is concluding a five-year term as alumni trustee.

Read about Lund.

Griffith announced that Judson C. “Jud” Linville ’79 and Paul F. McCurdy ’82 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 Robert Mattison, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Art; Derek Smith, associate professor of mathematics; Ian Smith, associate professor of English; and David Stifel, assistant professor of economics. An endowed fund established by Walter A. Scott ’59 and his wife, Kate, provides for four annual awards.

Lorenzo Traldi, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Mathematics, 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.

Arthur D. Kney, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, 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 Jennifer Rossmann, assistant professor of mechanical engineer. Viscomi, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, taught at the College for 41 years, including 14 as head of civil engineering.

Edward N. Gamber, professor and head of economics, 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.

Kira Lawrence and David Sunderlin, assistant professors of geology and environmental geosciences, are the recipients 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.

Roxanne Lalande, professor of foreign languages and literatures, 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.

Robin Rinehart, associate professor and head of religious studies, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.

David H. P. Shulman, associate professor and head of anthropology and sociology, received Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarly contribution to his discipline.

Justin Corvino, assistant professor of mathematics, and Alix Ohlin, assistant professor of English, 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 2010-11 academic year.

Also recognized were this year’s Jones Faculty Lecturers, William C. Bissell, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology, and Jamila Bookwala, associate professor of psychology.

Gary P. Gordon and Elizabeth W. McMahon, professors of mathematics, received the Office of Intercultural Development’s Excellence in Diversity Education Award.

Stephen J. Kurtz, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Robert I. Weiner, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of History, are the recipients of Student Government Superior Teaching Awards.

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 Karen Clemence, senior associate dean of the College; Michiko Okaya, director of galleries; Dawn Keasted, custodian in plant operations; Paulette McKenna, secretary in biology; and Victoria Miller, secretary in development.  Clemence and Okaya received their award this evening. The others will receive theirs at events later in the year.

Arlina DeNardo, director of financial aid, 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.

Kari A. Fazio, director of finance and business operations; Jeffrey E. Goldstein, director of health services and College physician; and Paul H. Zimmerman, associate vice-president and controller, 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 two administrators were honored for 25 years of service to Lafayette. They are Patricia A. Donahue, professor of English; Andrew C. Fix, professor of history; Ann V. McGillicuddy-De Lisi, professor of psychology; Carol A. Rowlands, director of admissions; Roger W. Ruggles, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; Diane Windham Shaw, special collections librarian and College archivist; and Nancy M. Waters, associate professor of biology.

Diane Cole Ahl, Arthur and Barbara Rothkopf Professor of Art History, received the Daniel L. Golden ’34 Faculty Service Award in recognition of distinguished service to Lafayette through the Alumni Association and alumni activities.

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).

A number of faculty promotions will take effect with the 2009-10 academic year. The following faculty members have been promoted to associate professor with tenure: Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, assistant professor civil and environmental engineering; Justin Corvino, assistant professor of mathematics; Jeffrey Helm, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Alix Ohlin, assistant professor of English; Jeffrey Pfaffmann, assistant professor of computer science; Joseph Shieber, assistant professor of philosophy; Andrew Smith, assistant professor of English; and David Stifel, assistant professor of economics. William Jemison, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; John Nestor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Robin Rinehart, associate professor of religious studies; Joshua Sanborn, associate professor of history; and Ian Smith, associate professor of English, have been promoted to full professor.