Members of the university community who have made outstanding contributions in the classroom, to their disciplines, or for the benefit of the community or world were honored during a May 2 reception at the Rutgers Visitor Center. Carolyn Williams, chair of the Department of English in Rutgers' School of Arts and Sciences, also offered a tribute to President Richard L. McCormick and his wife Joan for their contributions to the university.
The Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to faculty members in recognition of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development of students at Rutgers University. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Alok Baveja, Department of Management, School of Business-Camden, was recognized for his commitment as a teacher and mentor to creating a welcoming and positive learning environment for all students and for his ability to teach difficult concepts simply and concisely, thus challenging and inspiring students to think in different and innovative ways.
John W.K. Harris, Department of Anthropology, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his creative and charismatic teaching in the classroom and in the field and dedication to creating innovative, hands-on programs that have provided transformational learning experiences to numerous undergraduate and graduate students at the Koobi Fora Field School.
The Rutgers Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research honors faculty members who have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline or society. Recipients receive a $1,000 honorarium.
John Kucich, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his scholarship, which has provided new and original critical readings of major texts and has consistently expanded upon, challenged and overturned long-held ideas and assumptions about Victorian literature, culture and intellectual history.
Keith Weber, Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, was honored for his contributions to undergraduate mathematics education, particularly his creative research that combines deep mathematical understanding with the tools of cognitive science to analyze and assess the learning and teaching of mathematical proofs.
The Rutgers Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award honors faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in research and teaching. The award recognizes those who bring together scholarly and classroom activities. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Karen A. Cerulo, Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her pioneering work in cognitive sociology and her extraordinarily engaged and enthusiastic teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.
Daniel Goldstein, Department of Anthropology, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his work on conflict, violence, justice and security studies. He is committed to involving students in challenging and meaningful service learning projects that give them the skills to think more critically, act more effectively, and have a significant impact on the world beyond the classroom.
T.J. Jackson Lears, Department of History, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his original, wide-ranging vision of American culture, which was seminal in setting the terms of debate for modern cultural history. He was also honored for his ability to help students question their core assumptions, think critically and see the past with fresh eyes, thus enabling them to discover their own intellectual paths.
Jayne Anne Phillips, director of the Creative Writing Program, Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Newark, was honored for her stellar literary achievements that illuminate the stories of individuals struggling against the difficulties of life, as well as her intelligence and generosity as a teacher, editor, and mentor of students.
The Ernest E. McMahon Class of 1930 Award is funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College and is given to an individual or a group that has made a significant and creative contribution to the extension of the educational resources of the university to the people of New Jersey. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Lewis Gantwerk, executive director, Center for Applied Psychology, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, was recognized for his efforts to extend the university’s educational resources to the people of New Jersey through his work at the Center for Applied Psychology, which applies the most current knowledge in psychology to ameliorate societal problems in populations such as university students, children in the foster care system, people with Tourette’s syndrome, adults with developmental disabilities and schools with problems of violence and bullying. Under his leadership, the center continues to improve the emotional well-being of thousands of individuals living in New Jersey.
The Rutgers Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence honors faculty members who have recently been promoted with tenure and whose work shows exceptional promise. The fellowship includes a citation and a $2,000 research account.
Tewodros (Teddy) Asefa, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
School of Arts and Sciences, and Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering,
School of Engineering, was honored for his creative and insightful design of nanomaterials for a number of applications, particularly in catalysis and medicine.
Edyta Bojanowska, associate professor, Department of Germanic, Russian and Eastern European Languages and Literatures, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her original contributions to our understanding of the dynamics of nationalism, empire, and identity in modern Russia.
Mauricio Delgado, associate professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Newark, was honored for his contributions to our understanding of the interaction of emotion and cognition during learning and decision making.
Alexandra Grenci, county agent II, Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, was recognized for her innovative work in bridging clinical and community-based practice in the areas of health promotion and disease prevention.
Eva Halkiadakis, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for her contributions to a broad range of physics topics, including electroweak physics, top quark physics, and searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model.
David S. Kurnick, associate professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his incisive and original critical works that have enriched the fields of 19th-century literary and cultural studies.
The Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence honors newly tenured faculty members for outstanding teaching and scholarly work. A research account has been established for each recipient.
Andrew J. Baker,Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his excellent teaching that fosters analytic thinking and curiosity in his students, and his outstanding dedication to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
Paola Gambarota,
Department of Italian, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her extraordinary ability to convey her passion to students through her vast knowledge and innovative teaching strategies.
Ann L. Jurecic, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for her inspirational and enthusiastic teaching, which encourages students to discover new ways of thinking and writing.
Andrés Mario Zervigón,
Department of Art History, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his excellent teaching and his extraordinary ability to convey enthusiasm and passion for the history of photography.
The Office of Faculty Diversity Initiatives celebrates and honors a select number of faculty who have been leaders in promoting diversity at Rutgers, either through their own research and teaching or in other venues.
Laurie Bernstein, Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Camden, was recognized for her leadership as director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and co-chair of the Chancellor’s Diversity Committee. She was also recognized for her scholarship, teaching, and service, which support and exemplify Rutgers’ mission to promote and honor diversity of all kinds.
Cynthia Daniels, Department of Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for her work as chair of the Department of Political Science, her commitment to hiring faculty who are diverse across race and gender, and her intellectual leadership in promoting the scholarly intersections of race, gender, and politics
Virginia Tiger and Frances Bartkowski, Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Newark, were honored for their work as chairs of the Department of English at Rutgers-Newark. Tiger served from 2004 to 2010 and Bartkowski has served from 2010 to the present. Their leadership has contributed to a significant increase in the ethnic, racial and cultural diversity of the faculty, as well as in its scholarly achievements, demonstrating conclusively that diversity and excellence go hand-in-hand.
The Rutgers College Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award honors members of the faculty, student body, or staff for volunteer service to government, professional and scholarly organizations, or the public. The award includes a $2,500 honorarium.
Leonard W. Hamilton, Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his more than 20 years of dedicated leadership and staunch advocacy of environmental planning and the preservation of ecological resources. He was also recognized for enhancing the quality of life in our communities and bringing the issue of environmental protection, particularly that of managing our watersheds, to the attention of the citizens of New Jersey, regional planning groups, and numerous municipal governments.