Wagner College held its annual Faculty Award Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in the Faculty Dining Room.
In addition to the awards for outstanding teaching, scholarship, service, teaching with technology and adjunct faculty, the Diversity Action Council gave its annual faculty award.
Faculty publications for 2008-09 were available for examination before the dinner began. CLICK HERE to see a complete list of those publications.
Outstanding Teacher: Jean Halley
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
Recently, I asked a senior student at Wagner to tell me her major. She replied, “That is easy, I’m majoring in Dr. Jean Halley.” I think that says it all. Dr. Halley focuses on student learning, student outcomes, inspiring students to want to achieve their best, and pushing students to ask hard questions. When Jean speaks of her own teaching, this is how she describes it: “I feel called to teach. Not only do I love it, but teaching fits me. I feel loved by it. I think it is the most right thing, the best thing for me to do with my life. My own teaching is innovative in that it is student-centered and focuses on creative and critical thinking. I work to involve students actively in the learning process. “
Her nominator points out the following about Dr. Halley’s teaching: “She has prepared a remarkable number of students for graduate study, especially in the area of social work.” She concludes by saying, “I have further improved my own teaching from being inspired by her willingness to challenge students with critical reading assignments.”
When I invited Dr. Halley to be the first Faculty Scholar for Teaching and Learning, as we were creating the Center for Teaching, Learning and Research, I did so for four reasons:
• First, she engages her students in their learning in ways that challenge and inspire each of them.
• Second, she has a remarkable ability to collaborate and respect her colleagues and their opinions.
• Third, she strives to be innovative in her approach to student learning and her own teaching.
• Finally, she does not define herself only by her discipline — rather, she is defined by a beautiful blending of her commitment and love for her discipline, her department and Wagner College.
I am proud to give this award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Jean Halley.
Outstanding Teacher: Erica Johnson
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
Professional, humble, focused, scholarly, wise, kind, collaborative, accomplished, passionate, reliable, respectful and driven — these are words I use, and without hyperbole, to describe Dr. Erica Johnson, recipient of the Award for Exceptional Performance in Teaching. I am proud to say that our students are better scholars, critical thinkers, independent learners, and community members because of her role in the classroom. However, Dr. Johnson envisions her role a professor well outside the traditional classroom. What do I mean by this? She embraces the students in such a way that they learn from — and with — her in countless venues. These include her role as director of the Honors Program, advisor to the Honors Living and Learning Residential Community, advisor to the student book club, advisor to a student theatre club, member of the “Teaching Matters Learning Community,” and Rhodes Scholar Coordinator. She teaches in a First-Year Learning Community and a Senior Learning Community. The breadth of her activities that directly affect our students is immense.
Her nominator commented, “Student regard for Dr. Johnson is very high, as evidenced by her teaching evaluations (almost entirely in the 1’s), the speed with which her courses for the English major fill during registration, and the quality of students who choose her to advise their departmental honors theses. The opinion of her peers is equally high.” She concludes by saying that “the English Department… [is] extremely fortunate to have someone of Erica’s scholarly achievement and administrative skill be so devoted to teaching as well.”
Dr. Johnson serves as model for so many of us here at Wagner in balancing and blending service, scholarship and teaching, having each inform the other, and achieving all of this with excellence and grace.
I am honored to present Dr. Erica Johnson with the Faculty Award for Exceptional Teaching.
Outstanding Scholar: Natalie Edwards
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
I am pleased to recognize Dr. Natalie Edwards for her demonstration of exceptional performance in the area of scholarship and research. Since arriving at Wagner College as an assistant professor in 2005, Dr. Edwards has maintained a focused and productive scholarly agenda. Through self-discipline and dedication, she has produced an impressive scholarly record in a very short time. Since assuming her position in the Department of Modern Languages, she has contributed to a national (and international) body of knowledge in the following areas:
• She co-edited “Gender and Displacement: Home in Contemporary Francophone Women’s Autobiography.”
• She has published five articles and book chapters.
• She has translated two publications, published four book reviews, and presented 15 conference presentations.
• Additionally, she has received several national honors/awards and submitted and received grants for the French film festival (which we have hosted for the last three years).
Speaking of translations, I must add that Natalie has the following language abilities: English, Welsh (near native), French (near native), Italian (near native), Spanish (Intermediate), Mandarin Chinese (Intermediate), Breton (Beginner).
Her nominator stated the following about Dr. Edwards: “It is clear from her instincts and her excellent work habits that Dr. Natalie Edwards will continue to publish as she moves into the next phases of an already brilliant young career. I cannot recommend her more highly for this award.
Please join me in recognizing Dr. Natalie Edwards for the Award for Excellence in Scholarship.
Outstanding Scholar: Laurence Nolan
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
I am pleased to recognize Dr. Laurence Nolan for his focused contributions to his disciplinary body of knowledge. Rather than spending several years having what I call “scholarship drift,” he dedicated his research efforts to a specific area of study: ingestive behavior in humans, in particular the issues of food selection and meal size. He began this during his first year at Wagner and has since continued with this same scholarly agenda.
Since joining Wagner College in 1997, Dr. Nolan has presented at 17 conferences and has published 8 articles and 13 abstracts. I would also like to call your attention to the fact that Dr. Nolan often collaborates with our students, which furthers his own research and serves as a teaching tool for our students. In addition, he has supervised the work of 16 seniors on their final theses, many of whom have presented their work at the Eastern Colleges Science Conference. His students are fortunate to have a professor who takes his research so seriously, and then brings it into the teaching environment in ways that motivate students to become better researchers themselves.
As is apparent, Dr. Nolan’s research is recognized by his peers through publications and presentations. Last January he was asked to join a standing committee of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior by the president of that organization. The committee members are from some of the most prestigious international institutions. This is further evidence of recognition by Dr. Nolan’s peers.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Laurence Nolan on receiving the Faculty Award for Exceptional Performance in the Area of Scholarship.
Outstanding Scholar: Horst Onken
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
“Because there is absolutely no question that he has truly earned it, we, the full faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences, unanimously nominate Dr. Horst Onken for the exceptional performance award for excellence in scholarship.” I cannot imagine a greater honor than to be nominated by your entire department of peers for an award such as this. Since arriving at Wagner College in 2006, Dr. Onken has published six articles in top-tier professional journals. Additionally, he has published 10 short communications and abstracts. Dr. Onken actively continues his research agenda, which is focused on mosquitoes, and has attracted many of our undergraduate students in all aspects of this research. His department claims that “Horst’s research accomplishments since coming to Wagner are comparable to the publication record expected of a researcher at a research-based university.”
When Dr. Onken describes his passion for his own scientific discovery he states, “I strongly believe that research is an extremely important component for the teaching of all kinds of students, including undergraduates. The research environment does not only promote students. By being active researchers, professors stay scholars during the entire time of their careers, continuously studying and following the advancement in their areas of expertise. It is evident that this scholarship is of special interest for teaching duties of professors at institutions of higher education.”
In short, Dr. Onken’s peer researchers are fortunate to have him as an active researcher, as are his colleagues in the Department of Biological Sciences. And when Dr. Onken’s students graduate from Wagner College, they will have learned from and worked beside a professor who modeled for them the best of the professor-student research collaboration.
I am truly honored to present to Dr. Onken the Faculty Award for Exceptional Performance in the Area of Scholarship.
Outstanding Service: Jennifer Lauria
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
I am pleased to recognize Dr. Jennifer Lauria with the exceptional performance award in the area of service. College-wide, Dr. Lauria has been active in areas such as the Academic Policy Committee and the Academic Computing Committee, and in the community she serves on the board of the Staten Island Children’s Museum. However, I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Lauria for the enormous contribution she has made these past years to the Education Department. Not only has she advised two significant student education organizations — Kappa Delta Pi, and the Association for Curriculum Development and Supervision — but she has also coached students to extend themselves to present their own research nationally as well as to become involved in social causes on Staten Island.
As we know, the Education Department earned NCATE accreditation, the premier accreditation in their field. Dr. Lauria was instrumental in the accreditation process itself and in maintaining NCATE standards. During the process, she wrote reports and led the entire department in curriculum mapping.
Dr. Lauria does not stand up and applaud herself for these contributions to her students, to the department and to the College. Rather, she undertakes this service because she believes there is a need for it to be done. As her nominator stated, “It is with this knowledge of how much she has done above and beyond what is ordinarily expected of faculty to maintain the quality of the Department and the College as a whole that I enthusiastically nominate Dr. Jennifer Lauria for this award.”
Please join me in congratulating and acknowledging Dr. Lauria for her exceptional performance in the area of service to Wagner College.
Outstanding Service: Patricia Moynagh
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman, provost:
Dr. Patricia Moynagh’s nominator for this award described her as being civic-minded, as opposed to only demonstrating civically engaged behaviors. This begins to describe how Dr. Moynagh approaches her work with students and with the Wagner College community. It is this philosophy about practicing her citizenship that led her to coordinate both Project Pericles and Campus Compact for Wagner College. It was her leadership that brought Debating for Democracy to our campus. Through Campus Compact and Project Pericles, she facilitated the process for many of her Wagner peers to design or redesign their syllabi to include civic engagement activities directly linked to disciplinary learning outcomes.
Her nominator for this award stated, “I hope to convey that she genuinely practices a mode of citizenship that Wagner seeks to imbue in our students.” Dr. Moynagh leads by example. She is either creating opportunities for students to engage in Civic Innovations, Project Pericles, or Campus Compact, or she is encouraging her colleagues to do the same.
As her nominator asserted: “It is fortunate that the enthusiasm and energy Patricia invests in civic education and engagement is reflected in the mission of the institution for which she works. When it comes to the core values of experiential learning and civic thinking, Patricia is an exemplary model of thought and action in the campus community and beyond.”
It gives me great pleasure to recognize Dr. Patricia Moynagh for exceptional performance in the area of service.
Outstanding Adjunct: Claire Regan
Presented by Dr. Devorah Lieberman:
I am delighted that we are officially instituting an adjunct faculty award for “outstanding performance”. So many of our students are taught by adjunct faculty and since we are an institution that holds up “teaching” as our primary responsibility, it is only reasonable that we also recognize an adjunct faculty member for outstanding contributions to the institution. It is fitting that Ms. Claire Regan be the first adjunct among us to receive this award.
Claire has been a part of Wagner College for over twenty years. These years have included teaching (usually four courses per academic year) as well as overseeing both the Wagnerian and Kallista. What is even more gratifying is that Claire was nominated and supported for this award by every member of the English faculty.
Our students are fortunate to be taught by an adjunct professor who has the experience in the field of journalism that serves to enrich every one of her classes. Her experiences not only include her daily employment as Associate Managing Editor at the Staten Island Advance, but also her work with the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Garden State Scholastic Press Association, her fellowship with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and her work with the American Association of University Women.
Her Department colleagues captured her contributions beautifully when they stated: “As a graduate of Wagner herself, Professor Regan’s dedication to excellence in the classroom and achievement in student publications has benefited several decades of Wagner graduates.”
Please join me in congratulating and recognizing Professor Claire Regan for her award for exceptional performance.
Diversity Action Council Award: Chinnaiah Jangam
Presented by Ruta Shah-Gordon, dean of campus life:
The Diversity Action Council is proud to present its third annual faculty award to Dr. Chinnaiah Jangam. We are excited to acknowledge that there were many qualified nominees. This year’s recipient was selected based on his dedication to diversity in the areas of scholarship, service to the college, and teaching.
This year’s Diversity Action Council Faculty Award is being given to a professor who was nominated not once, but twice, by both his colleagues and students.
According to the student, “In the classroom, he encourages students to approach topics from multiple viewpoints, rather than what may came easily by instinct. He opens all issues to contemporary discussions of race, gender, sexuality, age, history, ethnicity, and time. His classes on imperialism, Ghandi, colonialization in India, historical theory, and civil rights facilitate conversations about diversity in the context of the classroom, the nation, and the world. Plus, his personal experience and stories bring an intercultural element to his lectures that not all professors can offer.”
His colleagues say, “Students in his classes last year created three Bollywood films in which they acted themselves. One of them, set in the Gatehouse Lounge of Wagner College’s Harborview Hall, was a love affair between two students — one Muslim, one Hindu — that culminated in a fabulous dance sequence on the Sutter Oval, all acted by Wagner students of European descent! Other groups of students interviewed South Asian businessmen and workers in a community known as Little India in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
He has expanded the curricular offerings at Wagner College to include courses on Gandhi, Southeast Asia, Bollywood and, perhaps most significantly, global history, which he teaches at least once a year.
He has reached out to the South Asian community in New York City, both through the local temple and through South Asian programs at Columbia University. He has also reached out to local African and African-American communities, marching in this year’s Staten Island African parade alongside members of Wagner College’s Nubian Student Union, and he visited the African Refuge Center in Park Hill and supervised student civic engagement projects there.
He has served on the DAC and Internationalization Action Council for several years, regularly attending their meetings and lengthy training sessions.
Finally, he has been a role model for others, both through his own transition as a recent immigrant to Staten Island, and through speaking on campus in the “Last Lecture” Series about his experiences growing up in India.
For all of these reasons and more, please join us in congratulating Dr. Chinnaiah Jangam, the winner of this year’s Diversity Action Council Faculty Award.
Teaching with Technology Award: Heather Cook
Presented by Jeff Gutkin, director of academic computing:
On behalf of Joe Spina, myself and the Information Technology Department at Wagner College, I would like to present the second annual Teaching with Technology Award to Dr. Heather Cook. Dr. Cook uses technology in a large variety of ways in her teaching, as part of the First Year Program all the way to the Capstone Course. On all levels of her teaching, Dr. Cook successfully uses the power and flexibility of the technological resources at Wagner College to encourage and support student learning. The benefits of her use of technology are evident.
Heather does not only use technology as one base of her own teaching. She also encourages her students to use technology in assignments in multiple ways. She teaches them the necessary know-how in many cases. These efforts help to prepare students for a technology-driven world.
Heather's research area, molecular cell biology, has made major progress in recent decades based on technological developments. Dr. Cook is at the very top of these technological developments and transports them not only to her research students, but also into the classroom.
It is evident that student learning is the very center of Dr. Cook's interest when she uses technological resources provided by Wagner College and its IT Department.