ÎÞÂëרÇø

CLAS FACULTY AWARDS

Each year CLAS faculty are honored by their peers with College awards: the Tolle Lege Award for teaching excellence, the Veritas Award for research excellence, the Unitas in Caritate Award for exceptional service to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lepage DEI Award for curriculum innovations in diversity, equity and inclusion, and the Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust Faculty Award for excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society.

The protocol for nominations for each award can be found below.
 

The Tolle Lege Award

The Tolle Lege Award acknowledges excellence in teaching of a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee who evaluates course content, student and faculty teaching evaluations, and other evidence.

2024 Recipients

Adjunct professor: Grant Spoors, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Valerie Booth, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program

Full-time faculty: John-Paul Spiro, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program 

Eligibility

  • Two awards will be presented: one for a full time faculty member of any discipline, and one for an adjunct faculty member of any discipline.
    • Award for Full-time Faculty: All full time faculty members in the College are eligible provided they have served at the university at least 10 continuous years.
    • Award for Adjunct Faculty: The award for adjunct faculty members will be made to an instructor who typically teaches two courses or less each semester. Faculty are eligible if they have taught at the university for at least six semesters, though not necessarily consecutively.
  • The committee considers the total teaching of the faculty member while on the faculty of ÎÞÂëרÇø, with particular emphasis on work completed in the past four semesters.
  • No self-nominations will be accepted.
  • No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Lindback awardees are eligible for the Tolle Lege award.

Nomination Protocol

Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by . Qualifications for consideration include teaching innovation, course rigor and student mentorship.

Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit materials in support of their nomination, including a list of recent courses taught, course syllabi and teaching evaluations.

Adjunct Faculty

2023 - Keith Jones, Communication

2022 - John Kelley, Geography and the Environment

2021 - Katherine Kurtz, Philosophy,​ and John Pierce, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences

2020 - Cathleen Velez, English

2019 - Robert Leggiadro, MD, Geography and the Environment

2018 - Susan vonMedicus, Theater and Studio Art

2017 - Barbara Zimmerman, MS, Department of Computing Sciences

2016 - Kelly-Anne Diamond, PhD, Department of History

2015 - John Groch, MA, Department of Theology and Religious Studies

2014 - Cathy Staples, MA, Department of English

2013 - Maria Baranski, MS, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Full Time Faculty

2023 - Aimee Eggler, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry

2022 - Irene Kan, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences

2021 - Maghan Keita, PhD, History

2020 - Lynne Hartnett, PhD, History

2019 - Angela DiBenedetto, PhD, Biology

2018 - Jody Ross, MA, Department of English

2017 - Louise Russo, PhD, Department of Biology

2016 - Michael Tomko, PhD, Department of Humanities

2015 - Alice Dailey, PhD, Department of English, and Vikram Iyengar, PhD, Department of Biology

2014 - Amanda Grannas, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Megan Quigley, PhD, Department of English, and Catherine Warrick, PhD, Department of Political Science

2013 - Jerusha Connor, PhD, Department of Education and Counseling, Judith Giesberg, PhD, Department of History, and Phil Stephens, PhD, Department of Biology

2012 - Rick Eckstein, PhD, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

2011 - Paul Pasles, PhD, Department of Mathematics and Statistics


The Veritas Award

The Veritas Award recognizes outstanding accomplishment in faculty scholarship. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee who examine the nominee's record of scholarship and the impact it has had on the scholarly community.

2024 Recipient: Samantha Chapman, PhD, Biology; Lisa Sewell, PhD, English

Eligibility

  • All full-time faculty members in any College who hold the rank of Full or Associate Professor are eligible for the award.
  • Professors whose record of research and scholarship has garnered a national and/or international reputation are prime candidates for the award.
  • Nominees should have spent at least seven years of their career at ÎÞÂëרÇø.
  • The committee considers the total scholarly activity of the faculty member while on the faculty of ÎÞÂëרÇø, with particular emphasis on work completed in the past five years. Scholarly work completed when the nominee was not on the ÎÞÂëרÇø faculty, however, is not to be formally considered.
  • Preference will be given to faculty members in the first 15 years of their academic career.
  • No self-nominations will be accepted.
  • No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Outstanding Faculty Research Award winners are eligible.   


Nomination Protocol

Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by . Qualifications for consideration include the significance of scholarship and its originality and impact. Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit additional materials.

2023 - Jesse Couenhoven, PhD, Humanities and Theology and Religious Studies

2022 - David Chuss, PhD, Physics

2021 - David Barrett, PhD, Political Science​

2020 - Mary Hirschfeld, PhD, Humanities, and Dennis Wykoff, PhD, Biology

2019 - Judith Giesberg, PhD, History

2018 - Andrej Prsa, PhD, Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences

2017 - Kevin Minbiole, PhD, Department of Chemistry

2016 - Lauren Shohet, PhD, Department of English

2015 - Jesse Frey, PhD, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

2014 - James Wetzel, PhD, Department of Philosophy, and Mirela Damien, PhD, Department of Computing Science

2013 - Paul Rosier, PhD, Department of History and Bryan Crable, PhD, Department of Communication


The Unitas in Caritate Award

The Unitas in Caritate award acknowledges a career of excellence in service to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee which evaluates the record of service and the impact of that service on the life of the college.

2024 Recipient: Barry Selinsky, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Eligibility

  • One award will be presented each year to a faculty member who has at least 20 years of active service in the college. 
  • Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
  • The committee considers the total college service of the faculty member while on the faculty of ÎÞÂëרÇø College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For the purposes of this award, department and university service will be considered only secondarily in order to provide a context for the candidate’s contributions to the college.
  • Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
  • No self-nominations will be accepted.
  • No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Gallen Award winners are eligible for the Unitas in Caritate award.

Nomination Protocol

Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by . Qualifications for consideration include the scope and variety of service to the College as well as impact of the service in the University. Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit materials in support of their nomination.

2023 - Michael Hones, PhD, Physics

2022 - Marylu Hill, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program

2021 - Louise Russo, PhD, Biology; Director, Health Professions Advising​

2020 - Helen Lafferty, PhD, Education and Counseling

2019 - Robert DeVos, PhD, Mathematics and Statistics

2018 - Sheryl Bowen, PhD, Department of Communication

2017 - Evan Radcliffe, PhD, Department of English


The Albert Lepage Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Curriculum Innovation

Established in 2021 with a gift from Albert Lepage ’69 CLAS, the Lepage DEI Award recognizes a faculty member(s) for excellence in creating curriculum innovations that significantly advance the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion education. 

2024 Recipient: Raúl Diego Rivera Hernández, PhD, Spanish and Global Interdisciplinary Studies  

Eligibility

  • Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
  • Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
  • No self-nominations will be accepted.
  • No individual may receive the award more than once.

Nomination Protocol

Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by . Qualifications for consideration include excellence in creating curriculum innovations that significantly advance the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion education.

2023 - Bruce Pollack-Johnson, PhD, Mathematics and Statistics

2022 - Adrienne Perry, PhD, English

2021 - Hibba Abugideiri, PhD, History, and Sheryl Bowen, PhD, Communication​



Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust Faculty Award

Established in 2023 with a gift from the Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust, this award recognizes a faculty member(s) for excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society. 

2024 Recipient: Rachel Smith, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies  

Eligibility

  • Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
  • Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
  • No self-nominations will be accepted.
  • No individual may receive the award more than once.

Nomination Protocol

Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by . Qualifications for consideration include demonstrated excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society.

2023 - The Rev. Christiane Lang Hearlson, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies

UNIVERSITY AWARDS

Each year,  are given annually by the Office of the Provost in recognition of distinguished contributions to ÎÞÂëרÇø. In 2024, two members of the CLAS faculty were honored:

Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Outstanding Teaching
Hibba Abugideiri, PhD, History 

Pohlhaus-Stracciolini Award for Teaching Excellence
Jody Lerner, EdD, NCC, LPC, Education and Counseling