Outstanding Faculty Honored at Annual Excellence Awards
Friday, April 26, 2024
Some of Seton Hall University’s most distinguished faculty members were recognized for their teaching and research contributions at the Celebration of Faculty Excellence on the evening of Monday, April 22, 2024.
The annual awards ceremony, organized by the Office of the Provost, took place at the Bishop Dougherty University Center. University faculty members from all eight schools and colleges received awards for Researcher of the Year, Core Scholar of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Adjunct of the Year, Excellence and Innovation in Teaching 21st-Century Skills, and Excellence in Service-Learning, as well as special recognition for assessment awards, namely Assessment Champions, and Outstanding Achievement in Assessment.
At Seton Hall, we have been consistently renewing our investments in academic excellence and the student experience. These professors exemplify the impact of our investments with their dedicated work on campus.
Far-Reaching Impact
This year’s winners were honored for inspiring students, supporting the University mission and making meaningful contributions to their respective academic fields.
Our award-winning teachers are passionate about the student experience. College of Human Development, Culture, and Media Teacher of the Year Renee Robinson, Ph.D., says, "My courses focus on learning how to better relate to one another, connectedness, community and what it is to care for one another. It’s what we do here at Seton Hall."
And our researchers are equally passionate about contributing to their field and the ongoing academic excellence of our University. As College of Arts and Sciences Researcher of the Year Robert Mayhew, Ph.D., points out, research also supports Seton Hall’s reputation in academic circles, even around the world. "At conferences in Europe I’ve often heard something like, 'oh, there’s another university in New Jersey?,' because they’ve all seemed to have heard of Princeton and maybe Rutgers."
"Conducting research in the field is what feeds our teaching and the way that students benefit from this teaching is through fieldwork," explains Core Scholar of the Year Roger Alfani, Ph.D.
Instructors want their students to excel in the classroom and beyond. "I encourage them to be the best students they can be and work toward being the best nurses they can be," says College of Nursing Adjunct of the Year Teresa Nwaneri, M.S.N., R.N.
Staying a Step Ahead
Often times our instructors are teaching material that is so cutting-edge that it is seemingly evolving in real-time. Award-winning marketing Adjunct Professor Gregory Licciardi, M.B.A., faces this challenge by keeping his students excited and engaged. "We do a lot of improv," Licciardi says with a laugh. "We do brainstorming exercises, vision boards and interactive and group projects. I’m more of a facilitator really. I set up the agenda as far as what we are going to learn about, but then the students really help each other and work together."
This challenge is also present in science labs, where technology continues to push the envelope of what is possible. "I have developed different techniques with course videos, a Jeopardy quiz, an anatomy website, and I keep updating them," Biology professor Chintha Ranasinghe, M.D., shares. Ranasinghe was named one of the College of Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year award winners.
College of Arts and Sciences Adjunct Teacher of the Year Kim Lamana-Finn, Ph.D., also brings some unorthodox teaching techniques to her psychology classroom to keep her students engaged. "I have my students work on software called My Virtual Child," she explains. "The child is theirs from prenatal all the way through adolescence and they take notes throughout the process. I see students gaining insights about themselves and how they would be as a parent."
Taking Pride in Their Students
Watching their students grow is a tremendous source of pride for Seton Hall faculty members. University Core Teacher of the Year Chad Thralls, Ph.D., says, "I think the purpose of a university is for students to learn to think about big thoughts, get to the big, complex questions about life. They learn there is more to living a good life than going to college and getting a job."
For many instructors, like Adjunct of the Year Anna Folckomer, L.Ac., DAOM, seeing students expand their minds and bond with one another is what is most rewarding. Folckomer teaches three professional programs in the School of Health and Medical Sciences and is continually amazed at how different her students are after taking her classes compared to their first day. "I get these students very early on in their careers and they’re scared to death because there’s a room full of cadavers, she says. "But, it’s okay to be nervous and afraid. It’s part of the human experience and part of their learning experience."
Teachers and researchers at Seton Hall don’t just pour their rich minds into their work, classrooms and students; they pour their heart and soul into it too. And that was why it is our great pleasure to honor them each year.
Following is a complete list of this year’s award winners:
Researcher of the Year
Gaia Bernstein, J.D., LL.M.
School of Law
Rong Chen, Ph.D.
College of Human Development, Culture, and Media
Education Leadership, Management, and Policy
Anne Giblin Gedacht, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
History
Benjamin Goldfrank. Ph.D.
School of Diplomacy and International Relations
Sharon Ince, Ph.D.
University Libraries
Beth Jameson, Ph.D., RN, CNL, CSN-NJ, FASN
College of Nursing
Fanli Jia, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
Psychology
Robert Mayhew, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
Philosophy
Leslie Rippon, Ph.D., ATC
School of Health and Medical Sciences
Athletic Training
Ellen Scully, Ph.D.
Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology
Sina Shokoohyar, Ph.D. (University-Wide Winner)
Stillman School of Business
Computing and Decision Sciences
Core Scholar of the Year
Roger Alfani, Ph.D.
University Core
Teacher of the Year
Megan Baumley, M.S., CCC-SLP
School of Health and Medical Sciences
Speech-Language Pathology
R. Joseph Huddleston, Ph.D. (University-Wide Winner)
School of Diplomacy and International Relations
Greg, Iannarella, M.A.
College of Arts and Sciences
English
Moira Kendra, D.N.P., ACNP-BC, M.A., RN
College of Nursing
Denis McLaughlin, J.D.
School of Law
Chintha, Ranasinghe, M.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
Biology
Golbarg Rekabtalaei, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
History
Renee Robinson, Ph.D.
College of Human Development, Culture, and Media
Communication Media and the Arts
Chad Thralls, Ph.D.
University Core
Danielle Zanzalari, Ph.D.
Stillman School of Business
Economics and Legal Studies
Rev. Msgr. C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.T.D., S.S.L.
Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology
Biblical Studies
Adjunct of the Year
Anna Folckomer, L.Ac., DAOM
School of Health and Medical Sciences
Physical Therapy
Angelo Gingerelli, M.B.A., M.Ed. (University-Wide Winner)
College of Human Development, Culture, and Media
Educational Studies
Henry Karwowski, J.D.
School of Law
Kim Lamana-Finn, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
Psychology
Gregory Licciardi, M.B.A.
Stillman School of Business
Marketing
Teresa Nwaneri, M.S.N., RN
College of Nursing
Rev. Roberto Ortiz, S.T.L.
Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology
Systematic Theology
Excellence and Innovation in Teaching 21st-Century Skills
Karla Foy, J.D. (University-Wide Winner)
School of Law
Katherine Hinic, Ph.D., RN, CNE, CNL
College of Nursing
Elizabeth McCrea, Ph.D.
Stillman School of Business
Management
Ann Marie Murphy, Ph.D.
School of Diplomacy and International Relations
Leslie Rippon, Ph.D., ATC
School of Health and Medical Sciences
Athletic Training
Rachel, Warmington, M.F.A.
College of Arts and Sciences
English
Excellence in Service-Learning
Katherine Connolly, D.N.P., RN, APN-C
College of Nursing
Isis Misdary, J.D.
School of Law
Meryl Picard, Ph.D. (University-Wide Winner)
School of Health and Medical Sciences
Occupational Therapy
Assessment Champions
Randall Clemens, Ph.D.
College of Human Development, Culture, and Media
Education Leadership, Management, and Policy
Amy Kline, Ed.D.
College of Human Development, Culture, and Media
College Effectiveness
Outstanding Achievement in Assessment
Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology
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