College faculty awards
The college honored five faculty members with awards for excellence in advising, scholarship, teaching and service.
Christopher Penna, associate professor of English, received
the colleges Outstanding Advising Award for his dedicated work in
advising students and in using that experience to enrich their
educational opportunities and to press for more innovative and effective
approaches to teaching. He is that most valuable of advisers, Watson
said, the person who knows how the system works and the person who
knows exactly what to do when the system doesnt work.
Tobin Driscoll, professor of mathematical sciences, received
the Outstanding Scholar Award for his fundamental contributions in
numerical analysis, scientific computing and software development, and
applied mathematics. His widely published scholarly work has received
more than 3,000 citations and has been consistently funded by the
National Science Foundation. Letters supporting Driscolls award
nomination called him one of the most outstanding numerical analysts of
his generation.
Christine Cucciarre, assistant professor of English, was
presented the colleges Outstanding Teaching Award for work that was
described as passionate and distinguished at every level in classroom
teaching, mentoring, advising, teaching across campus and service to
the profession in the teaching of writing. Cucciarres classroom
teaching consistently receives the highest ratings from student
evaluations.
The high level of faculty service across the college made choosing
one recipient for the Excellence in Service Award difficult, so this
year, we settled on two, Watson said.
Karl Booksh, professor of chemistry, was recognized for his
service as a tireless and committed advocate for students from diverse
populations [who] works diligently to help minority students and those
with disabilities find their way in the fields of science, technology,
engineering and math. Booksh is a leader in the national scientific
community on the subjects of disability and diversity in chemistry and
helped produce a handbook, Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities.
Melissa Ianetta, associate professor of English and director
of writing in the University Writing Center, also received the colleges
Excellence in Service award, recognizing work that has truly been
exemplary, both on campus and in the larger professional community. As
director of writing for the past nine years, Ianetta has provided
leadership both in required writing courses and in numerous student- and
faculty-focused writing initiatives throughout the campus.
University awards
Also at the Celebrating Achievement and Success event, Watson recognized faculty members and students who previously received University awards.
Those included three faculty members who were presented Excellence in Teaching awards at this months Faculty Senate meeting: Dana S. Chatellier, education specialist and instructor in chemistry and biochemistry; Iris Busch, assistant professor of German in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, assistant professor of communication.
In addition to the Universitys faculty awards for teaching,
two graduate students received Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching
awards for their work as teaching assistants: Nadezda Anatolyevna Stepicheva, doctoral student in biological sciences; and Yiben Wang, doctoral student in chemistry and biochemistry.
Watson also recognized the graduating seniors, both with majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, who previously received awards from the UD Alumni Association as the outstanding man and woman in the Class of 2014. Ryan Leonard received this years Alexander J. Taylor Sr. Award, and Brielle Gerry received the Emalea Pusey Warner award.
Other accomplishments the college marked this academic year were recognized in a slide show that was featured at the celebration.
The presentations were followed by a reception, which included a
performance by UDs award-winning student a cappella group Vocal Point.
For a PowerPoint presentation about the colleges achievements and successes, click here.