President Beverly Warren recently presented 13 Kent State faculty members with the 2017 President’s Faculty Excellence Award, which recognizes exceptional performance that leads to the achievement of national or international recognition in the faculty member’s discipline.
“It is an absolute privilege to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our faculty,” Warren said. “This awards program is an important part of the university’s vision to recognize the outstanding faculty work that contributes to the national distinction of our academic programs, and this year’s honorees have demonstrated truly inspiring records in the areas of teaching, research or service as well as a rising trajectory that promises continued groundbreaking outcomes.”
Tenured and tenure-track faculty members in all disciplines and from all campuses were eligible based on recommendations to department chairs and deans. The awards program also represents an investment in the university’s vision and aspirations.
A total of 69 nominations and self-nominations were received, and 13 were recommended by the provost and approved by the president.
The President’s Faculty Excellence Award was created in 2015, and under the collective bargaining agreement, the university will award a pool of $400,000 in the form of special salary adjustments over a three-year period. This year, each recipient receives a special salary adjustment of $10,000.
The 2017 President’s Faculty Excellence Award recipients are listed below.
Brian Baer, Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies
Yossef Ben-Porath, Department of Psychological Sciences
Pratim Datta, Department of Management and Information Systems
Susanna Fein, Department of English
Richard Ferdig, School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences
David Hacker, Department of Geology
Torsten Hegmann, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program
Spyridon Margetis, Department of Physics
Carrie Schweitzer, Department of Geology
Robin Selinger, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program
Jakyung Seo, School of Theatre and Dance
Gregory Smith, School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences
Elizabeth Smith-Pryor, Department of History
For details about the recipients and their outstanding contributions, visit www.kent.edu/president/presidents-faculty-excellence-award/recipients.
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Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595