2014 USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards Presented
Adelphi,
Md. (April 11, 2014) - The University System of Maryland (USM)
Board of Regents at its meeting today announced the 16 recipients of the 2014
USM Regents' Faculty Awards. The board met at the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC).
The
awards are the highest honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty
members. Presented in five categories, the awards honor excellence in teaching;
research; public service; mentoring; and innovative excellence.
Institutional
Faculty Nominating Committees make recommendations to the institutional
presidents, who review nominations and supporting material and forward
recommendations to the Chancellor. The
Regents' Faculty Review Committee makes the final recommendations.
The
Regents' Faculty Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents
to recognize exemplary faculty achievement.
Each award carries a $1,000 prize, provided by the institutions and the
University System of Maryland Foundation.
TEACHING
Dr.
Patrick W. Fitzgibbons, Professor in the Cybersecurity
and Information Assurance Department at the University of Maryland University
College (UMUC).
Dr. Fitzgibbons has been instrumental in developing and
launching UMUC's successful graduate programs in cybersecurity. With a current
enrollment of more than 1,600 students, the programs have enjoyed unprecedented
growth since their launch in 2010. His
students consistently note that not only is Dr. Fitzgibbons an outstanding
instructor, but he also understands the unique challenges facing working adult
students. Dr. Fitzgibbons has also contributed to UMUC's faculty development
program by mentoring new faculty and developing a model online classroom. In
short, Dr. Fitzgibbons is one of UMUC's most highly valued faculty members.
Dr.
Judy Harris, Chair and Professor of Marketing, College
of Business and Economics at Towson University (TU).
Dr. Harris is a passionate, effective, and high-energy
teacher who employs real-world, hands-on case studies to spark student interest
and challenges them to go beyond the basics. She uses the results of classroom-based
assessment to ensure that students are learning the materials. And she is constantly
making changes in instructional delivery and curriculum to enhance student achievement.
As chair of the University of Baltimore/Towson MBA Curriculum Redesign Committee,
she has guided two sets of faculty in producing an innovative, market-driven
program designed to meet constituents' needs. As a department chair and
professor of marketing, Dr. Harris teaches the maximum number of courses
allowed for a chair and continues to demonstrate a deep commitment to advancing
the profession of teaching at TU and beyond.
Dr.
Jeff Leips, Associate Professor Biological Sciences, UMBC.
Dr. Leips' career has been marked by outstanding
teaching, nationally renowned scholarship, and superb service to the department
and the university.
In recognition for his exemplary teaching and research, Dr.
Leips was named a National Academies Education Fellow in 2004, and in May 2010
received the Carl Weber Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
Teaching.With funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and NIH, he oversaw
the development of more than 20 active learning modules and assessment tools
for introductory biology courses. Dr. Leips seeks to provide students with
greater opportunities to develop quantitative skills and participate in research
that will prepare them for future professional demands. As a result, students
flock to his lab to do research with him and colleagues seek him out for advice
and insight.
Dr.
Megan B. Meyer, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School
of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).
Dr. Meyer's expertise as a scholar of communities-and community-based
organizations-enables her to inform and inspire student learning. Since her
students are required to conduct assignments in Baltimore neighborhoods and with
community-based organizations that serve the city's poorest residents, her "classroom"
extends into the city. Dr. Meyer was honored with the 2010 Student Government Associations'
Teacher of the Year Award. She has also
twice received the Dean's Teaching Award (2009 and 2011), a recognition based
on evaluations completed by students. In order to receive this award, 95% of
her students must score her performance as a 15 on a 15-point scale. In
summary, Dr. Meyer is an outstanding faculty member who is widely respected by
students and colleagues alike and embodies the mission of the University of
Maryland, Baltimore and the School of Social Work.
RESEARCH,
SCHOLARSHIP, AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY
Dr.
Stephen T. Bartlett, the Peter G. Angelos Distinguished
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine.
Dr. Bartlett has assembled an extensive record of
research in the area of complex tissue transplantation. One of his major goals
has been to solve the immunologic and technical barriers to performing a facial
transplant, which involves the overlying skin, muscle, bone, nerves, arteries,
and veins. One of his major achievements
came in 2012, when he performed the most extensive full-face transplant in the
world at that time through a surgical procedure lasting more than 36 hours and
involving numerous physicians. The recipient of that transplant has gone from
living hidden from society to beginning college courses. Dr. Bartlett fully
acknowledges the collaboration required for such outstanding progress and has
specifically named Drs. Rolf Barth and Eduardo Rodriquez as key members of the research
team.
Dr.
Andrew J. Elmore, Associate
Professor at the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center
for Environmental Science (UMCES)
Dr. Elmore is conducting highly productive
interdisciplinary research that links remote sensing, ecology, and earth
science. He has developed remote sensing techniques (studying the earth from
space and airborne platforms) to develop maps of buried streams-streams that
are paved over and directed to storm water systems. His research in stream
mapping will help in developing best management practices for conserving
aquatic resources in the state. He is working with the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources, the Nature Conservancy, and the National Park Service. Dr.
Elmore is also utilizing remote sensing to construct landscape patterns that
have developed over time with respect to the length of the growing season and
to study the effect of a prolonged growing season on forests. His recent papers
on how the urban heat island influences the growing season have attracted national
attention.
Dr.
Jimmy Lin, AssociateProfessor of Information Studies at the "iSchool"
at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
Dr. Lin, a leading expert in information and computational
research, focuses on developing algorithms and systems to make sense of big
data with the goals of helping users find relevant information from large text
collections and helping enterprises extract insights from petabyte-scale data
warehouses. UMCP is ranked 9th among U.S. universities in
information retrieval research impact, in large part due to Dr. Lin. Dr. Lin joined
the faculty in 2004, immediately after receiving his Ph.D. in electrical
engineering and computer science at MIT. His 2010 coauthored book, "Data-Intensive
Text Processing with MapReduce", serves as an authoritative source for
academics and practitioners. Dr. Lin's
research articles are widely published-and widely cited-and he has been awarded
close to $10 million in grant funding by several agencies and groups, including
the National Science Foundation, Google, IBM and AOL.
Dr.
Frank Shipper, Professor of Management at the Perdue
School of Business at Salisbury University (SU) and former chair of the SU
Management and Marketing Department.
Dr. Shipper has made outstanding contributions through
his qualitative studies of leadership in high-performing companies. Specifically,
he concentrates on those companies that are largely or exclusively owned by employees,
a model known as "shared entrepreneurship." His methodology involves first-person
interviews with a cross section of employee-owners.
As a fellow in the Louis O. Kelso Fellowship Program
directed by the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University,
Dr. Shipper is a prolific scholar. In jjust the past three year, he has published
four articles and four case studies in journals, 22 cases or chapters in books,
and made seven national presentations. It
is estimated that the cases he developed for 20 textbooks have been viewed by
more than a million students in more than 125 countries.
MENTORING
Dr. Leonard Arvi, Assistant Professor of Finance at the
Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University.
Dr. Arvi has played an important role in mentoring
business students. His guidance before and after graduation has been
instrumental in assisting his students in the process of securing jobs or
pursuing graduate studies. Dr. Arvi ensures that his students are adept at
every form of networking. He has developed his own guidebook app featuring a
live introduction from the student, and linking to his or her resume and
LinkedIn profile, an app that he requires his students to maintain. Dr. Arvi
has established key relationships with major financial institutions, fostering excellent
opportunities for his students. Dr. Arvi's former students praise his
dedication, kindness, and "open door" availability. He was an advisor for
students preparing for business competitions, and these students have won
prestigious competitions opening opportunities for them post-graduation.
Dr. Jill A. Morgan, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at
the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Since 2001, Dr. Morgan has mentored over 1,000 students
in the School of Pharmacy, both at the Baltimore and Universities at Shady
Grove (USG) campuses. As Associate Dean for Student Affairs from 2005 to 2013,
Dr. Morgan was instrumental in the expansion of the Doctor of Pharmacy program
to USG and continues to be a champion for parity in mentoring and student
services for students at Shady Grove. Dr. Morgan implemented the use of video
conferencing between the campuses for mentoring. She assisted in the
implementation of on-site advising, tutoring, career development discussions,
counseling, and registration services for the School of Pharmacy students at
Shady Grove. Dr. Morgan also researched career development programs at peer institutions
and instituted the Job Ready Program for UMB students. Over a three-year
period, this program has significantly improved the pharmacy school's residency
match rate. She received the MD Pharmacists Association's
Mentor of the Year award in 2013, and was rated the Faculty Member of the Year
in 2010, 2011, and 2013 by the graduating class of the University of Maryland
School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Mortimer Sellers, University of Baltimore School of
Law.
Dr. Sellers is a prodigious scholar and committed
teacher. He has written four books, served as editor for seven more, and has
written more than 100 articles, essays, book reviews, and book chapters. Mentoring is also an integral part of Dr.
Seller's professional life and his students praise him for his commitment and
devotion to their success. Dr. Sellers directs the UB Law School's Center for
International and Comparative Law, and he has integrated students into all
aspects of the Center. His work as a faculty advisor to the International Law
Society for more than 20 years has helped develop lifelong interests and
careers in international law. He is a committed, engaged, and invested teacher
and a dedicated mentor to his students. Dr. Sellers is praised for assisting
his students with the transition from law school to the legal profession at a
time when this path is more difficult than ever.
PUBLIC
SERVICE
Dr.
Bruce Anderson, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at
the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Under Dr. Anderson's leadership, the Maryland Poison
Center (MPC)-a free public service that employs 21 staff members and responds
to more than 60,000 calls per year-has become a model program in the United
States. Dr. Anderson and the Center actively engage the public and the medical
professions regarding poison education and poison preventive activities. Studies
show that for every dollar of state funds spent on poison center services, as
much as $36 is saved by successfully managing patients at home instead of in
emergency rooms. In addition, when poison centers are consulted, a savings of
$2,100 per patient is realized due to reduced time in the hospital. The Maryland
Poison Center has joined a network of more than 57 different centers to help
target possible outbreaks of bioterrorism and chemical terrorism. The work
being accomplished by Dr. Anderson and the Maryland Poison Center is being felt
worldwide.
Dr. Keith N. Eshleman, Professor
at the UMCES Appalachian Laboratory
For almost 20
years, Dr. Eshelman has worked as a leading researcher in the field of
watershed hydrology, writing more than 50 papers and reports. While he
continues these important research endeavors, he is also providing Maryland
with specific expertise and rigorous policy analysis surrounding the Governor's
Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative. Asked to survey best practices
adopted in other states and recommend an approach suitable for Maryland, Dr.
Eshleman co-authored an exceptionally comprehensive examinations of
unconventional gas development. The report examines gas well engineering, water
quantity and quality, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, and the
preservation of the rural quality of life in western Maryland. UMCES recognized
his efforts with the 2013 President's Award for Excellence in Application of
Science.
Dr.
Sarah Haines, Professor of Biology at Towson University.
Dr. Haines is an extraordinary faculty member and a past
recipient of the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics' Business and Community
Outreach Award. Her expertise in the area of informal outdoor education has
resulted in her appointment to numerous advisory and service committees.
Governor Martin O'Malley appointed her to the Maryland Partnership for Children
in Nature and she has been invited by Taiwan to consult with their Ministry of
Education's Environmental Education specialist group. Dr. Haines is a past
president of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
(MAEOE) and did much of the groundwork to start MAEOE's statewide Environmental
Education Certification program. She has worked with the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources on the Teaching Environmental Awareness mission, the annual
horseshoe crab release at Sandy Point State Park, and the Invasive Species
Education Project. She also volunteers at such venues as Assateague State Park,
Irvine Nature Center, and Harford Glen Environmental Center.
Dr.
Robert B. Kauffman, Chair of the Department of Recreation and
Parks Management at Frostburg State University (FSU).
Dr. Kauffman is a leading advocate for
boating safety. In the past three years, he has produced a nationally acclaimed
boating safety video, "Almost a Perfect Day," a textbook on risk management,
and a chapter on risk management for a textbook published earlier this year. His
dedication and passion for outreach and service in the area of water safety set
him apart as a national expert in this field. Dr. Kauffman served as an expert witness
in 13 cases involving boating safety, and served on eight accreditation teams
for the National Recreation and Parks Association/American Association of Physical
Activity and Recreation (NRPA/AAPAR). He has also served on more than 20 thesis
and dissertation committees. Dr. Kauffman has invested in program development
and expansion at the university and has seen Recreation and Parks Management
become an outstanding program for over 100 majors. All of these activities
coincide with his regular duties of teaching, research, and service as a
department chair at Frostburg State University.
INNOVATIVE EXCELLENCE
Dr.
Michael M. Ohadi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and cofounder
of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE) at UMCP.
Dr. Ohadi is a pioneer in advanced heat/mass exchangers and thermal
management. He has dedicated much of his distinguished career to developing
innovative means of reducing size, weight, and power consumption of energy
systems and established the first industrial consortium in that field to promote
research collaborations with industry. Today, more than 30 companies are well-established
members of CEEE and contribute to its research and educational programs. He
also has a strong record of using his research and teaching to improve
Maryland's energy consumption and carbon footprint. Through his developments,
research, and classroom projects, Dr. Ohadi and his students have conducted
energy and conservation audits of buildings on the College Park campus. These
audits have offered recommendations for significant cost savings and carbon
footprint reductions. His research continues to have enormous impact on the effectiveness
and efficiency of campus facilities. He is the author or coauthor of more than
200 peer-reviewed publications, two books, four edited books, and 21 book
chapters. He also has eight U.S. patents. Dr. Ohadi's efforts have also
resulted in noticeable energy conservation and carbon footprint reductions
internationally.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
