The Syracuse University community will come together on Friday, April 20, for the second annual One University Awards Ceremony, celebrating excellence around the University. The ceremony, at which major University awards are conveyed, will be held in Hendricks Chapel from 4-5:30 p.m., with a reception to follow in the Jack and Laura Hanhausen Milton Atrium in the Life Sciences Complex.
“Members of the Syracuse University community are making a difference in the world—here on campus, in local neighborhoods and beyond—through excellence in academics, scholarship, creative work and dedicated service,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I look forward to recognizing and celebrating their important accomplishments.”
This year’s Chancellor Medal will be presented to Chancellor Emeritus Kenneth A. “Buzz” and Mary Ann Shaw. The Shaws will be on campus April 19-20 for a two-day visit that will celebrate their extraordinary contributions to Syracuse University. Kenneth Shaw served as Syracuse University’s 10th Chancellor and President from 1991-2004. Mary Ann Shaw, associate to the Chancellor during her husband’s tenure, was a champion of public service and the driving force behind the establishment of the Center for Public and Community Service (now the Shaw Center) in 1994.
The Chancellor’s Medal was first awarded in 1967 as the Centennial Medal on the occasion of Chancellor William Pearson Tolley’s 25th anniversary as chancellor. The Centennial Medal was given to recognize service to higher education and society and was presented in the years 1967-1971. The name of the award was changed to the Chancellor’s Medal in 1972. Since that time, it has been awarded to individuals in honor of their trailblazing and extraordinary contributions to society and/or the University.
The Chancellor’s Citation awards will be bestowed during the ceremony. They were first presented to members of the University community in 1979 in recognition of outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship and creative work. Over time, the focus of the awards changed to reflect new priorities and institutional directions. This year’s recipients are Woosang Hwang, a doctoral student in human development and family science in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, for Excellence in Student Research (Graduate); Katie Duggan, a senior in environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, for Excellence in Student Research (Undergraduate); Julie Walas, director of student engagement in the School of Information Studies and the University’s head mascot coach, for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives; Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences, Dacheng Ren, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction; and Stephen Maisto, professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, for Lifetime Achievement.
This year’s ceremony will include the official installation of the University’s new mace bearer, John Palmer, University Professor and dean emeritus of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Other awards that will be presented during the ceremony include:
The Student-Athlete Award. This award is given to the male and female student-athlete with the highest overall grade point average. The recipients are Patrick Castle, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the men’s soccer team, and Christina Tobias, a senior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and member of the women’s rowing team.
The Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship. First presented in 1992, this award recognizes graduate and undergraduate students who have significantly contributed to their communities through innovative public scholarship and community engagement. The recipients are Michelle Kincaid (undergraduate), a citizenship and civic engagement and international relations major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences, Benjamin T. Vasquez (undergraduate), a creative leadership major at University College, and Stephen Shepherd (graduate), a chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Meredith Professorship for Teaching Excellence. A substantial bequest from the estate of L. Douglas Meredith, a 1926 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, allowed Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw to create the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorships in 1995 to recognize and reward outstanding teaching at Syracuse University. The 2018-2021 Meredith Professors are Michelle Kaarst-Brown, associate professor in the School of Information Studies, and Tom Perreault, professor of geography in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
The Teaching Recognition Award. This award is sponsored by the Meredith Professors to benefit non-tenured faculty members. It recognizes excellence in teaching and fosters a culture of collegial mentoring among faculty members. This year’s recipients are Nina Brown, assistant professor of communications in the Newhouse School; Francine D’Amico, teaching professor of international relations in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School; Tara Kahan, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences; Brice Nordquist, assistant professor of writing and rhetoric in the College of Arts and Sciences; Adam Peruta, assistant professor of magazine in the Newhouse School; Renée Stevens, assistant professor of multimedia photography and design in the Newhouse School; and Kenneth Walsleben, professor of entrepreneurial practice in the Whitman School of Management.
The Tolley Medal. As one of the nation’s pre-eminent leaders in higher education, William Pearson Tolley served as Syracuse University’s chancellor for 27 years. The University established the Tolley Medal in 1966, in conjunction with the School of Education, to recognize strong scholarship and leadership in lifelong learning. This year’s recipient is Marlene Blumin, professor emerita in the School of Education.
The Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award. The Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award is conferred entirely at the discretion of the Chancellor on individual students, faculty or staff who—by virtue of extraordinary hard work, good values and commitment to excellence—have come to embody the best of Syracuse University. This year’s recipients are Daniel Hansmeier, a senior biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Miracle Rogers ’17, a bioengineering graduate student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Also acknowledged during the ceremony will be the University Scholars, Senior Class and School and College Marshals; Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars; emeriti faculty and University employees who celebrated 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years of service in 2017.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided at the ceremony. For questions about accessibility, or to request accommodations, contact the Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services (EOIRS) office at 315.443.4018 or by email at ada@syr.edu.
