Annual One University Awards Will Celebrate Excellence at Syracuse University

The Syracuse University community will come together on Friday, April 12, for the third annual One University Awards Ceremony, celebrating excellence within the University. The ceremony, at which major University awards are bestowed, will be held in Hendricks Chapel from 4-5:30 p.m., with a reception to follow in the lobby of the Heroy Geology Laboratory.

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.

“The One University Awards ceremony is truly a celebration of how the contributions and accomplishments of individuals elevate the whole University,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Their achievements are in widely different areas of endeavor, but they are united by their spirit of excellence and commitment to Syracuse University.”

This year’s Chancellor Medal will be presented to Tim Green ’86, L’94, one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Syracuse University history. Green was a legendary member of the Syracuse Orange football team from 1982-85, and helped the Orange begin their football resurgence under head coach Dick MacPherson. After a stellar career at Syracuse, Green enjoyed tremendous success as a player in the National Football League and commentator, and then as an accomplished attorney and author. He is now living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and he and his family have raised millions of dollars for ALS research. The medal will be accepted by his son, Thane Green, and Stuart Lisson on his behalf.

The Chancellor’s Medal was first awarded in 1967 as the Centennial Medal on the occasion of 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 Forever Orange Award will be presented at the ceremony. The 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 Peter Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer, and Peter Choi, a senior political science and policy studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School.

The Chancellor’s Citation awards will also be bestowed. 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 the following:

Excellence in Student Research—Wanyi Lu, a graduate student in Earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Holly McDowell, a senior acting major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives—Gabe Coleman, associate director for institutional effectiveness and assessment in the Office of Academic Affairs, and Shikha Nangia, associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction—Laura Lautz, Jessie Page Heroy Professor and chair of the Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Lifetime Achievement Award—Elizabeth D. Liddy, Trustee Professor and dean of the School of Information Studies.

Other awards that will be presented during the ceremony include the following:

Student-Athlete Award: This award is given to the senior female and male students with the highest cumulative grade point average over their careers as student-athletes. The recipients are Marcus Cunningham, a senior biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences and captain of the men’s lacrosse team; Madeleine Davison, a junior sociology major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School and newspaper and online journalism major in the Newhouse School, a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and member of the women’s cross-country and track and field teams; Hendrik Hilpert, a senior finance major in the Whitman School and goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team; and Lennart Zeugner, a graduate student majoring in applied data science in the School of Information Studies and member of the men’s soccer team.

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 Arva Hassonjee, an international relations and citizenship and civic engagement major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School; Elizabeth Tarangelo, a senior bioengineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Kathryn Piston, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

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 2019-2022 Meredith Professors are Wenliang (Kevin) Du, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Katharine (Kate) Lewis, professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The 2015-18 and 2016-19 Meredith Professors will be recognized with the Meredith Professorship medal at the ceremony. They are Kelly Chandler-Olcott, professor of reading and language arts in the School of Education, and Eileen Schell, professor of writing and rhetoric in the College of Arts and Sciences (2015-18); and Robert Doyle, professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Peter Wilcoxen, professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School (2016-19).

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 Kivanç Avrenli, assistant professor of statistics in the Whitman School; Sarah Fuchs, assistant professor of music history and cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences; Joseph Godlewski, assistant professor in the School of Architecture; Shannon Houck, assistant teaching professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences; Robin Jones, lecturer in neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences; Christa Kelleher, assistant professor of Earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Tessa Murphy, assistant professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School.

Diversity and Inclusion Award: This award will be bestowed for the first time this year upon an individual who is integral to fostering a diverse, inclusive accessible and equitable campus environment. The recipient is Barry L. Wells, special assistant to the Chancellor.

Tolley Medal: As one of the nation’s preeminent 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 the late professor emeritus Donald Ely. His son, Christopher Ely, will accept the award on his family’s behalf.

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, 45 and 50 years of service in 2018.