2023–2024 Faculty Year-End Excellence Award Recipients

The Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching

The award honors the memory of the noted historian and Rutgers University professor, Warren I. Susman. This award is given annually to tenured faculty members in recognition of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development of students at Rutgers University.

David J. Pedersen, Associate Professor of Finance and Director of the M.S. in Finance Program, School of Business–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Maria K. Venetis, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence

The fellowship honors faculty members who have made truly outstanding contributions to research during their early years at Rutgers.

Colleen Berryessa, Associate Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University–Newark

Blakesley Burkhart, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Matthew A. Shapiro, Professor, Rutgers Law School, Rutgers University–Camden

Shuo Xiao, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health

Bo Yuan, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence

The fellowship honors faculty members who have made truly outstanding contributions to teaching during their early years at Rutgers.

Edward DeMauro, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Nichole Garcia, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Umer Hassan, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Linjun Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Statistics, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Yongfeng Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Presidential Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award

The award honors tenured faculty members whose breadth of academic portfolios reflect outstanding research, scholarship, or creative work, as well as truly outstanding contributions to teaching along with extensive service to the Rutgers community and beyond.

Alice Elliott Dark, Associate Professor, Department of English, MFA Program in Creative Writing, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Sagar D. Khare, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Troy A. Roepke, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Department of Animal Science, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Sara Wakefield, Associate Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University–Newark

The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research

The award honors tenured faculty members who have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline and/or society at large.

Emily S. Barrett, Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers Health

Yuebin Guo, Henry Rutgers Professor of Advanced Manufacturing, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Emily Marker, Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

N. Andrew Peterson, Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Prevention Science, School of Social Work, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

The Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award

The award honors tenured faculty members who have made outstanding synergistic contributions in research and teaching. This award recognizes those who make visible the vital link between teaching and scholarship by contributing to the scholarship of teaching and by bringing together scholarly and classroom activities.

Georgia A. Arbuckle-Keil, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Kristin J. August, Associate Professor, Departments of Psychology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

David J. Dwertmann, Associate Professor of Management, School of Business–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Mukund V. Karwe, Distinguished Professor, Department of Food Science, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jaya Satagopan, Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers Health

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching

The award honors non-tenure-track, full-time faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding teaching skills in classroom instruction, clinical instruction, curriculum development, or mentoring.

Marybec C. Griffin, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, School of Public Health, Rutgers Health 

Holly G. Nelson, Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Program Director, Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jennifer A. Oberle, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Lecturer

The award honors lecturers from any discipline who have demonstrated excellence in classroom instruction. Important attributes for consideration include exceptional creativity and/or curricular, pedagogical, or experiential innovations; a deep commitment to excellence in classroom instruction; and demonstrable contributions to student learning and advancement. This award especially recognizes the longer-term institutional impacts that exceptional lecturers may have on strengthening the academic fabric and vitality of programs through their successive teaching at the university over multiple years.

Keanna L. Ralph, Lecturer, School of Business–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Jim (Junmin) Shi, Adjunct Professor, Department of Management Science and Information Systems, DBA Program, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers University–Newark

The Rutgers College Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award

The award is funded by the Class of 1962 of Rutgers College and honors members of the faculty, student body, or staff in recognition of distinguished and non-compensated service to government bodies, professional or scholarly organizations, and/or the general public, such as voluntary community leadership, or personal acts of heroism.

Jamie S. Hendrix, Coadjunct Professor, Honors Living-Learning Community and Lieutenant, Institutional Planning and Operations, Rutgers University Police Department, Rutgers University–Newark

The Rutgers College Class of 1930 Ernest E. McMahon Award

The award is funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College. The award is named in honor of Ernest E. McMahon (RC '30) who was a dean of University College, dean of the University Extension Division, and director of the Institute of Management and Labor Relations, and who demonstrated a commitment to extending the mission of Rutgers to new populations. In the spirit of Ernest McMahon, this award is given to an individual or a group within Rutgers University that has made a significant and creative contribution to the extension of the educational resources of the university to the people of New Jersey through such means as continuing education or extramural programs.

Alexander E. Gates, Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark