2024–2025 Faculty Year-End Excellence Award Recipients

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.

Shumaila F. Chishti, Lecturer, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Lisa Palladino Kim, Lecturer, Department of Health Informatics, School of Health Professions, 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.

Joseph J. Cipriano, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Christopher J. Manente, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Stephanie Rodríguez, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Barbara A. Tafuto, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Informatics, School of Health Professions, Rutgers Health

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. This award honors tenured faculty members who have made outstanding synergistic contributions in research and teaching, recognizing 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 through innovative pedagogy and high-impact research.

Pamela A. Ohman Strickland, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers Health

Caitlin Petre, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Tobias Schulze-Cleven, Associate Professor, Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Co-Director, Center for Global Work and Employment, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Linjun Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Statistics, School of Arts and Sciences, 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.

Jerry W. Kim, Associate Professor, Department of Management and Global Business, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers University–Newark

Stephanie Shiau, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers Health

Jameson Sweet, Associate Professor, Department of American Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jennifer Rosen Valverde, Professor, Rutgers Law School–Camden and Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Didier William, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design, Mason Gross School of the Arts, 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.

Victoria Abraira, Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Avram J. Holmes, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Health

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

Akil Kumarasamy, Associate Professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences–Newark, Rutgers University–Newark

Maria E. Solesio, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

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.

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

Katherine C. Epstein, Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden

Anand D. Sarwate, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jennifer Tamas, Associate Professor, Department of French, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

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.

David Greenberg, Professor, Departments of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, and History, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Nicole Mirra, Associate Professor, Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Karen Schindler, Professor, Department of Genetics, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jonathan Singer, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Jun Wang, Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health

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.

Kevin Emmons, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Nursing–Camden, Rutgers University–Camden