Honoring exceptional teaching, mentoring and research.
The award nomination process is now open. Initial nominations should be submitted by Monday, September 25, 2023. Nominations that are not supported by complete documentation submitted by Monday, October 16, 2023 will not be considered by the awards review committee.
The 2023 Dean’s Distinguished Excellence in Research Award Program will be formally announced in early October.
Nomination Process and Award Details
Eligibility
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Nominated tenured or tenure-track faculty members must have been at Temple for at least 3 years as of July 1, 2023.
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Nominated non tenure-track faculty members must have been at Temple for at least 2 years as of July 1, 2023.
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Awardees may be considered for repeat or additional awards after a five-year moratorium (a passage of 5 academic years that includes the previous award year). For this year, all award recipients from Fall 2018 to Fall 2022 are ineligible.
Criteria (Teaching)
Excellence in the different methods of teaching occurs in various contexts. It occurs in large classes, medium classes, small classes, one-on-one teaching, and curriculum development. We expect the candidate to excel in a combination of these contexts. We will consider the following, among others, as factors:
- Evidence of mastery of the subject area
- Development of effective and innovative methods and materials for teaching university students
- Continuous efforts to evaluate and demonstrably improve one’s own teaching
- Academic and professional achievements of students
- Effective relationships with students
Criteria (Mentoring)
Excellence in mentoring can occur in classroom, instructional laboratory, and research laboratory settings, as well as assistance with career paths (for example, graduate and professional schools, industry jobs). Letters of support from current and former students will be very helpful in assessing positive outcomes that are directly related to the mentoring activities of the nominee.
Documentation Period
Since these awards are designed to recognize current achievements, please document examples from the most recent five years.
Procedures
For teaching, please enter all nominations using the link: CST Faculty Awards-Teaching
For mentoring, please enter all nominations using the link: CST Faculty Awards-Mentoring.
A separate email will be sent to all nominees with supporting documentation submission instructions via OneDrive. Documentation will not be accepted by e-mail. Uploaded documents will remain confidential, viewable only by the awards committee.
Documentation Required (Teaching and Mentoring):
From the candidate
- An abbreviated Teaching/Mentoring Portfolio which would include (but not necessarily be limited to): (1) a statement of one's teaching philosophy; (2)pertinent material from no more than one course such as syllabi, examinations, assignments and samples of student work; (3) examples of curriculum development activities in the department or the College if appropriate; and (4) evidence of individualized work with master's and/or doctoral students if appropriate
- A brief curriculum vitae of the candidate
From a supporting faculty or department representative
- Faculty support letters (at least 3 required - no more than 5). The letters may be internal or external.
- Student support letters from current and former students (at least 3 required - no more than 5). Please be mindful of quality over quantity. If many letters are solicited and received, please select and submit those (within the stated letter limit) that best illustrate instructor impact on student learning.
- Reports of classroom visits from the instructor's peers, if available.
- An evaluation statement by the department chair and/or an appropriate departmental committee.
Initial nominations should be submitted by Monday, September 25, 2023. Nominations that are not supported by complete documentation submitted by Monday, October 16, 2023 will not be considered by the awards review committee.
The 2023 Dean’s Distinguished Excellence in Research Award Program will be formally announced in early October.
Eligibility
- The tenured or tenure-track faculty member must have been at Temple for at least four (4) years (initial appointment date on or before 7/1/2018).
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Faculty may be considered for repeat or additional awards after a five-year moratorium. All award recipients from fall 2018 to fall 2021 are ineligible this year.
Procedure
Documentation Required
From the candidate
- A personal statement summarizing key research accomplishment(s).
- Link to Google Scholar page
- Current CV, listing awards, grant award notices, and other recognition of research excellence.
- Copies of up to 5 items e.g., relevant publications and/or other pertinent information.
From the Department Chair
- A letter of support
Please enter all nominations at: Form coming soon
A separate email will be sent to all nominees with supporting documentation submission instructions via OneDrive. Documentation will not be accepted by e-mail. Uploaded documents will remain confidential, viewable only by the awards committee.
Deadline for nomination:
Deadline for supporting documentation:
The Dean, with consultation, selects the Awardee.
Past Faculty Awardees
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra, CST ’70, member of the CST Board of Visitors
Jaskiran Kaur
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Department of Chemistry
Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Barry Arkles, CST ’70,’76, member of the CST Board of Visitors and the Temple University Board of Trustees
Dominic Letarte
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Tamer Aldwairi
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean’s Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Vasily Dolgushev
Professor
Department of Mathematics
Dean’s Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Sergei Pond
Professor
Department of Biology
Nikos Sparveris
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
ITALIA-EIRE FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra, CST ‘70, CST Board of Visitors
Natalie Flynn
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
DEAN’S DISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARDS
Funded by Barry Arkles, CST ‘70,’76, CST Board of Visitors and the Temple University Board of Trustees
Abha Belorkar
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Matthew Helmus
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Rongsheng (Ross) Wang
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
DEAN’S DISTINGUISHED EXCELLENCE IN MENTORING AWARDS
Bojeong Kim
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Gillian Queisser
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
DEAN’S DISTINGUISHED EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARDS
Cristian Gutierrez
Professor, Department of Mathematics
Jie Wu
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Computer Engineering, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Elizabeth Cerkez
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Chemistry
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ’48, Bio), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Jocelyn Behm
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Barry Arkles (BA ’70, PhD ’76, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
John Noel
Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Physics
Jeromy Sivek
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Mathematics
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Jie Wu
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Computer Engineering, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Sudhir Kumar
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Biology
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Amy Freestone
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ’48, Bio), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Vincent Voelz
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Barry Arkles (BA ’70, PhD ’76, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Meredith Hegg
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Mathematics
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Barry Arkles (BA ’70, PhD ’76, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Athanasia Polychronopoulou
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Barry Arkles (BA ’70, PhD ’76, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Robert-André Rarig
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Daniele Ramella
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Award for Excellence in Research
John Perdew
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Sarah Wengryniuk
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ‘48, Bio), a member of the college’s Board of Visitors
Graham Dobereiner
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Matthew Newby
Assistant Professor (Instruction), Department of Physics
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Andrew Rosen
Assistant Professor (Instruction), Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Sujith Ravi
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Laura Toran
Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Discovery and Innovation Leadership Award
Funded by Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz (BA ’65, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Erik Cordes
Associate Professor, Biology
Achievement in Mathematics Award
Funded by Jay Novik (BA ’67, Math), chair of the CST Board of Visitors
Daniel Szyld
Professor, Mathematics
Outstanding Mathematics Department Leader
Funded by Jay Novik (BA ’67, Math), chair of the CST Board of Visitors
Irina Mitrea
Professor and Chair, Mathematics
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Charles Osborne
Assistant Professor (Instructional), Department of Mathematics
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ‘48, Bio), a member of the college’s Board of Visitors
Rachel Spigler
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Ola Ajaj
Assistant Professor (Instructional), Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Jessica Babcock
Instructor Department of Mathematics
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Michael Zdilla
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Shiferaw Berhanu
Professor, Department of Mathematics
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Rose McGinnis
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ‘48, Bio), a member of the college’s Board of Visitors
Benjamin Seibold
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Bernd Surrow
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Ann Valentine
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
John Fiore
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Spiridoula Matsika
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian
Associate Professor, Instructional, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ‘48, Bio), a member of the college’s Board of Visitors
Tonia Hsieh
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Laura Toran
Albert W. and Alice M. Weeks Chair in Environmental Geology, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Farzana Chaudhry
Assistant Professor, Instructional, Department of Mathematics
Andrew Price
Associate Professor, Instructional, Department of Chemistry
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Erik Cordes
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Italia-Eire Foundation Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Funded by Joseph C. Allegra (BA ’70, Chem), a member of the CST Board of Visitors
William Wuest
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
William Caldwell Memorial Distinguished Teaching Award
Funded by Seda K. Tarzian (BA ‘48, Bio), a member of the college’s Board of Visitors
Erik Cordes
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award
Ilya Buynevich
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
David Grandstaff
Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Eugene Kwatny
Professor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Christopher Pascucci
Instructor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Mentoring Award
Irina Mitrea
Professor, Department of Mathematics
Wendy Urban
Instructor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Dean's Distinguished Excellence in Research Award
Rongjia Tao
Professor, Department of Physics