2014 USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards Presented
Adelphi, Md. (April 11, 2014) - The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents at its meeting today announced the 16 recipients of the 2014 USM Regents' Faculty Awards. The board met at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
The awards are the highest honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty members. Presented in five categories, the awards honor excellence in teaching; research; public service; mentoring; and innovative excellence.
Institutional Faculty Nominating Committees make recommendations to the institutional presidents, who review nominations and supporting material and forward recommendations to the Chancellor. The Regents' Faculty Review Committee makes the final recommendations.
The Regents' Faculty Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents to recognize exemplary faculty achievement. Each award carries a $1,000 prize, provided by the institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation.
TEACHING
Dr. Patrick W. Fitzgibbons, Professor in the Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Department at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).
Dr. Fitzgibbons has been instrumental in developing and launching UMUC's successful graduate programs in cybersecurity. With a current enrollment of more than 1,600 students, the programs have enjoyed unprecedented growth since their launch in 2010. His students consistently note that not only is Dr. Fitzgibbons an outstanding instructor, but he also understands the unique challenges facing working adult students. Dr. Fitzgibbons has also contributed to UMUC's faculty development program by mentoring new faculty and developing a model online classroom. In short, Dr. Fitzgibbons is one of UMUC's most highly valued faculty members.
Dr. Judy Harris, Chair and Professor of Marketing, College of Business and Economics at Towson University (TU).
Dr. Harris is a passionate, effective, and high-energy teacher who employs real-world, hands-on case studies to spark student interest and challenges them to go beyond the basics. She uses the results of classroom-based assessment to ensure that students are learning the materials. And she is constantly making changes in instructional delivery and curriculum to enhance student achievement. As chair of the University of Baltimore/Towson MBA Curriculum Redesign Committee, she has guided two sets of faculty in producing an innovative, market-driven program designed to meet constituents' needs. As a department chair and professor of marketing, Dr. Harris teaches the maximum number of courses allowed for a chair and continues to demonstrate a deep commitment to advancing the profession of teaching at TU and beyond.
Dr. Jeff Leips, Associate Professor Biological Sciences, UMBC.
Dr. Leips' career has been marked by outstanding teaching, nationally renowned scholarship, and superb service to the department and the university.
In recognition for his exemplary teaching and research, Dr. Leips was named a National Academies Education Fellow in 2004, and in May 2010 received the Carl Weber Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching.With funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and NIH, he oversaw the development of more than 20 active learning modules and assessment tools for introductory biology courses. Dr. Leips seeks to provide students with greater opportunities to develop quantitative skills and participate in research that will prepare them for future professional demands. As a result, students flock to his lab to do research with him and colleagues seek him out for advice and insight.
Dr. Megan B. Meyer, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).
Dr. Meyer's expertise as a scholar of communities-and community-based organizations-enables her to inform and inspire student learning. Since her students are required to conduct assignments in Baltimore neighborhoods and with community-based organizations that serve the city's poorest residents, her "classroom" extends into the city. Dr. Meyer was honored with the 2010 Student Government Associations' Teacher of the Year Award. She has also twice received the Dean's Teaching Award (2009 and 2011), a recognition based on evaluations completed by students. In order to receive this award, 95% of her students must score her performance as a 15 on a 15-point scale. In summary, Dr. Meyer is an outstanding faculty member who is widely respected by students and colleagues alike and embodies the mission of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the School of Social Work.
RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY
Dr. Stephen T. Bartlett, the Peter G. Angelos Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Dr. Bartlett has assembled an extensive record of research in the area of complex tissue transplantation. One of his major goals has been to solve the immunologic and technical barriers to performing a facial transplant, which involves the overlying skin, muscle, bone, nerves, arteries, and veins. One of his major achievements came in 2012, when he performed the most extensive full-face transplant in the world at that time through a surgical procedure lasting more than 36 hours and involving numerous physicians. The recipient of that transplant has gone from living hidden from society to beginning college courses. Dr. Bartlett fully acknowledges the collaboration required for such outstanding progress and has specifically named Drs. Rolf Barth and Eduardo Rodriquez as key members of the research team.
Dr. Andrew J. Elmore, Associate Professor at the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)
Dr. Elmore is conducting highly productive interdisciplinary research that links remote sensing, ecology, and earth science. He has developed remote sensing techniques (studying the earth from space and airborne platforms) to develop maps of buried streams-streams that are paved over and directed to storm water systems. His research in stream mapping will help in developing best management practices for conserving aquatic resources in the state. He is working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Nature Conservancy, and the National Park Service. Dr. Elmore is also utilizing remote sensing to construct landscape patterns that have developed over time with respect to the length of the growing season and to study the effect of a prolonged growing season on forests. His recent papers on how the urban heat island influences the growing season have attracted national attention.
Dr. Jimmy Lin, AssociateProfessor of Information Studies at the "iSchool" at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
Dr. Lin, a leading expert in information and computational research, focuses on developing algorithms and systems to make sense of big data with the goals of helping users find relevant information from large text collections and helping enterprises extract insights from petabyte-scale data warehouses. UMCP is ranked 9th among U.S. universities in information retrieval research impact, in large part due to Dr. Lin. Dr. Lin joined the faculty in 2004, immediately after receiving his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. His 2010 coauthored book, "Data-Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce", serves as an authoritative source for academics and practitioners. Dr. Lin's research articles are widely published-and widely cited-and he has been awarded close to $10 million in grant funding by several agencies and groups, including the National Science Foundation, Google, IBM and AOL.
Dr. Frank Shipper, Professor of Management at the Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University (SU) and former chair of the SU Management and Marketing Department.
Dr. Shipper has made outstanding contributions through his qualitative studies of leadership in high-performing companies. Specifically, he concentrates on those companies that are largely or exclusively owned by employees, a model known as "shared entrepreneurship." His methodology involves first-person interviews with a cross section of employee-owners.
As a fellow in the Louis O. Kelso Fellowship Program directed by the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University, Dr. Shipper is a prolific scholar. In jjust the past three year, he has published four articles and four case studies in journals, 22 cases or chapters in books, and made seven national presentations. It is estimated that the cases he developed for 20 textbooks have been viewed by more than a million students in more than 125 countries.
MENTORING
Dr. Leonard Arvi, Assistant Professor of Finance at the Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University.
Dr. Arvi has played an important role in mentoring business students. His guidance before and after graduation has been instrumental in assisting his students in the process of securing jobs or pursuing graduate studies. Dr. Arvi ensures that his students are adept at every form of networking. He has developed his own guidebook app featuring a live introduction from the student, and linking to his or her resume and LinkedIn profile, an app that he requires his students to maintain. Dr. Arvi has established key relationships with major financial institutions, fostering excellent opportunities for his students. Dr. Arvi's former students praise his dedication, kindness, and "open door" availability. He was an advisor for students preparing for business competitions, and these students have won prestigious competitions opening opportunities for them post-graduation.
Dr. Jill A. Morgan, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Since 2001, Dr. Morgan has mentored over 1,000 students in the School of Pharmacy, both at the Baltimore and Universities at Shady Grove (USG) campuses. As Associate Dean for Student Affairs from 2005 to 2013, Dr. Morgan was instrumental in the expansion of the Doctor of Pharmacy program to USG and continues to be a champion for parity in mentoring and student services for students at Shady Grove. Dr. Morgan implemented the use of video conferencing between the campuses for mentoring. She assisted in the implementation of on-site advising, tutoring, career development discussions, counseling, and registration services for the School of Pharmacy students at Shady Grove. Dr. Morgan also researched career development programs at peer institutions and instituted the Job Ready Program for UMB students. Over a three-year period, this program has significantly improved the pharmacy school's residency match rate. She received the MD Pharmacists Association's Mentor of the Year award in 2013, and was rated the Faculty Member of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2013 by the graduating class of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Mortimer Sellers, University of Baltimore School of Law.
Dr. Sellers is a prodigious scholar and committed teacher. He has written four books, served as editor for seven more, and has written more than 100 articles, essays, book reviews, and book chapters. Mentoring is also an integral part of Dr. Seller's professional life and his students praise him for his commitment and devotion to their success. Dr. Sellers directs the UB Law School's Center for International and Comparative Law, and he has integrated students into all aspects of the Center. His work as a faculty advisor to the International Law Society for more than 20 years has helped develop lifelong interests and careers in international law. He is a committed, engaged, and invested teacher and a dedicated mentor to his students. Dr. Sellers is praised for assisting his students with the transition from law school to the legal profession at a time when this path is more difficult than ever.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Dr. Bruce Anderson, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Under Dr. Anderson's leadership, the Maryland Poison Center (MPC)-a free public service that employs 21 staff members and responds to more than 60,000 calls per year-has become a model program in the United States. Dr. Anderson and the Center actively engage the public and the medical professions regarding poison education and poison preventive activities. Studies show that for every dollar of state funds spent on poison center services, as much as $36 is saved by successfully managing patients at home instead of in emergency rooms. In addition, when poison centers are consulted, a savings of $2,100 per patient is realized due to reduced time in the hospital. The Maryland Poison Center has joined a network of more than 57 different centers to help target possible outbreaks of bioterrorism and chemical terrorism. The work being accomplished by Dr. Anderson and the Maryland Poison Center is being felt worldwide.
Dr. Keith N. Eshleman, Professor at the UMCES Appalachian Laboratory
For almost 20 years, Dr. Eshelman has worked as a leading researcher in the field of watershed hydrology, writing more than 50 papers and reports. While he continues these important research endeavors, he is also providing Maryland with specific expertise and rigorous policy analysis surrounding the Governor's Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative. Asked to survey best practices adopted in other states and recommend an approach suitable for Maryland, Dr. Eshleman co-authored an exceptionally comprehensive examinations of unconventional gas development. The report examines gas well engineering, water quantity and quality, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, and the preservation of the rural quality of life in western Maryland. UMCES recognized his efforts with the 2013 President's Award for Excellence in Application of Science.
Dr. Sarah Haines, Professor of Biology at Towson University.
Dr. Haines is an extraordinary faculty member and a past recipient of the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics' Business and Community Outreach Award. Her expertise in the area of informal outdoor education has resulted in her appointment to numerous advisory and service committees. Governor Martin O'Malley appointed her to the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature and she has been invited by Taiwan to consult with their Ministry of Education's Environmental Education specialist group. Dr. Haines is a past president of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and did much of the groundwork to start MAEOE's statewide Environmental Education Certification program. She has worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on the Teaching Environmental Awareness mission, the annual horseshoe crab release at Sandy Point State Park, and the Invasive Species Education Project. She also volunteers at such venues as Assateague State Park, Irvine Nature Center, and Harford Glen Environmental Center.
Dr. Robert B. Kauffman, Chair of the Department of Recreation and Parks Management at Frostburg State University (FSU).
Dr. Kauffman is a leading advocate for boating safety. In the past three years, he has produced a nationally acclaimed boating safety video, "Almost a Perfect Day," a textbook on risk management, and a chapter on risk management for a textbook published earlier this year. His dedication and passion for outreach and service in the area of water safety set him apart as a national expert in this field. Dr. Kauffman served as an expert witness in 13 cases involving boating safety, and served on eight accreditation teams for the National Recreation and Parks Association/American Association of Physical Activity and Recreation (NRPA/AAPAR). He has also served on more than 20 thesis and dissertation committees. Dr. Kauffman has invested in program development and expansion at the university and has seen Recreation and Parks Management become an outstanding program for over 100 majors. All of these activities coincide with his regular duties of teaching, research, and service as a department chair at Frostburg State University.
INNOVATIVE EXCELLENCE
Dr. Michael M. Ohadi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and cofounder of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE) at UMCP.
Dr. Ohadi is a pioneer in advanced heat/mass exchangers and thermal
management. He has dedicated much of his distinguished career to developing
innovative means of reducing size, weight, and power consumption of energy
systems and established the first industrial consortium in that field to promote
research collaborations with industry. Today, more than 30 companies are well-established
members of CEEE and contribute to its research and educational programs. He
also has a strong record of using his research and teaching to improve
Maryland's energy consumption and carbon footprint. Through his developments,
research, and classroom projects, Dr. Ohadi and his students have conducted
energy and conservation audits of buildings on the College Park campus. These
audits have offered recommendations for significant cost savings and carbon
footprint reductions. His research continues to have enormous impact on the effectiveness
and efficiency of campus facilities. He is the author or coauthor of more than
200 peer-reviewed publications, two books, four edited books, and 21 book
chapters. He also has eight U.S. patents. Dr. Ohadi's efforts have also
resulted in noticeable energy conservation and carbon footprint reductions
internationally.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu