Lehman College has many reasons to be proud, not the least of which are the college’s talented faculty and staff.
At a time when Lehman students are preparing to graduate and celebrate their own achievements, the college is also recognizing recent faculty and staff accomplishments, which exemplify the great work carried out across the campus.
"Lehman’s outstanding faculty and staff are the foundation of our bold 90x30 plan—and the reason I am confident that the college will succeed," said Lehman President José Luis Cruz. "I am delighted that their efforts are receiving this well-deserved attention."
Since the beginning of the spring 2019 semester, Lehman faculty and staff working in diverse fields have gained honors that range from CUNY awards to recognition by national and international organizations.
"Doing meaningful work that fosters genuine curiosity about the world and helps our students think critically, formulate new questions, and make discoveries about the unknown remains the hallmark of our excellent faculty and staff. I congratulate their accomplishments this semester," said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Peter Nwosu.
Lehman faculty and staff who have been honored this semester are:
- Richard Birrittella, adjunct assistant professor of physics and astronomy: Lehman College Adjunct of the Year
- Melissa Brown, associate professor of art: Artist-in-residence, Joan Mitchell Center New Orleans
- Sherry Deckman, professor of middle and high school education: 1st place, CUNY EdTech Showcase Online Exemplary Course Award
- Melissa Deri, assistant professor of chemistry: National Institutes of Health grant; named by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging as one of 30 promising early career professionals
- Catherine Alicia Georges, professor and chair, Department of Nursing: Honorary degree, College of New Rochelle; 2019 convocation keynote speaker, Rutgers School of Nursing
- David Hyman, associate professor of English: Lehman College Teacher of the Year
- Jane MacKillop, dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies: Alpha Sigma Lambda induction, in recognition of outstanding support to adult students at Lehman
- Carl Mazza, professor and chair of the Department of Social Work: National Association of Social Workers Diamond Leadership Award
- Diana Mittler-Battapaglia, professor of music, founder and director of the Con Brio Ensemble: Arts Access Grant, Queens Council on the Arts
- Olivia Moy, assistant professor of English: Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Malkiel Scholars Award
- Peter Niedt, director of fieldwork in the Department of Social Work: National Association of Social Workers Latino Social Work Task Force, Outstanding Work and Commitment to the Latino Community of NY award
- Megan Owen, assistant professor of mathematics: National Science Foundation CAREER grant
- Hugh Reid: CUNY Athletic Conference Men's Indoor Track Coach of the Year
- Victoria Sanford, Department of Anthropology chair and director of the Center for Human Rights and Peace Studies: Invited co-leader, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Faculty Seminar on Holocaust and Genocide in the Americas
- Reine Sarmiento, vice president of Enrollment Management and associate provost: Appointment to the National Academic Advising Association Professional Development Committee
- Kenneth Weisshaar, adjunct assistant professor of philosophy: 2nd place, CUNY EdTech Showcase Online Exemplary Course Award
- The Career Exploration and Development Center: 1st place, Career Services Association of CUNY Innovative CUNY Career Services Programs
- Department of Physics: Recognized by the Lehman College Office of Prestigious Awards for its dedication to the scholarly accomplishments of students.
In addition, 39 Lehman faculty members received a Cycle 50 PSC-CUNY Research Award. These awards, managed by Research Foundation CUNY, are given out to support academically relevant research by professors across CUNY. This year’s Lehman recipients are:
- Allison Amend, associate professor of English
- Melissa Castillo Planas, assistant professor of English
- David Claman, assistant professor of music
- Jennifer Collett, assistant professor of early childhood and childhood education
- Peggy Conner, assistant professor of speech-language-hearing sciences
- Wendell Cooper, lecturer, Department of Music, Multimedia, Theatre and Dance
- Sherry Deckman, professor of middle and high school education
- Eric Delson, professor of anthropology
- Melissa Deri, assistant professor of chemistry
- Jacob Eubank, assistant professor of health sciences
- Itai Feigenbaum, assistant professor of computer science
- Duran Fiack, assistant professor of political science
- David Font-Navarrete, assistant professor of music
- Dmitry Garanin, associate professor physics and astronomy
- Renato Ghini Bettiol, assistant professor of mathematics
- Ulises Gonzales, lecturer, Department of Journalism and Media Studies
- Mario A. González-Corzo, associate professor, Department of Economics and Business
- Thomas Ihde, professor and chair, Department of Languages and Literatures
- Andrei Jitianu, professor of chemistry
- Dimitra Karabali, professor and chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Stacy Katz, assistant professor, Open Resources Librarian-STEM Liaison
- Beatriz Lado, assistant professor of languages and literatures
- Jennifer Laird, assistant professor of sociology
- Amy Larimer, associate professor of dance
- Danielle Magaldi-Dopman, associate professor of counseling, leadership, literacy and special education
- J. Bret Maney, assistant professor of English
- Susan Markens, associate professor and deputy chair, Department of Sociology
- Anne Marshall, associate professor of early childhood and childhood education
- Justine McGovern, assistant professor of social work
- Alexander Núñez-Torres, assistant professor of economics and business
- Naphtali O'Connor, associate professor of chemistry
- Matthew O'Dowd, associate professor of physics and astronomy
- Megan Owen, assistant professor of mathematics
- Stephanie Rupp, assistant professor of anthropology
- William Wooldridge, associate professor of history
- Amanda Wunder, associate professor of history
- Mahmoud Zeinalian, professor of mathematics
- Liang Zhao, assistant professor of computer science
- Zhi-Liang Zheng, professor of biological sciences.
Congratulations to all these well-deserving Lehman faculty and staff for the recognition of their hard work and accomplishments.