2020 Faculty Awards

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11/04/2020 Added

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2020 Faculty Awards.

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[00:00:00.000](upbeat music)
[00:00:05.640]Hello, and welcome to our 2020 faculty awards celebration.
[00:00:09.150]This is our first stand-alone event
[00:00:10.910]commemorating faculty honors
[00:00:12.390]from the previous academic year.
[00:00:14.650]This isn't exactly how we envisioned
[00:00:16.390]our award celebration taking place;
[00:00:18.000]but with the great work of our marketing communications team
[00:00:20.950]we've come up with a way to recognize
[00:00:23.090]the exceptional research and teaching contributions
[00:00:25.550]in our college.
[00:00:26.880]We have a great deal to be proud of,
[00:00:28.250]so let's begin with the System Awards.
[00:00:30.642](upbeat music)
[00:00:42.120]I'm extraordinarily delighted
[00:00:43.860]to congratulate my colleague, Dr. Jody Koenig Kellas,
[00:00:47.160]on winning this amazing teaching award.
[00:00:49.880]Jody is an exceptional and inspiring teacher
[00:00:52.660]in our department, our college, and on our campus.
[00:00:56.390]I describe Dr. Kellas as a complete academic,
[00:00:59.500]one of those people who so skillfully knits together
[00:01:02.310]her teaching, scholarship, and service
[00:01:04.930]into a dedicated and coherent career.
[00:01:07.690]Semester after semester, Jody's numbers were off the charts.
[00:01:11.520]But it was really the comments that her students made
[00:01:14.420]about her changing their life
[00:01:16.180]or being the best professor they've ever had
[00:01:18.810]that always struck a chord with me.
[00:01:21.610]She makes an outstanding contribution to graduate education
[00:01:25.500]as an advisor, as a teacher,
[00:01:27.650]and with her Narrative Nebraska research lab.
[00:01:30.610]I congratulate Jody Koenig Kellas on this outstanding award.
[00:01:34.520]I'm so proud of you.
[00:01:35.690]Your colleagues are so proud of you
[00:01:37.770]and so glad to work with you every day.
[00:01:40.221](upbeat music)
[00:01:51.280]On behalf of the Women's and Gender Studies Program,
[00:01:53.680]we offer heartfelt congratulations to Katie Holland.
[00:01:56.880]We could not imagine a better recipient.
[00:01:59.480]In three short years at UNL, Katie has established herself
[00:02:02.830]as an innovative and highly productive researcher,
[00:02:06.010]and an engaging and creative teacher.
[00:02:08.880]She is conducting groundbreaking work
[00:02:10.800]in the area of sexual health and sexual violence,
[00:02:13.510]and recently received the Distinguished Publication Award
[00:02:16.710]from the Association for Women in Psychology.
[00:02:20.310]In both her classes and through her mentorship
[00:02:22.920]of students in her research lab,
[00:02:24.900]she invites undergrads and graduate students
[00:02:27.510]not only to understand psychological research
[00:02:30.220]but to produce it.
[00:02:31.740]Katie is changing conversation about sexual violence
[00:02:34.943]and shaping the next generation to do the same.
[00:02:38.210]We are so proud of her and her deeply important work.
[00:02:41.390]Congratulations, Katie.
[00:02:42.908](upbeat music)
[00:02:50.470]Beth, you're the best.
[00:02:51.840]Thanks for everything you do.
[00:02:53.180]And congratulations on this richly deserved recognition.
[00:02:57.360](upbeat music)
[00:03:04.440]I'm thrilled to congratulate her for winning
[00:03:06.410]the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
[00:03:10.020]For those of us that have the pleasure of working with her,
[00:03:12.220]this comes as no surprise;
[00:03:13.760]nor does the fact that she's won six teaching awards
[00:03:16.100]since joining us at UNL in 2015.
[00:03:19.560]As a teacher, Angela believes in bringing our whole selves
[00:03:22.760]into the classroom.
[00:03:23.730]She says and I'm quoting, "My whole self is inspired
[00:03:26.727]"by working with others to solve complex problems
[00:03:28.827]"so that together we can create a more empathic, supportive,
[00:03:31.957]"and equitable world."
[00:03:33.660]Her passion for health communication
[00:03:35.820]as it intersects with the value of social justice
[00:03:38.130]sings in the classroom and in her mentoring
[00:03:40.630]of undergraduate and graduate students.
[00:03:42.930]She gives her students in the classroom
[00:03:44.790]space to make mistakes while encouraging deep learning
[00:03:48.360]and helps them to embrace what she calls "the beautiful mess
[00:03:51.917]"of the process of learning in the classroom."
[00:03:54.570]Having an office down the hall from her means that
[00:03:56.900]I get to hear her mentoring conversations
[00:03:59.800]with the many students who frequent her office hours
[00:04:02.560]and weekly meetings for research mentorship.
[00:04:05.820]I hear them having these structured,
[00:04:08.120]passionate, laughter-filled, intense conversations.
[00:04:11.790]And I know that mentorship is such a value to her.
[00:04:16.560]I would describe Angela as a passionate, empathic,
[00:04:19.230]and curious leader mentor from whom I learn regularly.
[00:04:23.000]In fact, I model much of the time and methods
[00:04:25.960]in my own research lab after what I've learned from her.
[00:04:29.030]I could not be prouder to call her friend and colleague.
[00:04:31.920]Congratulations, Angela.
[00:04:33.617](upbeat music)
[00:04:44.690]I'm here to congratulate Dr. Marco Abel
[00:04:46.950]on receiving a Willa Cather Professorship,
[00:04:49.250]a well deserved honor indeed.
[00:04:51.420]In her 1937 preface,
[00:04:53.290]the revised version of her novel "Song of the Lark,"
[00:04:55.800]Cather herself wrote that quote,
[00:04:57.447]"Success is never so interesting as struggle,
[00:05:00.547]"not even to the successful," end of quote.
[00:05:03.020]So in the spirit of this quotation,
[00:05:05.780]I believe that the best way for me
[00:05:07.430]to acknowledge Marco's accomplishments
[00:05:09.410]is to say that it has been an honor
[00:05:11.560]to follow some of his successful struggles up so close
[00:05:14.580]and I'm looking forward to continuing
[00:05:16.160]our common struggles together.
[00:05:18.074](upbeat music)
[00:05:25.170]Here to honor Eric Dodds
[00:05:28.260]for earning Susan J. Rosowski Chaired Professorship.
[00:05:33.270]Eric, you've had an unusual journey to this point.
[00:05:36.840]The Rosowski Chair is given in recognition
[00:05:39.820]of significant contributions in research and teaching
[00:05:42.970]and exceptional promise for future excellence.
[00:05:45.740]And those are apt words, I think, to describe
[00:05:49.010]how your career has played out here.
[00:05:52.300]Thank you for your contributions in getting mass spec
[00:05:55.900]back on the map in Nebraska,
[00:05:57.960]and for helping the university acquire
[00:06:00.940]what is truly a spectacular piece of instrumentation:
[00:06:04.140]this high field 15 Tesla FTICR mass spectrometer
[00:06:08.660]that's one of only four at academic institutions
[00:06:11.660]in the United States.
[00:06:13.220]This is truly a wonderful addition
[00:06:16.030]to the suite of instruments that we have here in the state
[00:06:18.780]to do mass spectrometry,
[00:06:20.750]to do molecular characterizations
[00:06:23.240]with just exquisite sensitivity and resolution.
[00:06:28.300]And this is quite a boon, I think, for research
[00:06:32.290]in the state.
[00:06:33.290]So Eric, thanks.
[00:06:34.490]Congratulations, and I look forward
[00:06:36.730]to watching the next leg of your journey.
[00:06:39.626](upbeat music)
[00:06:47.120]It is my distinct pleasure to congratulate Brian Harbourne
[00:06:50.810]who is named a Willa Cather Professor
[00:06:52.760]in recognition of his major contributions
[00:06:55.240]to algebraic geometry.
[00:06:56.956](upbeat music)
[00:07:04.053]Eileen's work on animal communication
[00:07:06.060]focuses on arachnids.
[00:07:08.050]Her work is world-class and well-recognized.
[00:07:10.870]In addition, she works tirelessly to engage in,
[00:07:14.070]promote and innovate the communication of science
[00:07:16.680]to broader audiences.
[00:07:18.230]And that work is simply inspiring.
[00:07:20.460]Her induction as a fellow of the American Association
[00:07:23.360]for the Advancement of Science this year
[00:07:25.560]is a well-deserved recognition.
[00:07:27.950]In addition this year, she was named
[00:07:30.190]Charles Bessey Professor of Biological Sciences,
[00:07:33.570]another well deserved recognition.
[00:07:36.160]So Eileen, congratulations.
[00:07:38.196](upbeat music)
[00:07:45.580]The Department of Ppsychology is thrilled
[00:07:47.400]to see our colleague, Jeff Stevens,
[00:07:49.190]appointed as a Susan J. Rosowski
[00:07:51.180]Associate Professor of Psychology.
[00:07:53.460]Named professorships are particularly special
[00:07:55.900]given that they acknowledge overall excellence
[00:07:58.210]in every single facet of academics.
[00:08:00.580]To that end, this honor is a culmination
[00:08:02.430]of all of the hard work that Jeff
[00:08:03.920]has put into being both a successful researcher
[00:08:06.090]and instructor here at the university.
[00:08:08.510]At the research level, he's maintained
[00:08:10.050]multiple well-funded research programs examining behavior
[00:08:13.110]and decision-making in both human and animal populations
[00:08:16.340]as well as looking at human/animal interactions.
[00:08:19.090]Most critically, he recently shifted his research focus
[00:08:21.610]to canine cognition with his Canine Cognition
[00:08:24.350]and Human Interaction Lab
[00:08:25.570]bringing great visibility to the university
[00:08:28.030]and providing incredible opportunity to trainees
[00:08:30.510]to get involved in cutting edge research.
[00:08:33.090]As a teacher, Jeff has worked diligently
[00:08:34.970]to offer innovative, exciting, and well-designed courses
[00:08:37.780]to both undergraduates and graduate students
[00:08:40.420]all of which have been incredibly well received.
[00:08:42.900]This honor not only acknowledges these past accomplishments
[00:08:45.630]but it's also indicative of the fact
[00:08:47.370]that Jeff has shown exceptional promise
[00:08:49.340]for continued excellence in the field.
[00:08:51.620]We're fortunate to have him as a colleague.
[00:08:53.410]His students are fortunate to have him
[00:08:54.910]as an instructor and/or supervisor.
[00:08:57.290]And the university community has benefited
[00:08:59.310]and will continue to benefit from his many contributions.
[00:09:02.270]Congratulations, Jeff.
[00:09:03.793](upbeat music)
[00:09:11.870]I am thrilled to be able to say a few words
[00:09:14.730]about my colleague and my friend, Stacey Waite,
[00:09:17.940]who is now the Susan J. Rosowski
[00:09:20.070]Associate Professor of English.
[00:09:22.230]All I can say is that Stacey is a rock star.
[00:09:25.340]It's fantastic to have her as a colleague,
[00:09:27.870]as a friend, a true advocate for our graduate students,
[00:09:32.350]tremendously hardworking, super smart,
[00:09:35.587]and is more than deserving of this honor.
[00:09:39.640]Stacey is both a scholar and a creative writer
[00:09:42.898]and has a very exciting publication record on both sides.
[00:09:48.400]For example, she's the author of "Teaching Queer"
[00:09:51.020]with the University of Pittsburgh Press,
[00:09:52.640]which is arguably one of the one or two best presses
[00:09:55.630]in our field.
[00:09:56.730]And her book has already received a tremendous reception.
[00:09:59.770]Also the coach of the college's,
[00:10:02.630]of the university's slam poetry team
[00:10:04.670]as well as a coach of slam poetry at the high school level.
[00:10:10.660]And what she's doing with those high school students
[00:10:13.990]and with our college students is also quite remarkable.
[00:10:16.870]She's taken those students to national championships.
[00:10:19.850]Stacy is tremendous on all levels:
[00:10:22.590]as a scholar, as a creative writer,
[00:10:25.584]as an administrator in the Graduate Studies Program,
[00:10:29.770]and also in the community through the service she's doing
[00:10:34.900]both outside and inside UNL.
[00:10:38.290]So congratulations, Stacey; well-deserved.
[00:10:42.120]It is with great Husker pride
[00:10:43.640]that I congratulate the outstanding faculty
[00:10:45.520]in the College of Arts and Sciences.
[00:10:48.370]Your hard work and your dedication
[00:10:50.430]to the teaching, research, and service mission at Nebraska
[00:10:53.900]is what makes us a top tier institution.
[00:10:57.350]I'm honored to have this opportunity
[00:10:59.160]to celebrate each of you and what you have accomplished.
[00:11:02.816](upbeat music)
[00:11:14.030]And it is my pleasure
[00:11:15.070]to congratulate my colleague, Amelia Montes,
[00:11:18.500]on receiving one of the two
[00:11:20.640]inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Mentoring Awards.
[00:11:24.990]Amelia has done a tremendous job
[00:11:28.000]and continues to do a tremendous job mentoring:
[00:11:30.960]mentoring other colleagues,
[00:11:33.410]but also and especially our students
[00:11:36.210]both undergraduate and graduate students.
[00:11:38.790]Amelia always has a full load of advisees on all levels
[00:11:44.640]which comes with a lot of work:
[00:11:47.100]both the face-to-face daily interactions
[00:11:49.970]with students, advising them;
[00:11:52.040]but also, of course, being there for them
[00:11:54.630]once it gets to the stage
[00:11:56.450]of writing letters of recommendation, of networking,
[00:11:59.650]of advising about career opportunities
[00:12:02.360]inside academia and beyond.
[00:12:05.600]Amelia has a very good track record
[00:12:07.800]with regards to her students, placing them.
[00:12:11.254]And so, I honestly believe that Amelia
[00:12:14.460]is most certainly more than deserving
[00:12:16.940]of being one of the two inaugural recipients
[00:12:20.240]of this new mentoring award.
[00:12:22.640]So thank you, Amelia, for all the work
[00:12:24.003]that you have been doing.
[00:12:26.010]I'm very happy to be your colleague
[00:12:28.050]and I'm looking forward to working with you
[00:12:30.910]in the coming years. Thank you.
[00:12:32.420](upbeat music)
[00:12:40.261]We're here to congratulate Dave Hage
[00:12:42.760]for being awarded this year with a College Teaching Award.
[00:12:46.860]Dave's a kind of guy, some of you may know,
[00:12:48.770]whose research has oftentimes
[00:12:51.020]overshadowed his teaching accomplishments.
[00:12:53.600]Dave, for example, a few years back was awarded
[00:12:56.500]with the Outstanding Research and Creativity Award
[00:12:59.540]system-wide.
[00:13:00.550]And in the past few months,
[00:13:01.770]Dave has actually been recognized with a national award
[00:13:06.010]from the American Chemical Society
[00:13:07.820]as the top chromatographer in the country.
[00:13:10.890]Far fewer people realize that Dave for a number of years
[00:13:13.940]has really been the bedrock of analytical chemistry
[00:13:16.320]here in the department.
[00:13:17.240]And that includes some really important contributions
[00:13:20.560]to our teaching program, not only through his textbook
[00:13:23.810]and quantitative analysis for the undergraduate program
[00:13:27.300]but also for a variety of contributions
[00:13:29.630]to our graduate program, through coursework,
[00:13:31.930]and through graduate student mentoring.
[00:13:34.830]So Dave, congratulations; this is well deserved.
[00:13:38.195](upbeat music)
[00:13:45.630]It is my pleasure
[00:13:46.510]to congratulate my colleague, Nganga Muchiri,
[00:13:50.230]on receiving the College of Arts and Sciences
[00:13:53.280]Distinguished Teaching Award.
[00:13:56.459]It's really terrific that Muchiri
[00:13:59.430]has been awarded this teaching award
[00:14:03.580]not only because Muchiri is a terrific teacher
[00:14:06.480]as is evidenced by his students' evaluations,
[00:14:10.410]by the comments that his students offer
[00:14:13.800]in response to his classes;
[00:14:15.620]but also it must be said
[00:14:17.580]because Muchiri teaches a subject matter
[00:14:20.620]that for our primarily White streaming students
[00:14:24.530]here in Nebraska is, of course,
[00:14:26.390]far from their normal experience from their everyday lives.
[00:14:31.650]And those teaching situations
[00:14:34.320]can sometimes be quite difficult.
[00:14:37.320]They come with their own challenges.
[00:14:39.170]And it's therefore even more delightful
[00:14:44.010]to see how well Muchiri has been doing,
[00:14:46.240]how he has adjusted to the University of Nebraska
[00:14:49.700]and our student body,
[00:14:51.750]and how his pedagogical efforts
[00:14:54.690]really have become an asset to the English Department,
[00:14:58.970]to the College of Arts and Sciences,
[00:15:00.550]and to the University of Nebraska,
[00:15:03.350]including of course, in relation to all of our efforts
[00:15:07.420]to do better when it comes to questions of diversity.
[00:15:10.880]So Muchiri, keep up the great work.
[00:15:13.670]We truly appreciate everything that you're doing.
[00:15:16.010]Thank you.
[00:15:16.994](upbeat music)
[00:15:24.497]I am thrilled to congratulate her
[00:15:25.970]for winning a College Distinguished Teaching Award.
[00:15:28.300]These multiple awards are most deserved.
[00:15:31.270]Congratulations, Angela.
[00:15:32.891](upbeat music)
[00:15:40.310]Dear Heather, congratulations for your award.
[00:15:43.680]So very well deserved.
[00:15:46.370]You have done an amazing job and continue to do.
[00:15:50.090]You're a fantastic team player.
[00:15:52.100]You're an awesome researcher
[00:15:53.960]and just an all-around wonderful human being.
[00:15:57.170]I'm so privileged and proud to be working with you.
[00:16:00.950]Congratulations; onward and forward.
[00:16:04.346](upbeat music)
[00:16:21.190]It is also my pleasure to congratulate
[00:16:23.130]both Alexandra Seceleanu and Alex Zupan who both received
[00:16:28.270]College Distinguished Teaching Awards this year
[00:16:30.470]in recognition of their outstanding classroom teaching
[00:16:33.470]and mentoring.
[00:16:34.665](upbeat music)
[00:16:41.880]Here a third time to honor one of our faculty:
[00:16:44.710]this time, Rebecca Lai, for being awarded
[00:16:48.610]with a College Research Award.
[00:16:51.330]Rebecca, as some of you know,
[00:16:54.180]is an expert in bioanalytical chemistry,
[00:16:56.120]in particular bioanalytical chemistry where her focus is
[00:16:59.990]on using very specifically designed molecules
[00:17:02.850]to target very specific analytes
[00:17:05.940]that one would like descent through electrochemistry.
[00:17:09.820]So Rebecca has made quite some contributions there
[00:17:12.620]along with contributions to material science
[00:17:16.090]through her electrochemistry.
[00:17:17.770]So some of you may know that Rebecca
[00:17:22.040]has quite an extensive outreach program
[00:17:24.820]for sharing the magic of chemistry through Harry Potter.
[00:17:28.130]So Rebecca, thank you for loaning me your sorting hat here.
[00:17:32.060]You know, as I ponder what it is that I could do
[00:17:35.670]to make this particularly memorable for you,
[00:17:39.060]I'm not sure I can carry the full weight
[00:17:42.210]of this particular outfit by the way.
[00:17:44.930]So I thought: What I should do is
[00:17:46.830]I should do some magic for you.
[00:17:49.530]And I should use this fine Harry Potter wand,
[00:17:55.990]also loaned to me so thank you for that,
[00:17:59.460]to pull off these pieces of magic for you.
[00:18:01.680]So the first one sadly I can't do here in your presence.
[00:18:05.520]What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna use the wand
[00:18:08.840]in assistance with a UV light source
[00:18:11.310]to sterilize both of these so that you can get back
[00:18:14.140]and feel safe with them in these times.
[00:18:16.500]And then the second one:
[00:18:18.590]right here, right now, right before your eyes,
[00:18:21.020]I am going to make myself disa. (white noise)
[00:18:24.528](upbeat music)
[00:18:32.250]It was a real pleasure
[00:18:33.190]to be able to nominate Phil Schwadel
[00:18:35.180]for the College Outstanding Research Award.
[00:18:37.900]I can't think of many scholars who would
[00:18:40.640]compare to Phil in terms of the national stature that he has
[00:18:44.600]in looking at the relationships between religion
[00:18:47.380]and social class.
[00:18:48.880]He is clearly recognized nationally and internationally
[00:18:52.000]as a leader in this area of scholarship.
[00:18:54.480]And we're very fortunate to have him as a colleague
[00:18:56.620]here at the university of Nebraska.
[00:18:58.344](upbeat music)
[00:19:05.710]Jay Storz is a Willa Cather Professor
[00:19:08.516]of Biological Sciences and also a AAA House Fellow.
[00:19:12.180]His work on evolutionary genetics and genomics
[00:19:14.700]relates changes in DNA sequence to protein function
[00:19:18.630]that provide mechanistic bases of adaptive evolution.
[00:19:23.090]His work is equally world-class and well recognized.
[00:19:26.610]So congratulations, Jay.
[00:19:28.730]On a personal note, I'd like to remind Jay
[00:19:31.920]that he helped to recruit me to come here to UNL.
[00:19:35.480]The chance to join he and Eileen
[00:19:37.930]and the rest of the SBS faculty is a joy.
[00:19:40.760]And it makes it my honor to serve as director.
[00:19:44.080]On behalf of the faculty and students
[00:19:46.180]of the School of Biological Sciences,
[00:19:48.240]congratulations on your achievements this year.
[00:19:51.110]And I look forward to working with you
[00:19:53.140]for many years to come.
[00:19:54.404](upbeat music)
[00:20:01.702]It is my pleasure to congratulate my colleague,
[00:20:04.170]Adrian Wisnicki, on having received
[00:20:07.270]the College of Arts and Sciences ORCA.
[00:20:10.220]Adrian's work, which is crucial to what we're doing
[00:20:13.950]in the English Department, is situated at the intersection
[00:20:17.780]of digital humanities and digital culture on the one hand
[00:20:21.050]and Victorian slash British literature on the other hand.
[00:20:25.700]But Adrian, because he's a specialist
[00:20:28.200]on the writings and activities
[00:20:30.390]of the famous Victorian explorer Dr. Livingstone,
[00:20:33.840]also makes a very important contribution to our strength
[00:20:38.210]in the department on African studies and African literature.
[00:20:41.960]Adrian is the director and founder
[00:20:44.680]of the Livingstone Archive,
[00:20:46.260]one of the most celebrated digital archives that is around,
[00:20:50.907]NEH grant funded.
[00:20:53.530]And Adrian recently published a new monograph.
[00:20:56.950]So Adrian is not just a digital scholar,
[00:21:00.060]but also in a more traditional sense
[00:21:02.050]a literary and cultural studies scholar.
[00:21:04.500]And so, he's a perfect fit for our department
[00:21:07.228]and what we're doing.
[00:21:08.470]And we are delighted to have him as a colleague.
[00:21:11.380]So congratulations, Adrian.
[00:21:13.750]That's an award that is very well deserved.
[00:21:16.135](upbeat music)
[00:21:23.870]I'm delighted to congratulate Professor Joy Castro
[00:21:27.230]for receiving the Hazel R. McClymont
[00:21:29.370]Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award.
[00:21:31.230]So I'm particularly thrilled
[00:21:32.560]that I get to say a few words directed at her.
[00:21:37.360]I know that Joy's a terrific teacher.
[00:21:40.720]And I think everyone who has seen her teach,
[00:21:43.720]has seen her teaching materials,
[00:21:46.470]or has heard her students talk about her
[00:21:48.780]knows that that Joy's approach to teaching
[00:21:52.320]is very much one that seeks to empower her students.
[00:21:56.545]And she does this by challenging them
[00:21:59.840]so that they can get to the level
[00:22:02.600]that Joy thinks her students should get to
[00:22:05.560]and deserve to be challenged to get to.
[00:22:08.490]Joy teaches a great range of classes in creative writing
[00:22:11.630]and in literary studies and in ethnic studies.
[00:22:14.960]And in so doing, she always exposes her students
[00:22:18.000]to tough questions.
[00:22:20.420]But she does this in general with an tremendous amount
[00:22:23.880]of creativity, and empathy, critical acumen,
[00:22:29.040]and overall, of course, expertise.
[00:22:32.100]Professor Castro, of course, herself
[00:22:34.160]is a very well known creative writer
[00:22:38.420]as well as a scholar of modernist literature
[00:22:41.430]and even of late of German cinema.
[00:22:44.090]So the college made an excellent choice.
[00:22:46.990]Congratulations, Joy. I'm very happy for you.
[00:22:50.762](upbeat music)
[00:23:20.476]It is my distinct pleasure to congratulate three faculty
[00:23:23.690]named Milton Mohr Professors of Mathematics:
[00:23:28.350]George Avalos in recognition of his outstanding work
[00:23:32.050]in partial differential equations;
[00:23:34.520]Yvonne Lai for her stellar research
[00:23:37.090]in mathematics education;
[00:23:39.260]and Richard Rebarber for his outstanding contributions
[00:23:42.630]to mathematical biology.
[00:23:44.667](upbeat music)
[00:23:51.730]I want to congratulate professor Stephen Burnett
[00:23:54.100]of Classics and Religious Studies on being named
[00:23:57.110]the Hymen Rosenberg Professor of Judaic Studies.
[00:24:00.710]Steve has been actively involved in teaching and research
[00:24:04.610]in Judaic studies for many years.
[00:24:07.050]And in addition to his excellent work in his field,
[00:24:11.810]Steve has long served
[00:24:13.030]as one of the Harris Center's core faculty members
[00:24:16.750]as well as a longtime member of our advisory committee.
[00:24:19.260]His advice and his good humor has served us incredibly well
[00:24:23.980]over many years.
[00:24:25.210]This is a very well-deserved award, Steve.
[00:24:28.390]Congratulations.
[00:24:29.799](upbeat music)
[00:24:37.660]I want to extend my warmest congratulations
[00:24:40.600]to Professor Bedross Der Matossian of the History Department
[00:24:44.440]on being named the Hymen Rosenberg
[00:24:46.640]Professor of Judaic Studies.
[00:24:48.800]Bedross is a remarkable scholar, a wonderful teacher,
[00:24:52.100]and an exceptional colleague.
[00:24:54.230]In addition to his very active research agenda,
[00:24:57.370]he has been one of the core faculty members
[00:24:59.620]of the Harris Center.
[00:25:01.100]He recently served as the center's associate director,
[00:25:04.560]and he's planned several major conferences
[00:25:07.200]that have greatly enriched the campus community.
[00:25:09.990]We're so fortunate to have him as part of the Harris Center.
[00:25:13.410]Congratulations, Bedross.
[00:25:15.100](upbeat music)
[00:25:23.210]I'm thrilled to congratulate my colleague,
[00:25:25.840]Chigozie Obioma, on having been named
[00:25:29.370]the James E. Ryan Associate Professor of English.
[00:25:34.210]What can one say about Chigozie?
[00:25:35.820]Chigozie joined us in 2015 as an assistant professor,
[00:25:39.390]a very young man who joined us after he received his MFA
[00:25:44.310]from the University of Michigan.
[00:25:47.140]I think when we hired him,
[00:25:48.450]we knew we would be bringing someone with enormous talents
[00:25:53.440]to the University of Nebraska.
[00:25:55.360]But I think none of us really expected
[00:25:57.890]the tremendous success that Chigozie would have very soon
[00:26:02.580]with his first novel, "The Fishermen,"
[00:26:04.760]a remarkable novel which I highly recommend that you read.
[00:26:08.870]It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize
[00:26:11.690]which is arguably the most important global prize
[00:26:16.171]in literature for one book.
[00:26:19.940]And then too, as if this were not enough,
[00:26:23.600]Chigozie managed to do the same thing again
[00:26:26.080]with his second novel, "An Orchestra of Minorities."
[00:26:29.400]Again, the novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize,
[00:26:32.560]which is to say it was among the last half dozen novels
[00:26:36.810]that were up for the prize.
[00:26:38.840]To my knowledge, this has never happened before
[00:26:41.100]that a writer was back-to-back shortlisted
[00:26:45.620]for their first two books.
[00:26:49.070]So Chigozie is a truly global writer.
[00:26:52.970]His audience is global.
[00:26:55.110]He has won many awards across the world for his writings.
[00:27:01.260]The translations of his books
[00:27:03.310]in some 30 languages have won awards.
[00:27:06.690]Radio plays have been made based on his work.
[00:27:11.530]A theater play has been already staged based on his work.
[00:27:15.130]I believe there are television rights in the works.
[00:27:18.940]So I cannot overemphasize how lucky we are
[00:27:22.370]to have Chigozie here at Nebraska.
[00:27:23.933]He's a tremendous asset to the English Department's efforts
[00:27:27.930]in building a very strong program in African studies,
[00:27:32.730]in literary studies, in creative writing,
[00:27:34.580]and in cultural studies.
[00:27:36.830]And Chigozie is an instrumental faculty member
[00:27:40.650]in this effort.
[00:27:42.030]So Chigozie, congratulations on all your successes
[00:27:45.290]and on having been named
[00:27:46.390]James E. Ryan Associate Professor of English.
[00:27:48.720]Well-deserved.
[00:27:50.266](upbeat music)
[00:27:57.240]Congratulations, Sophia,
[00:27:58.540]on your Happold Professorship in Anthropology.
[00:28:01.250]In SGIS last spring, we hosted a virtual celebration
[00:28:05.060]of this accomplishment.
[00:28:06.240]And I'm so delighted that now we can share our celebration
[00:28:09.760]with a wider community.
[00:28:11.530]In anthropology, geography, and global studies,
[00:28:14.940]we have so benefited from your vision and your energy,
[00:28:18.800]the fact that no is not in your vocabulary,
[00:28:21.450]your dedication to the research
[00:28:23.110]and educational missions of UNL.
[00:28:25.770]So this professorship is well-deserved.
[00:28:28.150]Congratulations.
[00:28:29.331](upbeat music)
[00:28:37.395]It is my distinct honor to congratulate
[00:28:40.570]my friend and colleague, Dr. Jordan Soliz,
[00:28:43.790]for the Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson
[00:28:46.880]Chair in Arts and Sciences Professorship.
[00:28:50.220]A professorship is the highest form of recognition
[00:28:54.120]that someone can receive at the university.
[00:28:56.870]And I cannot think of anyone more deserving.
[00:29:00.010]Jordan's research on intergroup communication,
[00:29:02.240]multi-ethnic families, and expanding diversity and inclusion
[00:29:06.250]in the field of family communication is timely.
[00:29:09.390]It's socially significant.
[00:29:11.350]It's methodologically rigorous.
[00:29:13.050]And most importantly, it's needed in our society right now
[00:29:17.550]and in the classroom and in families.
[00:29:21.090]He brings that passion for those things to the classroom
[00:29:23.930]in which he is an innovative, passionate,
[00:29:26.440]and caring professor.
[00:29:28.090]A few years ago, I attended an event
[00:29:30.770]where folks were heavily involved
[00:29:32.240]with the Clifton StrengthsFinder.
[00:29:33.557]And so afterward, Jordan and I both sat down
[00:29:35.590]and took the assessment.
[00:29:37.100]Not surprisingly, one of his top strengths was developer.
[00:29:40.340]He is a developer of people and their strengths.
[00:29:43.990]He finds a way to connect with each person
[00:29:46.550]and elevate their humanity and their uniqueness.
[00:29:49.930]He is a beloved teacher and advisor,
[00:29:52.370]and led graduate studies in our department for many years.
[00:29:55.800]Not surprisingly, he brings that expertise
[00:29:58.320]not only to our discipline
[00:29:59.730]but also to the campus working as a leader
[00:30:01.780]in Civic Engagement Track for the Honors College;
[00:30:04.350]as a faculty leader
[00:30:05.280]in the Minority Health Disparities Initiative;
[00:30:08.100]in partnership with Student Success
[00:30:09.670]and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion;
[00:30:11.880]and heading the IRB if the rest of it was not enough.
[00:30:16.010]He is a department and a campus treasure.
[00:30:18.200]And I am glad to call him colleague and friend
[00:30:21.190]and congratulate him on this most deserved honor,
[00:30:25.110]his professorship.
[00:30:26.250]Congratulations, Jordan.
[00:30:28.135](upbeat music)
[00:30:35.760]I wanna congratulate the Bureau of Sociological Research
[00:30:38.300]for winning the College of Arts and Sciences
[00:30:39.980]Inclusive Excellence in Diversity Award.
[00:30:42.540]They've been working hard to build inclusion
[00:30:43.997]and diversity on our campus.
[00:30:45.760]And I'm so proud of them.
[00:30:47.160]I think that BOSR has approached this work
[00:30:49.040]in a really smart and a really sustainable way.
[00:30:51.350]They're really focused on how embracing inclusion
[00:30:53.077]and diversity would help BOSR to thrive as a survey shop.
[00:30:56.400]As a result, diversity isn't just a side project for them.
[00:30:59.290]It's central to BOSR's success.
[00:31:02.270]They figured out
[00:31:03.103]that when they bring together a diversity of staff,
[00:31:04.840]where there are non-native English speakers
[00:31:06.240]or international, visually impaired,
[00:31:07.810]mobility impaired folks,
[00:31:09.480]that those people bring much needed skills and perspectives
[00:31:11.770]that help BOSR do their job of successfully surveying people
[00:31:14.570]from all walks of life across Nebraska
[00:31:16.360]and across the United States.
[00:31:18.390]And they've committed to helping their staff
[00:31:19.820]continue to build skills, for example,
[00:31:22.180]by offering survey internships
[00:31:24.150]for non-student staff members who wanna learn more
[00:31:26.730]of the science of surveying and the business of surveys.
[00:31:30.350]I've also been inspired by BOSR's continued commitment
[00:31:32.730]to inclusion and diversity
[00:31:34.000]in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic.
[00:31:36.810]So for example, they've been working really hard
[00:31:38.750]to get all the bits of software to work together
[00:31:40.630]so that their visually impaired interviewers
[00:31:42.510]can continue to interview and work remotely.
[00:31:44.620]This has been a big challenge,
[00:31:45.850]but they keep working at it and chipping away at it
[00:31:47.940]because those interviews are so important
[00:31:49.490]and they do such a great job as members of the BOSR team.
[00:31:53.460]BOSR is also partnered with the city of Lincoln
[00:31:55.180]and the Department of Modern Languages
[00:31:56.630]to provide translation services
[00:31:58.400]so that the city's COVID-19 updates can be provided
[00:32:01.720]in Arabic, Chinese and Spanish to the residents of the city.
[00:32:04.870]And so they just look, continually look for places
[00:32:07.950]where they can use diversity and inclusion
[00:32:10.651]to their benefit, to everybody's benefit,
[00:32:13.240]and continue to make UNL just a fantastic place.
[00:32:16.616]And I think they provide us with just a really neat model
[00:32:18.670]that all of us can be inspired by.
[00:32:20.630]So thank you BOSR for all of your great work.
[00:32:22.782](upbeat music)
[00:32:56.600]That concludes our awards presentation.
[00:32:58.860]I would like to congratulate
[00:33:00.380]this distinguished group of scholars
[00:33:02.430]who are a part of our vibrant and diverse college
[00:33:05.120]that is the academic heart of the university.
[00:33:07.640]Thank you for your dedication, innovation, and collaboration
[00:33:11.420]as we continue our mission of transforming lives
[00:33:14.540]and improving our world.
[00:33:16.187](upbeat music)

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2020 Faculty Awards

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