The annual Faculty Convocation marks an important recognition of our professors’ dedication to the university and its students.
At the event, faculty are awarded for excellence in service, teaching, mentorship, librarianship and more. The President’s Council Worlds Ahead Faculty Award, which comes with a monetary prize, acknowledges full-time faculty who influence their field through research, partnership or creative initiatives; who encourage student learning, innovation and collaboration; and who demonstrate distinguished leadership at FIU.
The 2016 Worlds Ahead Faculty Award was presented to modern languages professor Erik Camayd-Freixas. Camayd-Freixas spearheaded the effort to provide in-state tuition to undocumented students, which was pioneered by FIU and has since become Florida law.
At the event, history professor Bianca Premo spoke of recognizing the “radical power of commonality” among a university that strives for individuality and innovation.
“FIU’s uniqueness is not an inalterable condition, but a choice that we’ve been making,” Premo said. “It’s a way of narrating who we are, and it’s a choice every day. Being conscious of this frees us to truly innovate individually as faculty and as a collective.”
Other awardees this year include:
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching:
- Melissa Baralt, Department of Modern Languages, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs
- Tim Birrittella, Department of Marketing, College of Business
- Paul Feigenbaum, Department of English, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Eloisa Cuadrado Rodriguez-Dod, College of Law
- Katie Rothfield, Department of Interior Architecture, College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts
- Rebecca L. Toonkel, Department of Humanities, Health and Society, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
- Janet McDaniel, Honors College
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching Gateway Courses:
- Sat Gavassa Becerra, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Faculty Award for Excellence in Service:
- Maureen C. Kenny, Department of Leadership & Professional Studies, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activities:
- Jose R. Almirall, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Raul Gonzalez, Department of Psychology, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Rudolf Jaffe, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Fernando Noriega, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Arif Sarwat, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering & Computing
Faculty Award for Excellence in Engagement:
- Mahadev G. Bhat, Department of Earth & Environment, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Faculty Award for Excellence in Librarianship:
- George W. Pearson, Library Operations, University Libraries
Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentorship and Advising:
- Asia Eaton, Department of Psychology, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Kenneth J. Feeley, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education
- Sharan Ramaswamy, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering & Computing
