M E M O R A N D U M May 10, 2011 To: Members of the Board of Trustees From: Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor Subject: Appointment of Distinguished Teaching Professors Action Requested The proposed resolution appoints the faculty members listed below to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York campus indicated. It also appoints Professor John Wadach as Distinguished Teaching Professor as a honorific distinction at Monroe Community College. Resolution I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution: Whereas the State University of New York Board of Trustees has proudly established a historic tradition of acknowledging and honoring extraordinary faculty achievement through appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank; and Whereas the appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank at the state-operated campuses is both a system-wide distinction and a promotion in rank; and Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees has the authority to bestow system-wide distinctions; now, therefore, be it, Resolved that the faculty member listed below be, and hereby is, promoted to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor at the state-operated campus indicated, effective May 10, 2011: Professor Diane Fine, SUNY College at Plattsburgh Professor John A. Fiorillo, Farmingdale State College Professor Kurtis A. Fletcher, SUNY College at Geneseo Professor Lisa Ruth Merlin, SUNY Downstate Medical Center Professor James Pitarresi, Binghamton University and, be it further, Resolved that the faculty member listed below, hereby is, appointed as Distinguished Teaching Professor as an honorific distinction at the campus indicated, effective May 10, 2011: Professor John Wadach, Monroe Community College Background The Distinguished Teaching Professorship recognizes and honors mastery of teaching. For this prestigious tribute to be conferred, candidates must have demonstrated consistently superior mastery of teaching, outstanding service to students and commitment to their ongoing intellectual growth, scholarship and professional growth, and adherence to rigorous academic standards and requirements. Further, to be eligible for nomination, a faculty member must have attained and held the rank of full professor for five years, have completed at least three years of full-time teaching on the nominating campus, ten years of full-time teaching in the System, and must have regularly carried a full-time teaching load as defined by the campus at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level. The following encapsulates their accomplishments: Diane Fine – A member of the SUNY Plattsburgh Art Department since 1988, Professor Fine is known for exceptional teaching, award-winning creative work, and outstanding service to the college and community. Her major areas of scholarly expertise and teaching include printmaking, bookbinding, letterpress, papermaking, and two-dimensional design. She has dedicated herself to introducing students to printmaking and involving undergraduates-art majors or not-in the world of art and in creative display and exhibition. Her printmaking workshop is the educational center of a creative community that cultivates the sharing of technical information and discoveries. Her collaborative style has resulted in numerous opportunities for her students, including exchange exhibitions with colleges and universities from Montreal to San Francisco. Professor Fine is an accomplished artist whose work has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions. Her artist books are part of the permanent collections of 56 galleries, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. John A. Fiorillo – Professor Fiorillo came to Farmingdale State College in 1975 as an Assistant Professor in the Pre-Engineering Technology Department. Realizing his proficiency, five years later he was asked by his Dean and the College President to transfer to the Electrical Engineering Technology Department to aid in the development and growth of that department’s course offerings and the establishment of one of the College’s first baccalaureate degrees. Since that time, he has continued to work diligently to expand upon the mission of the School of Engineering Technology, the College and the University. Having been recognized with a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994, as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Long Island Region #1 Service Award (the world’s leading non-profit professional association for the advancement of technology with over 375,000 members in more than 160 countries), Dr. Fiorillo has continued to enhance his teaching mastery and deliver high quality education to all students who, in their own words, are fortunate to have had him for a teacher. Kurtis A. Fletcher – Professor Fletcher is Chair of Physics and Astronomy, and he is an exceptional teacher who has profoundly shaped the lives and careers of scores of students. His department is one of the strongest undergraduate programs in the country, according to the American Institute of Physics. Professor Fletcher has been an essential part of the growth and development of the department, especially through the recruitment and retention of majors attracted by his exciting teaching, careful mentoring, commitment to undergraduate research, and his talent for encouraging students to achieve at the highest levels. Professor Fletcher’s ability to make the complexities of a notoriously difficult field accessible to a wide variety of students is one of his greatest gifts. But equally as important as his connection to students through his discipline, is his commitment to their personal growth and well-being. And this extends beyond his college students; he is leading an interdisciplinary multi-year project to make science accessible and engaging to middle school girls with an aim to increasing the number of women in science. Lisa Ruth Merlin – Professor Merlin joined the faculty in the Departments of Neurology and Physiology/Pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 1990, after completing medical school, residency training, and a research fellowship at Downstate. In recognition of her outstanding and innovative efforts in teaching at every level of the medical center, Dr. Merlin was appointed Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Neurology. As the consummate teacher, mentor, and role model, Dr. Merlin has left her mark on neuroscience courses ranging from the second year medical school Nervous System and Psychopathology Block, the third year Neurology clinical clerkship, the elective Scientific Basis of Neurology course, the Neurology Residency Program, and the graduate school Ph.D. program. Her unique contribution in the laboratory to the understanding of the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in epilepsy have also served to enhance her role as a mentor and role model. She is that increasingly rare phenomena –“Triple Threat." Professor Merlin has been recognized on a local, state-wide, and national level for her excellence as an educator. She received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2004, the Outstanding Educator of the Year of the Pre-Clinical Faculty 2008-2009 from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, the Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award from the American Neurological Association in 2009, and the Neurology Master Teacher Award from the COM Alumni Association, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 2011. James Pitarresi – Professor Pitarresi joined the faculty at Binghamton University in 1988 and has demonstrated teaching excellence in essentially every form that teaching can take. He has excelled in teaching lower division courses, advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, and in mentoring professional engineers and faculty. Professor Pitarresi has a natural ability to connect with his students, which is reflected not just by the truly outstanding teaching evaluations achieved throughout his career, but also by the respect he has earned from colleagues in engineering both within and beyond Binghamton University. His dedication and skill are surpassed only by his ardent commitment to preparing innovative and enthusiastic lectures, and the manner in which he devotes extensive out-of-classroom time to teach and mentor his students. John Wadach – Professor Wadach’s innovations and leadership skills have propelled Monroe Community College’s (MCC) engineering sciences program to unprecedented success in enrollment, national competitions, and transferability. His influence as a professor and his tenure as chair of the department doubled enrollment, revitalized engineering advisement, and brought national recognition to the program. His students are seven-time TYESA Design State Champions and four-time ASEE Design National Champions, and excel after transfer at prestigious universities. Professor Wadach’s innovations in course development thoroughly restructured the engineering science curriculum at MCC. He anticipated weaknesses in MCC’s engineering graphics and electronic engineering courses, introduced state-of-the-art software packages, and initiated cross-departmental collaborations to modernize the curriculum and provide interdisciplinary training for students. Anticipating developments in the field, Professor Wadach created a curriculum that heralded advances at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), one of MCC’s main transfer institutions. Professor Wadach is a model teacher and advisor who lives; it might seem, for his students. It is my pleasure to present the faculty members named in this resolution to the Board for its approval. A copy of the President’s letter is attached. The letter highlights the individual’s teaching and major career achievements, and provides the campus rationale for recommending appointment. The full dossier is available in the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Attachments -4- Board Resolution May 10, 2011