CAS celebration

The University of Delaware’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) recognized the accomplishments of alumni, faculty and students at its annual spring Celebrating Achievement and Success event.

Held Tuesday, May 19, in the Roselle Center for the Arts, the 2015 celebration recognized four alumni and five faculty members with college awards.

Dean George Watson also honored faculty members and students who previously received University awards this year, along with 29 promotion and tenure appointments that were announced earlier this month.

Watson presented college Alumni Achievement Awards to:

Emily Young Denney, who earned a bachelor’s in communication in 1998 and a master’s in 2006, is head of global communications at West Pharmaceutical Services, where she leads a team responsible for designing, implementing and managing the company’s external and internal communication strategy. In 2012, she was recognized by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association as a “Rising Star” for her professional achievements.

Maj. Gen. John R. Ewers Jr. graduated from UD in 1981 with majors in philosophy and political science and then earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He served in numerous capacities in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two deployments to Iraq, and earned the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal, among many other military decorations. In 2014, he was promoted to major general and became staff judge advocate to the commandant of the Marine Corps.

Johanna E. Murphy earned her degree in political science in 1992 and went on to a successful career in marketing, where she has worked with some of the biggest brands in the fashion industry, including Calvin Klein, Burberry and Kate Spade. Now the chief marketing officer at Ivanka Trump, where she is developing the company’s overall brand strategy, she has been named one of the top 50 women in brand marketing by Brand Innovators.

Frank B. Wickes, who graduated from UD in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in music and later earned two master’s degrees, is the Carruth Alumni Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University, where he served as director of bands for 30 years, until his retirement in 2010. At LSU, he conducted the wind ensemble and taught graduate courses and also was director of the Tiger Marching Band, which in 1997 was unanimously named the outstanding marching band of the Southeastern Conference.

The college honored five faculty members with awards for outstanding advising, teaching, scholarship and service.

Jennifer Naccarelli, assistant professor of women and gender studies, received the CAS Excellence in Advising Award for her dedication to her students and her work in collaborating with colleagues at UD to benefit students and advisers. Watson quoted a student who said Naccarelli “truly cares and takes time to get to know all of her students [and] is able to connect them with the right resources and individuals.”

Alenka Hlousek-Radojcic, associate professor of biological sciences, was presented the college’s Excellence in Teaching Award for her skills in the classroom, where she adapts her style to best fit the needs of students. In presenting the award, Watson cited her “commitment of time and energy to student success in out and of the classroom, coupled with recognition by her colleagues of a respect for diverse teaching styles.”

So many faculty members exhibited a high level of scholarship, Watson said, that two recipients were named to receive this year’s Excellence in Scholarship Award.

James Brophy, Francis H. Squire Professor of History, was recognized for his productive and influential career in the field of modern European history. The author of over 30 articles and book chapters, he has written two important books and is at work on a third. “His work is highly influential,” a colleague wrote, “and he has a truly international reputation in the most prestigious circles of academia.”

Thomas Leitch, professor of English, also received the Excellence in Scholarship Award, for his work as a leading scholar in the field of film adaptation studies and Hitchcock studies and as an admired film and literary critic. His eight books and numerous essays were described by a colleague as “foundational — not only routinely cited but deeply relied on as guides in an area that is extremely important.”

Stephen Bernhardt, Unidel Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr. Chair in Writing, professor of English and director of UD’s Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE), received the college’s 2015 Excellence in Service Award. “His service has been exemplary, both on campus and in the professional arena,” Watson said, citing his work with ITUE in “promoting problem-based learning initiatives across campus with tremendous impact.”

University awards

Also at the Celebrating Achievement and Success event, Watson recognized Cecil Dybowski, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, whose selection as the 2015 Francis Alison Faculty Award recipient, UD’s highest competitive faculty honor, was announced earlier. 

Other faculty members and graduate students who previously received University awards were honored at the college event as well.

Those included three faculty members who were presented Excellence in Teaching awards at this month’s Faculty Senate meeting: Ralph Begleiter, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication and the founding director of the Center for Political Communication; Anthony Middlebrooks, associate professor in the Organizational and Community Leadership Program in the School of Public Policy and Administration; and Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women and Gender Studies and professor of humanities.

In addition to the University’s faculty awards for teaching, two CAS graduate students received Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching awards for their work as teaching assistants: Jessica Conrad, doctoral student in the Department of English, and Zachary Voras, doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Watson also recognized the graduating seniors, both with majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, who previously received awards from the UD Alumni Association as the outstanding woman and man in the Class of 2015. Elizabeth Quartararo received this year’s Emalea Pusey Warner Award, and Mark Rucci received the Alexander J. Taylor Sr. Award.