Convocation Award-Winners, from left, Kirk Fuoss, Elaine White, Ron Waske and Joe Erlichman. (Photo by Tara Freeman)

A List
8/30/09

Faculty, Staff Receive Awards At St. Lawrence University Convocation

CANTON - St. Lawrence University faculty and staff received awards for outstanding service at Convocation, held on campus August 25, marking the start of the academic year.

Professor and R. Sheldon '68 and Virginia H. Johnson Chair of Science Joseph Erlichman received the J. Calvin Keene Award; Associate Professor of Performance and Communication Arts and Maurer Professor of Speech and Rhetoric Kirk Fuoss won the Louis and Frances Maslow Award; Ron Waske, recently retired as athletic trainer, received the John P. Taylor Award.

A new award, named in honor of Thomas Coakley, recently retired as vice president for administrative operations, was given for the first time, to Elaine White, executive secretary in student life.

The Keene Award was established in 1975 and is given to a faculty member in recognition of "high standards of personal scholarship, effective teaching and moral concern." Erlichman earned both his bachelor's degree and master's degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Ph.D. from Dartmouth Medical School. Erlichman offers courses in comparative vertebrate morphology and human biology, while his current area of research is the brain's glial cells, which in the past have been little studied. Erlichman is investigating how the cells provide metabolic support to neurons and modulate their activity. Often, St. Lawrence students are involved in his research and he has frequently co-authored articles in journals with students.

The Maslow Award goes to the faculty member who has shown "the most interest in and understanding of the education and welfare of the student body as a whole." A member of the St. Lawrence faculty since 1989, Fuoss is a graduate of Baylor University, with a master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. He delivered the 2000 Piskor Lecture on campus and has directed numerous productions. His 1997 book Striking Performances is considered to be ground-breaking in terms of the politics of performance, performance historiography and performance in everyday life.

The John P. "Jack" Taylor Distinguished Career Service Award was established in 1995 at Taylor's retirement as dining services director, recognizing distinguished service to the University by an administrator who has worked at least 12 years at St. Lawrence and who sustains the high standards of performance exemplified by Taylor. Waske, a Canton native and 1969 graduate of St. Lawrence, retired earlier this year. Prior to joining the St. Lawrence staff, he worked for the National Hockey League's New York Islanders during a time when the team won four straight Stanley Cups. Waske was elected to the Professional Athletic Trainers Society Hall of Fame in 2006 and has a plaque in the Hockey Hall of Fame's section for trainers. He also received, in 2010, the inaugural Littlejohn-Waske Award, which recognizes someone who has made significant contributions to help the Athletic Department continue to grow and succeed.

The Thomas F. Coakley Distinguished Career Service Award, established in 2010, honors distinguished service to the University by an active, permanent hourly employee who has worked at St. Lawrence for a minimum of 10 years as of August 1st of the year. The award is presented to an hourly employee who, in the eyes of fellow employees, offers high standards of performance and dedication to St. Lawrence as exemplified by Coakley's own service to the University. White has been an employee of St. Lawrence since 1963, most of the time within the student life division. She was cited for the depth and breadth of her knowledge about the University, as well as her devotion to its students, her job and the institution.

Also recognized at Convocation were faculty recently awarded tenure and promotion: Associate Professor of Anthropology Shinu Abraham, Associate Professor of Sociology Mehretab Abye Assefa, Associate Professor of Economics Cynthia Bansak, Professor of Geology Jeffrey Chiarenzelli, Associate Professor of History Elun Gabriel, Associate Professor of Chemistry Samantha Glazier, Associate Professor of Fine Arts Amy Hauber, Associate Professor of Biology Aswini Pai, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Jon Rosales, Associate Professor of History Mary Jane Smith and Associate Professor of Music In-Sil Yoo.

In addition, recognition was given to faculty recently awarded promotion: Professor of English Robert Cowser, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies R. Danielle Egan, Associate Professor of Education Peter Ladd and Professor of Government Karl Schonberg.

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