University recognizes faculty achievements
By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez
Associate Editor
Six faculty members were recognized at the Distinguished Faculty & Librarian Awards Ceremony, held by CELTSS, on Oct. 21.
These included English Professor Desmond McCarthy, English Professor Bartholomew Brinkman, Economics Professor Luis Rosero, Psychology Professor Margaret Obaid, Environmental Science Professor Amy Johnston, and Interdisciplinary Studies Professor Jeffrey Hartman.
President Nancy Niemi said her time as a teacher and scholar in the discipline of education showed her that faculty learning and student learning are the same.
This “allowed me to embrace the ways in which they benefit from each other,” Niemi said.
She said the awardees spend their time and energy “investigating, questioning, and teaching” through the critical work and analyses they face in their disciplines.
“I celebrate the work of those of you who are being honored tonight, and I’m honored to be your colleague,” Niemi said.
McCarthy was recognized for “Excellence in Advising & Mentoring.”
Provost Kristen Porter-Utley said he had advised generations of students as advisor to The Gatepost.
McCarthy thanked Acting Department Chair Lisa Eck for always being available to support him and the newspaper over the many years.
He thanked English Professor Elizabeth Banks. She and McCarthy make up the journalism department and she has served as assistant advisor for The Gatepost for the last 12 years.
He acknowledged Sophia Harris, Class of ’25, former editor-in-chief of The Gatepost, and current editorial director for the Essex Media Group, and Dylan Pichnarcik, editor-in-chief of The Gatepost, as recent superb mentees in his career.
“Thanks again to everyone for this award, which is as much about recognizing everyone I’ve had the privilege of working with and advising at The Gatepost for over 35 years as it is about me,” McCarthy said.
Rosero was recognized for “Excellence in Service.”
Porter-Utley said Rosero has served on many committees and demonstrated a commitment to service throughout the University.
Rosero is the co-director of the MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC).
He said MERC, a group made up of faculty and students, works to educate decision makers.
“But our scholarship has, or at least my scholarship, has shifted quite a bit into that collaboration with students,” Rosero said.
He said he finds this to be more rewarding than working on “international finance or research recommendation.”
Brinkman was also recognized for “Excellence in Service.”
Porter-Utley said that through grant applications he has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to the University’s Center for Digital Humanities, and he works as a leader in this relatively new field.
Brinkman said higher education is positioned to respond to AI and how it's growing.
He said he is motivated by “the conviction that in our calls for career readiness, the humanities should not only be considered at FSU and across higher education as a whole, but must be at the core of what we do.”
He talked about the five C’s for success - curiosity, courage, creativity, compassion, and communication - and gave a speech that incorporated C-word alliteration throughout to solidify the point.
He said professors must make sure the students are able to connect what they learn in the classroom to the careers that are being reconfigured in the new AI landscape.
Obaid was recognized for “Excellence in Scholarship/Creative Work.”
Porter-Utley said Obaid has maintained a substantial record of publications and scholarly leadership since joining the University.
Obaid said she works in two main types of scholarship, political psychology and academic motherhood.
In 2020, she struggled with being a new mother while also having to maintain her scholarship work, especially as she was pre-tenure, she said.
An online group of other academic mothers was a lifeline for her, she said.
That led to the formation of the Motherscholar Collective, a group that focuses on their academic and parental experiences as well as anti-racist teaching and climate change, she said.
The organization plans to publish a book called “A Framework for Redefining Academic Life,” which focuses on “redefining knowledge and research methodology,” Obaid said.
Johnston was recognized for the visiting lecturer award in “Excellence in Part-time Teaching.”
Porter-Utley said Johnston’s leadership in the RAMs program, support of first-generation students, and dedication to helping students achieve their goals are remarkable.
Johnston considers the start of her teaching career to be in her childhood, when her family took “field trips” and did research projects instead of traditional vacations.
“Somewhere along the way, I figured out that I liked doing science, and I liked helping other people learn to do science even more,” Johnston said.
Her philosophy as an educator is driven by that same idea, she added.
She has spent the last eight years mentoring and advising, she said. She views this award as a recognition of her commitment to the University and to her students.
Different students need different types of motivation, she said. “Some students need to be pushed. Some just need a gentle hand. And some just need a concept explained in a completely different way.”
In her classes, she tries to connect science to what is going on in the world, she said. This includes talking about hurricanes and wildfires in the news.
Hartman was recognized for the visiting lecturer award in “Excellence in Teaching in Continuing Education.”
Porter-Utley said Hartman has been the foundation for the interdisciplinary studies program, particularly through his capstone course.
Hartman said this award is about the students and what they have achieved.
After teaching at the University for a while and working at public libraries for a few years, he was asked to teach a capstone seminar course in interdisciplinary studies, he said.
He shared a few stories of students who had attended class in the past, had to leave because life got too difficult to continue education, and then eventually returned to finish their degree.
He said he sees the determination in students who are struggling but continue to progress through their courses.
“I see that they want to be here, and I talk to them about that in class all the time - that if they weren’t invested in their own education, they wouldn’t be here,” Hartman said.
[ Editor’s Note: Desmond McCarthy is an Advisor, Elizabeth Banks is an Assistant Advisor, and Dylan Pichnarick is Editor-in-Chief. ]
