The offices of The President, Provost, and Vice President of Research annually recognize faculty across campus during Faculty Honors Convocation for outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship, and research. The 2020 Faculty Honors Convocation was canceled due to the stay-at-home order, so faculty honors and awards were presented at the Faculty Senate Meeting on Friday, May 15, over Zoom. Schmid College faculty were recipients of some of the highest awards given.

Dr. Greg Goldsmith2020 Wang-Fradkin Professorship

The Wang-Fradkin Professorship is Chapman University’s highest faculty award in recognition of exceptional merit in scholarly or creative activity. The Wang-Fradkin Assistant Professorship was awarded to Director of the Grand Challenges Initiative and Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Gregory Goldsmith. 

The Wang-Fradkin Assistant Professorship Award is a two-year monetary award to further teaching and scholarship. This award and the Senior Professorship were founded in memory of Hua-Cheng Wang, professor of political science, diplomat and expert on international law, and Cheng-Mei Fradkin, distinguished teacher, scholar, and administrator.

“I am honored that the university is recognizing the contributions of our research team through the Wang-Fradkin Assistant Professorship. It is an incredible privilege to use science to create and share knowledge. We have always been deeply focused on engaging in research that makes the world around us a better place and will continue to do so in the future.” – Dr. Gregory Goldsmith

The Goldsmith Lab includes postdoctoral research scientists Dr. Carter Berry, Dr. Eleinis Avila-Lovera, and Dr. Scott Allen, technician Fernando Silva, and more than a dozen undergraduates from five different academic majors. The lab currently has external funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Jeremy Hsu2020 Valerie Scudder Award

The prestigious Valerie Scudder Award is given to faculty who demonstrate outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship, advising, and service to the university. Instructional Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Jeremy Hsu, was named as one of three recipients of this high honor.

“I’m humbled to receive this award and am grateful to be at an institution where I’ve been able to grow and develop as an instructor and faculty member. It’s been a huge privilege being part of such a vibrant community of educators and scientists at Schmid College, and I am thankful for all of my colleagues, faculty, and staff alike, who have supported me and facilitated my teaching and service. I also want to thank the countless students I’ve had over the years who have continuously inspired me!” – Dr. Jeremy Hsu

The Valerie Scudder Award recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service to the university. The recipients of this award are chosen from the list of awardees who received Unit Faculty Excellence Awards. The Valerie Scudder Award was the first award of merit to be given to faculty members by the university. It began around 1980, when Trustee Valerie Scudder, a returning adult student to Chapman College, approached the college administrators with her desire to honor faculty for their excellence. 

Other awards presented to Schmid College faculty: 

Unit Faculty Excellence Awards
Chapman’s Faculty Excellence awards are given by the Faculty Research and Development Council and the Provost’s Office. Recipients are chosen by their peers for their exceptional contributions to the university. This year, Dr. Jeremy Hsu, instructional assistant professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Hesham El-Askary, director of the computational and data sciences program, were both chosen to receive a Unit Faculty Excellence Award.

Pedagogical Innovation Grant
Dr. Allegra Liberman-Martin, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, was awarded the Pedagogical Innovation award to support their project, Development of a Concept Video Library and Class Demonstrations for an Advanced Organic Chemistry Course. 

On-Campus Conference Grants
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Douglas Fudge, and Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Patricia C. Lopes, were selected for their conference the 9th Annual Southwest Regional Meeting of Organismal Biologists.

Sabbatical and Developmental Leave Awards
The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to support scholarly/creative activity, thereby promoting professional growth. Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. William Wright, was awarded sabbatical.