CLAS FACULTY AWARDS
Each year CLAS faculty are honored by their peers with College awards: the Tolle Lege Award for teaching excellence, the Veritas Award for research excellence, the Unitas in Caritate Award for exceptional service to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lepage DEI Award for curriculum innovations in diversity, equity and inclusion, and the Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust Faculty Award for excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society.
The protocol for nominations for each award can be found below.
The Tolle Lege Award
The Tolle Lege Award acknowledges excellence in teaching of a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee who evaluates course content, student and faculty teaching evaluations, and other evidence.
2024 Recipients
Adjunct professor: Grant Spoors, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Valerie Booth, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program
Full-time faculty: John-Paul Spiro, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program
Eligibility
- Two awards will be presented: one for a full time faculty member of any discipline, and one for an adjunct faculty member of any discipline.
- Award for Full-time Faculty: All full time faculty members in the College are eligible provided they have served at the university at least 10 continuous years.
- Award for Adjunct Faculty: The award for adjunct faculty members will be made to an instructor who typically teaches two courses or less each semester. Faculty are eligible if they have taught at the university for at least six semesters, though not necessarily consecutively.
- The committee considers the total teaching of the faculty member while on the faculty of Villanova University, with particular emphasis on work completed in the past four semesters.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Lindback awardees are eligible for the Tolle Lege award.
Nomination Protocol
Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by filling out this form. Qualifications for consideration include teaching innovation, course rigor and student mentorship.
Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit materials in support of their nomination, including a list of recent courses taught, course syllabi and teaching evaluations.
Adjunct Faculty
2023 - Keith Jones, Communication
2022 - John Kelley, Geography and the Environment
2021 - Katherine Kurtz, Philosophy, and John Pierce, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences
2020 - Cathleen Velez, English
2019 - Robert Leggiadro, MD, Geography and the Environment
2018 - Susan vonMedicus, Theater and Studio Art
2017 - Barbara Zimmerman, MS, Department of Computing Sciences
2016 - Kelly-Anne Diamond, PhD, Department of History
2015 - John Groch, MA, Department of Theology and Religious Studies
2014 - Cathy Staples, MA, Department of English
2013 - Maria Baranski, MS, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Full Time Faculty
2023 - Aimee Eggler, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2022 - Irene Kan, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences
2021 - Maghan Keita, PhD, History
2020 - Lynne Hartnett, PhD, History
2019 - Angela DiBenedetto, PhD, Biology
2018 - Jody Ross, MA, Department of English
2017 - Louise Russo, PhD, Department of Biology
2016 - Michael Tomko, PhD, Department of Humanities
2015 - Alice Dailey, PhD, Department of English, and Vikram Iyengar, PhD, Department of Biology
2014 - Amanda Grannas, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Megan Quigley, PhD, Department of English, and Catherine Warrick, PhD, Department of Political Science
2013 - Jerusha Connor, PhD, Department of Education and Counseling, Judith Giesberg, PhD, Department of History, and Phil Stephens, PhD, Department of Biology
2012 - Rick Eckstein, PhD, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
2011 - Paul Pasles, PhD, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
The Veritas Award
The Veritas Award recognizes outstanding accomplishment in faculty scholarship. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee who examine the nominee's record of scholarship and the impact it has had on the scholarly community.
2024 Recipient: Samantha Chapman, PhD, Biology; Lisa Sewell, PhD, English
Eligibility
- All full-time faculty members in any College who hold the rank of Full or Associate Professor are eligible for the award.
- Professors whose record of research and scholarship has garnered a national and/or international reputation are prime candidates for the award.
- Nominees should have spent at least seven years of their career at Villanova University.
- The committee considers the total scholarly activity of the faculty member while on the faculty of Villanova University, with particular emphasis on work completed in the past five years. Scholarly work completed when the nominee was not on the Villanova faculty, however, is not to be formally considered.
- Preference will be given to faculty members in the first 15 years of their academic career.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Outstanding Faculty Research Award winners are eligible.
Nomination Protocol
Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by filling out this form. Qualifications for consideration include the significance of scholarship and its originality and impact. Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit additional materials.
2023 - Jesse Couenhoven, PhD, Humanities and Theology and Religious Studies
2022 - David Chuss, PhD, Physics
2021 - David Barrett, PhD, Political Science
2020 - Mary Hirschfeld, PhD, Humanities, and Dennis Wykoff, PhD, Biology
2019 - Judith Giesberg, PhD, History
2018 - Andrej Prsa, PhD, Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences
2017 - Kevin Minbiole, PhD, Department of Chemistry
2016 - Lauren Shohet, PhD, Department of English
2015 - Jesse Frey, PhD, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
2014 - James Wetzel, PhD, Department of Philosophy, and Mirela Damien, PhD, Department of Computing Science
2013 - Paul Rosier, PhD, Department of History and Bryan Crable, PhD, Department of Communication
The Unitas in Caritate Award
The Unitas in Caritate award acknowledges a career of excellence in service to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a College committee which evaluates the record of service and the impact of that service on the life of the college.
2024 Recipient: Barry Selinsky, PhD, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Eligibility
- One award will be presented each year to a faculty member who has at least 20 years of active service in the college.
- Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
- The committee considers the total college service of the faculty member while on the faculty of Villanova University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For the purposes of this award, department and university service will be considered only secondarily in order to provide a context for the candidate’s contributions to the college.
- Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- No individual may receive the award more than once. However, prior Gallen Award winners are eligible for the Unitas in Caritate award.
Nomination Protocol
Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by filling out this form. Qualifications for consideration include the scope and variety of service to the College as well as impact of the service in the University. Nominees may be contacted and asked to submit materials in support of their nomination.
2023 - Michael Hones, PhD, Physics
2022 - Marylu Hill, PhD, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program
2021 - Louise Russo, PhD, Biology; Director, Health Professions Advising
2020 - Helen Lafferty, PhD, Education and Counseling
2019 - Robert DeVos, PhD, Mathematics and Statistics
2018 - Sheryl Bowen, PhD, Department of Communication
2017 - Evan Radcliffe, PhD, Department of English
The Albert Lepage Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Curriculum Innovation
Established in 2021 with a gift from Albert Lepage ’69 CLAS, the Lepage DEI Award recognizes a faculty member(s) for excellence in creating curriculum innovations that significantly advance the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion education.
2024 Recipient: Raúl Diego Rivera Hernández, PhD, Spanish and Global Interdisciplinary Studies
Eligibility
- Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
- Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- No individual may receive the award more than once.
Nomination Protocol
Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by filling out this form. Qualifications for consideration include excellence in creating curriculum innovations that significantly advance the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion education.
2023 - Bruce Pollack-Johnson, PhD, Mathematics and Statistics
2022 - Adrienne Perry, PhD, English
2021 - Hibba Abugideiri, PhD, History, and Sheryl Bowen, PhD, Communication
Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust Faculty Award
Established in 2023 with a gift from the Grace Adolphsen Brame Trust, this award recognizes a faculty member(s) for excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society.
2024 Recipient: Rachel Smith, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies
Eligibility
- Full-time non-tenure track and tenure track faculty are eligible for the award.
- Current department chairs or academic administrators in the college are not eligible for the award.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- No individual may receive the award more than once.
Nomination Protocol
Any faculty member in the College of Liberal and Sciences may nominate a candidate by filling out this form. Qualifications for consideration include demonstrated excellence in teaching Christianity in history, spirituality studies and/or women in religion and society.
2023 - The Rev. Christiane Lang Hearlson, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies