UCF Celebrates, Honors Faculty with 2024 Founders’ Day Awards

More than 150 UCF faculty members will be highlighted for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom.

The celebration runs from 3 to 5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Honored are recipients of the Pegasus Professor award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; recipients of the Reach for the Stars Award; the recipient of the inaugural Medal of Societal Impact award; university excellence award winners; those who recently reached 20, 30 and 40 years of service; educators marking 10 and 20 years with the Faculty Senate; faculty granted emeritus or emerita status; and retired and retiring faculty members.

“It’s a joy to celebrate extraordinary faculty who model academic excellence, student success and societal impact,” says Michael D. Johnson, UCF provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Their remarkable work lifts up the university’s excellence and shows us all what UCF can become.”

The event is a part of a Founders’ Day celebration of separate recognition ceremonies for staff, faculty and students. The campus community is invited to all the celebrations.

Here are the faculty honorees.

Pegasus Professor Award

Thomas Bryer, College of Community Innovation and Education
Debopam Chakrabarti, College of Medicine
Damla Turgut, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Reach for the Stars Award

Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, College of Sciences
Lauren Bislick Wilson, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Chloë Rae Edmonson, College of Arts and Humanities
Hung Nguyen, College of Medicine
Dazhong Wu, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Societal Medal of Impact Award

Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

College Awardees

Zakhia Abichar, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Rachid Ait Maalem Lahcen, College of Sciences
Susanny Beltran, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Steven Brinkman, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Michael Callaghan, College of Sciences
Ilenia Colon, College of Arts and Humanities
Leslie Connell, College of Business Administration
Jonathan Decker, College of Nursing
Ivan Divliansky, College of Optics and Photonics
Matthew Dombrowski, College of Arts and Humanities
Michelle Gaither, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Hoffman, College of Community Innovation and Education
Iryna Malendevych, College of Community Innovation and Education
Ann Miller, College of Sciences
Joanna Mishtal, College of Sciences
Sudeshna Pal, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Alison Redd, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Olga Russell, College of Community Innovation and Education
Kersten Schroeder, College of Medicine
Ashley Taylor, College of Arts and Humanities
Keri Watson, College of Arts and Humanities

University Winner

Rachid Ait Maalem Lahcen, College of Sciences

Excellence in Graduate Teaching

College Awardees

George Atia, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Morris Beato, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Mariana Dangiolo, College of Medicine
Desiree Díaz, College of Nursing
Thomas Dolan, College of Sciences
Romain Gaume, College of Optics and Photonics
Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, College of Community Innovation and Education
Juhee Kang, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Julia Listengarten, College of Arts and Humanities
Lealand Morin, College of Business Administration

University Winner

Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, College of Community Innovation and Education

Excellence in Research

College Awardees

Bethany Backes, College of Community Innovation and Education
Lauren Bislick Wilson, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Debopam Chakrabarti, College of Medicine
Arthur Huang, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Khim Kelly, College of Business Administration
Victoria Loerzel, College of Nursing
Joanna Mishtal, College of Sciences
Kyle Renshaw, College of Optics and Photonics
Yongho Sohn, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sandra Sousa, College of Arts and Humanities
Sharon Woodill

University Winner

Yongho Sohn, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Excellence in Faculty Academic Advising

Tamra Legron-Rodriguez, College of Sciences

Excellence in Professional Service

Kristine Shrauger, UCF Libraries

Excellence in Librarianship

Lily Dubach, UCF Libraries

Excellence in Instructional Design

Denise Lowe, Division of Digital Learning

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students

Engineering, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences

Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Social Science, Humanities, Education, Business, Art and Health

Robert Dvorak, College of Sciences

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars

Mubarak Shaw, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty Senate Service Awards

10 Years of Service

Kevin Coffey, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Bobby Hoffman, College of Community Innovation and Education
Sumanta Pattanaik, College of Engineering and Computer Science

20 Years of Service

Mason Cash, College of Arts and Humanities

Service Awards

20 Years of Service

Jeffrey Bedwell, College of Sciences
Christopher Blackwell, College of Nursing
Timothy Brown, College of Sciences
Thomas Brueckner, College of Sciences
Amy Darty, College of Arts and Humanities
Enrique Del Barco, College of Sciences
James Fenton, Florida Solar Energy Center
Ozlem Garibay, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Hans Hagglund, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Xin He, College of Business Administration
Stephen Heglund, College of Nursing
Anand Krishnamoorthy, College of Business Administration
Shawn Lawrence, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Luis Martinez-Fernandez, College of Arts and Humanities
Artem Masunov, Office of Research
Tammy Muhs, College of Sciences
Steven Neel, College of Sciences
Alice Noblin, College of Community Innovation and Education
Judi Siegfried, College of Arts and Humanities
Andrew Todd, UCF Libraries
Lee-Anne Trimble Spalding, College of Community Innovation and Education

30 Years of Service

Amy Barnickel, College of Arts and Humanities
Jocelyn Bartkevicius, College of Arts and Humanities
Rosalind Beiler, College of Arts and Humanities
James Gilkeson, College of Business Administration
Kerstin Hamann, College of Sciences
Marie Leticee, College of Arts and Humanities
Karol Lucken, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jeffrey Moore, College of Arts and Humanities
Mustapha Mouloua, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Mustaine, College of Sciences
Michael Proctor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Joanne Stephenson, College of Arts and Humanities
Martine Vanryckeghem, College of Health Professions and Sciences

40 Years of Service

Ram Mohapatra, College of Sciences
Gary Richardson, College of Sciences
Kuppalapalle Vajravelu, College of Sciences

45 Years of Service

Philip Fairey, Florida Solar Energy Center

Faculty Emeritus and Emerita

Maureen Ambrose, Professor Emerita, College of Business Administration
Angeline Bushy, Professor Emerita, College of Nursing
Kevin Coffey, Professor Emeritus, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Maureen Covelli, Associate Professor Emerita, College of Nursing
Terri Fine, Professor Emerita, College of Sciences
Leonid Glebov, Professor Emeritus, College of Optics and Photonics
Elizabeth Grauerholz, Professor Emerita, College of Sciences
Steve Jex, Professor Emeritus, College of Sciences
Keith Koons, Professor Emeritus, College of Arts and Humanities
Keith Kovach, Associate Professor Emeritus, College of Arts and Humanities
Philip Pollock, Professor Emeritus, College of Sciences
David Rollins, Professor Emeritus, College of Sciences
Bahaa Saleh, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, College of Optics and Photonics
Marshall Schminke, Professor Emeritus, College of Business Administration

Retired and Retiring Faculty

Michelle Adams, College of Arts and Humanities
Kathleen Bastedo, Division of Digital Learning
Richard Biehl, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Robert Bledsoe, College of Sciences
Anthony Byrd, College of Business Administration
Mohammed Daoudi, College of Sciences
Diane Davey, College of Medicine
Victor Davidson, College of Medicine
Joseph DiNapoli, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Barbara Durham, College of Business Administration
Seth Elsheimer, College of Sciences
Stephen Ethridge, College of Arts and Humanities
Terri Fine, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Grauerholz, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Harris, College of Sciences
Keith Kovach, College of Arts and Humanities
Richard Lapchick, College of Business Administration
Sue Mahan, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jim Moharam, College of Optics and Photonics
Charlotte Neubauer, College of Nursing
Lisa Peterson, College of Sciences
Roberto Potter, College of Community Innovation and Education
Maria Reyes, College of Community Innovation and Education
Samuel Richie, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Pamela Roush, College of Business Administration
Mark Schafer, College of Sciences
John Solow, College of Business Administration
Terrie Sypolt, UCF Libraries
Earl Weaver, College of Arts and Humanities
Jacqueline Withers, College of Health Professions and Sciences