Awards for Academic Excellence

Faculty and Librarian Lifetime Achievement Award

This annual award is intended to honor distinction in the full range of faculty and librarian professional roles achieved over the span of an individual’s career at Bridgewater State University.

2026 Recipient

Dr. Diana J. Fox
Department of Anthropology

For anyone who knows Dr. Fox, they recognize her as both a phenomenal researcher and impactful, thoughtful community member. She is a leader on campus as department chair and with sustained equity-focused and equity-driven work. She is a leader in her discipline of cultural anthropology where she founded the Journal of International Women’s Studies, of which she is also executive editor. Her record of service to the university is extraordinary, and she shows authentic care for student learning, belonging, and success. These characteristics and so many more make her a natural fit for this culminating award of one’s career.

Class of 1950 Distinguished Faculty Research Award

The Class of 1950 Distinguished Faculty Research Award was created through an endowment established by the class on the occasion of its 50th reunion. This award is presented annually to full-time faculty members or librarians and recognizes two distinct categories of work: published books (monographs, edited volumes, textbooks, etc.) and scholarship papers or creative works. The scholarship must be published or presented during the previous academic year.

2026 Recipients

Dr. M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid
Department of Biological Sciences

Dr. Fisher-Reid was nominated for her monograph titled “Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders: A Comprehensive Review of an Undervalued Model in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior” in Herpetological Monographs. Dr. Fisher-Reid was the lead author of this monograph with co-authors from 4 different universities plus a student from BSU. The research for this massive undertaking began at the start of COVID when the researchers could not initially conduct their typical fieldwork. It required monthly meetings over multiple years and went through 2 rounds of peer-review and editing. It is now an essential resource in her field and the most up-to-date review available to current researchers of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders.

Dr. James E. Leone
Department of Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Leone was nominated for his book titled Health$care: A Case-Based Discourse on Greed and the American Healthcare System. This book is an interesting combination of qualitative research and storytelling, utilizing personal experiences from the author and others to explain the great pains that await those who must engage extensively with the healthcare system. One of the critical questions explored in the book is, “Can healthcare and medicine co-exist and even partner well with capitalism?” By exploring these challenges through historical knowledge and real-world, case-based examples, some realities are brought to light for the reader.

Dr. Thomas Kling, Department of Physics, Photonics, and Optical Engineering
Dr. Laura Ramsey, Department of Psychology
Dr. Wanchunzi Yu, Department of Mathematics

Drs. Kling, Ramsey, and Yu were nominated for their article “STEM Linked-Course Communities Can Increase Student Success” in Research in Higher Education. This is significant, interdisciplinary work that has crossed colleges and divisions on our campus in a collaboration that has spanned years. This is the first research of its kind to randomly assign students to linked course communities on a college campus. The impacts for participating BSU students were real - greater retention, higher GPAs, more earned credits, and increased social connections. The national attention that this work is already achieving is notable, and has put BSU in the spotlight for our sustained models of student success. 

Presidential Fellowship Award

This highly competitive annual award affords a faculty member the opportunity to focus exclusively on research for an entire academic year. In addition to two semesters of course release time, recipients are granted a budget of up to $10,000 to pay for travel expenses, equipment, books or other related materials. Preference is given to faculty members who have an original proposal for research or creative activity, whose scholarship work is poised for significant growth and who have a carefully designed plan for the use of their release time. Upon completion of the fellowship year, the awardee is expected to present a public lecture or presentation to the campus community.

2026 Recipients

Dr. Emily D. Field, Department of English
Dr. Jamie Huff, Department of Criminal Justice

Drs. Field and Huff are receiving a joint award for their project titled “Bringing Bridgewater’s Black and Indigenous Community History to the Public.” This long-term project reflects sustained commitment and meaningful engagement, evidenced by ongoing community and campus presentations, from local town forums to Bridgewater State University talks. It has a clear impact on BIPOIC students both now and into the future. While deeply rooted in the Bridgewater community, it also contributes to a broader interdisciplinary scholarly conversation unfolding across the country, demonstrating both local relevance and significant public impact. The depth of inquiry is particularly notable and the team has pursued this work with focus and rigor, leaving no stone unturned and elevating perspectives that have too often been overlooked—especially the histories and contributions of communities of color. A major strength of the project is its commitment to accessibility through the development of a public-facing website, which will make this information widely available at a time when content is increasingly being removed from or censored in public arenas. Although building such a resource is complex and often underappreciated, it represents a critical contribution to the community, students, and the campus.

Presidential Awards for Distinguished Teaching

These awards recognize excellence in teaching by full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, full-time temporary faculty, and part-time faculty. It acknowledges inclusive learning environments, engaging pedagogy, and instructional experiences that prioritize student assets and clear, connected, innovative learning outcomes and assessments. 

2026 Recipients: Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty

Dr. Wendy Knight
School of Social Work

Dr. Knight’s application stood out for its strong reflective quality, reinforced by highly enthusiastic letters of recommendation that portray her as an appreciated and thoughtful educator who empowers her students. Her teaching philosophy clearly connects practice to purpose, emphasizing a holistic, student-centered environment, with compelling evidence across assignments, videos, and classroom approaches that prioritize engagement, collaboration, and meaningful learning outcomes. Dr. Knight is distinguished by her ability to create space for student voice, connection to content, and rich, engaging learning experiences.
 

Dr. Emily Spitzman
Department of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Dr. Spitzman’s portfolio reflects an impressive breadth of engagement, including mentorship, global education, and campus leadership. She demonstrates a strong commitment to students through personalized and accessible approaches, particularly in online environments, using varied instructional strategies, alternative grading methods, and thoughtful communication to support learning. She is highly active both on campus and in external partnerships with schools and internationally. Overall, she exemplifies the qualities of an ideal faculty member. 
 

2026 Recipients: Full-Time Temporary Faculty

Professor Sethia E. Lochard
Department of Computer Science

Professor Lochard’s teaching demonstrates a strong ability to connect with students and sustain their attention, even in the face of potential challenges students may face in computer science. She offers students genuinely engaged learning experiences. Her syllabi strike an effective balance, providing sufficient detail without overwhelming students, which reflects well-organized, thoughtfully structured courses. Overall, she shows a clear commitment to accessibility, clarity, and maintaining meaningful student engagement.
 

Dr. Sara Mueller
Department of Physics, Photonics, and Optical Engineering

Dr. Mueller’s teaching philosophy is well-articulated, with a clear focus on engaging non-majors through an experimental, discovery-based approach. The recommendations, particularly those from students, were exceptionally strong and passionate. A colleague’s note that highlighted how effectively she prepares students for real-world applications in physics, and her highly interactive teaching style, further underscores her impact on students and how deserving she is of this award.

2026 Recipient: Part-Time Faculty

Dr. Susan J. Levasseur
Department of Communication

Dr. Levasseur specializes in first- and second-year Core courses and is highly intentional about helping students see the relevance of foundational academic skills to their lives. Through her work with the Office of Teaching and Learning, she has implemented evidence-based inclusive practices that measurably support first-generation, low-income, and historically underserved students, while benefiting all learners. She has strong student engagement using strategies such as required one-on-one meetings with students, active learning tools (e.g., collaborative annotation), and undergraduate research opportunities, fostering belonging, academic confidence, and identity as scholars, even in online and hybrid environments. She has actively adapted her pedagogy to evolving issues like AI in student work, developing new policies and assignments around ethical use. 

Presidential Award for Excellence in Collaboration to Improve Teaching

This award recognizes innovation in the development of teaching programs that meet well documented need(s) and have significant impact. It is presented annually to a pair or team. Pairs and teams must be led by a full-time faculty member who demonstrably does the majority of the work. Additional team members may include staff, part-time BSU faculty, and/or full-time BSU faculty and librarians, and all team members must be serving in their role during the spring semester of the award year.

2026 Recipients

Dr. Jeanne Carey Ingle, Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Dr. Emily Spitzman, Department of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Dr. Sarah Thomas, Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership

International Student Teaching presents an innovative and thoughtfully designed program that addresses a clear and pressing campus need, with a strong reflective process that continuously refined the international teaching model to ensure a robust and meaningful student experience. The initiative demonstrates both creativity and courage in tackling barriers such as cost and access, offering deeply immersive, multiweek international placements that foster intercultural competence by embedding students within communities rather than positioning them as visitors. Ultimately, the program represents the institution at its best—integrating high-impact practices like internships, study abroad, and cultural literacy—while requiring significant cross-campus collaboration, generating broader scholarly impact, and responding directly to the economic realities facing students.

Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Emerging Leader Faculty and Librarian Award

Acknowledging that the efforts of racial equity and justice are life-long, this award recognizes tenure-track faculty and librarians who have made demonstrable progress contributing to or participating in work that has resulted in infusing racially equitable tenets and practices into their teaching, research, creative work, librarianship, advising and other activities, and who through their own assessment view their work in this area as emerging and poised for growth and development.

2026 Recipient

Dr. Myrlene Jean-Venant
School of Social Work

Dr. Jean-Venant’s racial justice work at BSU is “grounded in the belief that racial equity is not an abstract value…but a daily accountable practice enacted through pedagogy, relationships, and power.” Her courses utilize anti-racist and anti-blackness frameworks, inclusive practices, and experiential learning. She uses data and direct student feedback to examine her courses for equity gaps. She is a mentor and advocate to her students of color, supporting their academic persistence and professional readiness. Racial justice work is woven throughout her scholarship and service, including offering workshops as a Faculty Fellow through the Office of Teaching and Learning focused on racialized power dynamics, culturally responsive teaching, and confidence in applying equity-minded practices.

Dr. V. James DiNardo Award for Excellence in Teaching

The Bridgewater Alumni Association established this award in 1984 in honor of Dr. V. James DiNardo, executive vice president and professor emeritus. The award is presented to a full-time faculty member whose contributions include mastery of subject matter, enthusiastic teaching style and personal attention to students.

2026 Recipient

Dr. Jessica Birthisel
Department of Communication

Dr. Birthisel stands out as a deeply dedicated, equity-centered educator whose use of OER, contract grading, and other inclusive practices reflects a strong commitment to student success, mental health, and holistic development. Colleagues describe her as exceptionally hardworking and wholly devoted to her students, consistently going above and beyond, making herself fully available, and demonstrating a genuine care that translates into lasting impact. Her continued professional growth, including engagement in conferences on life design and OER, further underscores her innovative, student-centered approach and clear passion for teaching.

Faculty and Librarian Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

This award recognizes excellence by full-time tenure-track, full-time tenured, and full-time temporary faculty members and librarians for their academic advising of students in the Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics, College of Education and Health Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ricciardi College of Business. This award also recognizes excellence in academic advising by any faculty member in the College of Continuing Studies and College of Graduate Studies who is engaged by the college in that capacity.

2026 Recipients

Dr. Katherine M. Bender
Department of Counselor Education, College of Graduate Studies

Dr. Bender stands out as a consistent, guiding force who shapes students' careers while expressing genuine care for their overall health and well-being. She goes far beyond simply helping students pick classes to form deep, meaningful connections that puts students at ease and keeps them on track. Her proactive communication style, subject matter expertise, and nuanced understanding of student needs makes her an exemplary advisor. Adding further distinction, Dr. Bender has active scholarly publications in the field of advising which is a rare quality.

Dr. Adam Brieski-Ulenski
Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, College of Education and Health Professions

Dr. Brieske-Ulenski is recognized for his genuine care, patience, and exceptional leadership, demonstrating a sustained commitment to student engagement and long-standing contributions at both the individual and departmental levels. He supports students’ day-to-day with a calm, practical, and approachable style while also driving larger-scale innovations—most notably a comprehensive Blackboard advising site that has become a model across campus for navigating complex programs. His extensive achievements are especially impressive given his role as chair, and they reflect a collaborative, “we-centered” leadership approach that elevates both colleagues and students.  

Dr. J. Edward Carter
Department of Special Education, College of Education and Health Professions

A student testimonial highlighted that Dr. Carter is the kind of advisor every student hopes for: someone consistently “in their corner,” offering guidance, wisdom, and steady support at all hours. His advising goes well beyond course selection, helping students navigate a complex major, clarifying career aspirations, and building confidence in their paths, often transforming what could feel like a chaotic system into something accessible and empowering.

Dr. Jibril Gabriel Solomon
School of Social Work, College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Dr. Solomon’s dedication to advising is evident at every level, from his hands-on drop-in sessions and presence in student spaces, to his leadership on subcommittees and consistent participation in advising network meetings, even while away, demonstrating a commitment that goes above and beyond what is expected. Students and colleagues alike speak to his ability to make people feel genuinely seen, valued, and connected, whether working with the broader student body or intentionally supporting underrepresented groups like international students. The testimony from advising leadership, reinforced by direct student quotes, confirms that Dr. Solomon is not only doing this important work, but actively sharing his insights and approaches with others to elevate advising across the board.