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By Joe Garvey

Old ��ֱ���� University honored a host of faculty members and administrators at the 2022-23 Faculty and Administrators Awards and Service Recognition Dinner, which was held April 10 in the Big Blue Room at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

“In the past two years, I have learned a great deal about what makes ODU so very special,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “And I have witnessed firsthand the excellence that’s on this campus. And very simply, it is you. You are the reason we are an R1 institution. You are the reason that we have Fulbright scholars. You are the Fulbright scholars. You are the student champions on this campus. You are the people who lean in and provide support for our students. And because of that, you are making a difference – a significant difference – day in and day out.”

One of the highlights of the evening was the recognition of Nina Brown’s 55-year career at ODU. The Eminent Scholar of counseling received a lengthy standing ovation as she made her way to the stage and was presented with a bouquet of roses from President Hemphill (pictured above).

“I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that you are cherished by your friends and colleagues here at ODU,” said Katherine Hawkins, vice provost for faculty affairs and strategic initiatives, who introduced Brown.

David Burdige (ocean and earth sciences) and Jean Delayen (physics) were announced as winners of Faculty Research, Scholarship and Creative Achievement Awards. The award recognizes tenured faculty members who have achieved national prominence for high-quality research and scholarship.

Burdige is a professor and Eminent Scholar who is an internationally known expert in marine geochemistry. Delayen is the founding director of ODU’s Center for Accelerator Science and won the 2022 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Particle Accelerator Science and Technology Award.

Other nominees for the award were Helen Crompton (teaching and Learning), Mengyan Dai (sociology and criminal justice), Justin Haegele (human movement sciences), Ingo Heidbrink (history) and Ed Neukrug (counseling and human services).

Khan Iftekharuddin, professor of electrical and computer engineering and dean of research and graduate studies in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, was recognized for his selection as a State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award winner. He is the 36^th ODU faculty member to win the award.

He has applied his expertise in image analysis to fight high-grade glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer that killed U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John McCain. He pioneered ways to identify abnormal brain tissues and predict tumor growth with the aim of improving the diagnosis, surgical removal and treatment of this deadly cancer.

Physics Professor Moskov Amaryan and Carolyn Rutledge, professor and associate chair of nursing as well as the director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the School of Nursing, were named Eminent Scholars.

The Eminent Scholar designation was established to recognize faculty members of unusual merit and service to the University. Only faculty members holding the rank of full professor at ODU for a minimum of three years may be considered for this honor.

Amaryan’s research is related to experimental study of nuclear structure. He was elected as a Fellow in the American Physical Society in 2018.

Rutledge, who is also co-director of the Center for Telehealth Innovation, Education & Research, was a family nurse practitioner for 32 years, primarily in family medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she holds an appointment as professor. She is a 2014 SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award winner and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), a designation that is achieved by less than 1% of nurses nationally.

Orlando Ayala, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology, earned the A. Rufus Tonelson Faculty Award, which is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in teaching, research and service at ODU. Ayala recently won the .

Paige O’Shaughnessy, senior lecturer in the School of Accountancy, and Agnieszka Whelan, master lecturer in the Art Department, were named University Distinguished Teachers, which recognizes faculty members at the undergraduate level. Only full-time non-tenure-track and non-tenured faculty members are eligible for this honor.

O'Shaughnessy, who earned her MBA from ODU, has won a number of awards, including the E. V. Williams Fellowship for Teaching from the Strome College of Business in 2022 and the 2019-20 Outstanding Non-Tenure Faculty Teaching Award from the Strome College.

Whelan's scholarship specializes in the history of gardens of the Enlightenment, with a particular focus on gardens as sites of performance and visual communication. Whelan is the author of “Tour Through England,” a book on 18th century travels, as well as numerous articles about gardens of that era.

Other awards presented at the dinner were:

Old ��ֱ���� University Alumni Association New Faculty Award: Murat Kuzlu (engineering technology)

Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor: Sampath Jayarathna (computer science)

Provost’s Award for Faculty Mentorship: Ann Bruhn (dental hygiene)

Provost’s Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award: Michael Conner (STEM education and professional studies)

Doctoral Mentoring Award Winners: College of Arts and Letters – Marc Ouellette (English),��Darden College of Education and Professional Studies – Gulsah Kemer (counseling and human services, College of Sciences ­– Cathy Lau-Barraco (psychology)

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award: Wie Yusuf (public service)

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Classroom Award: Lee Golembiewski (psychology)

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Laboratory Award: Navid Safari, (finance)

Kate Broderick Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education: Emily Hardy (chemistry)

Excellence in Advising, Advising Administrator Role: Erin Colwell (Center for Major Exploration and Mane Connect Success Coaching)

Excellence in Advising, Professional Advisor Role: Pam Beatty (digital learning)

Excellence in Advising, Faculty Advisor Role: Michelle Carpenter (marketing)

Excellence in Advising, New Advisor Role: Christine Woods (College of Sciences)

J. Worth Pickering Administrator of the Year Award: Barbara Blake Gonzalez (��ֱ����s)

Association of University Administrators Monarch Professional Award: Joy Himmel (counseling services)

In addition to Brown, the following individuals were recognized for their years of service to the University:

45 years: Sushil Chaturvedi (mechanical and aerospace engineering)

40 years: Alireza Ardalan (information technology and decision sciences), Gene Hou (mechanical and aerospace engineering), Vishnu Lakdawala (electrical and computer engineering), Gene Hill Price (computer science), Lynn Tolle (dental hygiene)

35 years: Terence Durkin (housing and residence life), Oscar Gonzalez (electrical and computer engineering), Scott Johnson (athletics), Michelle Kelley (psychology), Karen Vaughan (University Libraries), Steven Zeil (computer science), Douglas Ziegenfuss (accountancy)

30 years: Alonzo Brandon (University Advancement), John Cooper (chemistry and biochemistry), Mona Danner (sociology and criminal justice), Fred Dobbs (ocean and earth sciences), ��Mujde Erten-Unal (civil and environmental engineering), Christopher Hanna (communication and theatre arts), Robert Holden (history), Charles Hyde (physics), Regina Karp (political science and geography), Betsy Kennedy (human movement sciences), Carolyn Lawes (history), David Metzger (Perry Honors College), Christine Ricks (Advising Administration and Academic Partnerships), Rocco Schiavilla (physics), David Swain (human movement sciences), Xiushi Yang (sociology and criminal justice)

25 years: Janet Brunelle (computer science), Sabrina Bruno (digital learning), Tonia Graves (University Libraries), William Gray (electrical and computer engineering), Reginia Hill (digital learning), Luisa Igloria (English), James Key (management), Guang-Lea Lee (teaching and learning), John Lombard (public service), Connie Merriman (Strome College of Business), Jay Morris (computer science), David Selover (��ֱ����s), Lishena Thompson (Student Financial Aid), Tancy Vandecar-Burdin (Social Science Research Center), X. Nancy Xu (chemistry and biochemistry)

20 years: Ian Bartol (biological sciences), Stephen Bueltmann (physics), Peter Eudenbach (art), Steve Hsiung (engineering technology), Angelica Huizar (world languages and cultures), Louis Latham (music), Jean McClellan-Holt (recreation and wellness), Tecarla Moore (Undergraduate Admissions) Jennifer Muth (psychology), Glenn Wilson (University Audit), Richard Zimmerman (ocean and earth sciences).