UMD Faculty and Staff Recognition 2022

University of Minnesota System Awards

Distinguished McKnight University Professorship Award

This award recognizes full professors who are making significant contributions to their departments and to their scholarly fields.
* Julie Etterson, professor, Biology, SCSE
Dr. Julie R. Etterson earned a BA in International Studies (1986) and a BS in Biology (1994). She completed her PhD in ecological genetics at UMTC in 2000 and came to UMD in 2002. Her work includes the first comprehensive examination of whether the rate of adaptive evolution in wild plant populations can keep pace with climate change which was published in the journal Science (among others) and has been cited more than 2,000 times, including in undergraduate textbooks. In 2018, Etterson and her colleges completed the first phase of “Project Baseline” that will improve our ability to track evolutionary change in natural plant populations over time ( baselineseedbank.org ). This seed bank is available to the scientific community at large and will provide ancestral seed over the next 50 years for resurrection studies where antecedent populations are revived (e.g., using old seed) and grown side-by-side with descendant populations to directly observe evolutionary change associated with climate and other anthropogenic and natural stressors. At a local level, Etterson is also deeply engaged in testing and applying adaptation strategies to maintain forest cover and sequester carbon in our region, including the production of a sufficient number of climate-smart tree seedlings to meet future reforestation demands. Other Etterson projects have had broad impact as indicated by invited plenary talks at international meetings, more than $3.7 million in grant support, and two national awards for “best paper” from top-tier journals.

Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education

This honor is awarded to exceptional candidates who exemplify the University's commitment to excellence in undergraduate education.

* David Saftner, associate professor, Civil Engineering, SCSE
Dr. David Saftner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. He earned a BS from the United States Military Academy and an MS and PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to pursuing a career in academics, Dr. Saftner spent five years as an engineer officer in the US Army and serving in Missouri, Colorado, Kuwait, and Iraq. His areas of research include beneficial reuse of waste soil material, geotechnical site investigation and characterization, and teaching and learning in engineering education. He currently serves as an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Mentor, chair of his college’s Teaching and Learning Committee, and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Civil Engineering Division
Freshman Director.

John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

This award serves to recognize and reward high-quality academic advising and the contribution it makes in helping students formulate and achieve intellectual, career, and personal goals.

* Michele N. Hatcher, SCSE Advising Director and Associate to the Deans, SCSE
Michele is recognized for being a tireless advocate of students, for her impactful delivery of student programs, and for advancing student retention, graduation rates, and career awareness. A colleague notes that Michelle’s “work to promote our students' academic success is exemplary and tireless. She is a dedicated servant-leader who cares for students from the day they apply to our college to the day they graduate…She makes it her work to know students as individuals and understands their unique situations...Her work enhances the lives of students [because she creates] a place where they receive the support they need to thrive and succeed.”

University of Minnesota Duluth Awards

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

This award recognizes faculty who have made contributions to the teaching mission of UMD that are of extraordinary quality and reflect UMD’s emphasis on high-quality undergraduate and graduate education. This award honors faculty for innovative pedagogy, development of creative and critical thinking, student mentoring, commitment to liberal education, and leadership and impact within a department.

* Steve Matthews, associate professor, History, Political Science, and Int’l Studies, CAHSS
Steven Matthews received his Ph.D. in European History from the University of Florida, and has been at UMD since the Fall of 2004. He specializes in medieval European history as well as the history of Christianity and the history of science. He is the co-founder of the Museum Studies and Public History programs at UMD, and is currently doing research in the history and archaeology of western Ireland.

Chancellor’s Distinguished Research/Creative Activity Award

Faculty members who receive this award are honored for their excellence in research or creative activity, scholarly or artistic contributions to individual disciplines, and dedication to student research.

* Alec Habig, professor, Physics, SCSE
Alec Habig is a Professor in UMD's department of Physics and Astronomy. He received his Ph.D. in Astrophysics and MA in Astronomy from Indiana University, and a BS in Physics from Wright State University.  His research is in Particle Astrophysics: he helps design, build, and operate giant neutrino detectors, and analyzes their data for astrophysical signals such as cosmic rays and neutrinos from supernovae. This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Minnesota Space Grant Consortium, and The Research Corporation.

* Dahui Li, professor, Management Studies, LSBE
Dahui Li is a Professor of Management Information Systems in the Department of Management Studies at the Labovitz School of Business and Economics. He received his BE and ME degrees from Tianjin University, China and a PhD. in Management Information Systems from Texas Tech University. His current research focuses on electronic commerce, online communities, and technology innovation. His papers have been published in Decision Sciences, Decision Support Systems, Information & Management, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and elsewhere. He teaches courses in database management, data visualization, and information security. He also led UMD students to study abroad in China for many years.

Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Public Service

This award honors faculty who have demonstrated an extraordinary and sustained commitment to public service and community engagement. This award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated an integration of civic and community engagement in their teaching; shown leadership in advancing students’ civic learning; conducted community-based research; fostered community partnerships; promoted the scholarship of engagement among his/her colleagues; or made contributions to positive change on issues of public concern.

* Aparna Katre, associate professor, World Languages & Cultures, CAHSS
Aparna Katre is an Associate Professor and director of the Cultural Entrepreneurship program at UMD. She holds a Master’s degree in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkatta, India, and a Ph.D. in Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University. Community engagement is at the heart of her teaching, learning, and research. Aparna is passionate about developing an ecosystem bridging students’ academic needs and workforce needs of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Her research interests include entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development and social change, focusing on learning theories and women entrepreneurship. Aparna has provided leadership in organizational strategy, change management, business process improvement, and program management at Global Information Technology consulting firms.

Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award

The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award is given each year to faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding service to their undergraduate students.
* Milagros Gómez, assistant professor, World Languages & Cultures, CAHSS

2022 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award

The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award is given each year to faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding service to their graduate students.
* Kathryn Schreiner, associate professor and director of graduate studies, Chemistry and Biochemistry, SCSE

Staff Awards

Michele Larson, CLA

 

Years of Service

-Congratulations to the following faculty and staff for their years of service.

40th Year

David McCarthy
Laura Piotrowski

35th Year

Cynthia Beaudin
Anda Bellamy
Sandra Brovold
Mags David
Timothy Hagen
Nedra Hazareesingh
Mary Keenan
John Kessler
James Klueg
James Kolar
Heather Mc Lean
Jerry Pepper
Nancy Peterson
Paul Siders
Lawrence Zanko

25th Year

Lindsay Brown
Stacy Crawford
Jason Davis
Roxanne Gould
Lorrie Kinn
Paul Kiprof
Heidi Labyad
Andrew Manteuffel
Robin Oberton
John Rashid
Lindsay Brown
Stacy Crawford
Jason Davis
Roxanne Gould
Lorrie Kinn
Paul Kiprof
Heidi Labyad
Andrew Manteuffel
Robin Oberton
John Rashid

20th year

Carolyn Anderson
Joe Artim
Geoff Bell
Tricia Bunten
Jannifer David
Jeni Eltink
Emmanuel Enemuoh
Amanda Flowers
Dalibor Froncek
Steven Holtz
Arshia Khan
Amy Kireta
Wendy Larrivy
Karen Marsh
Robin Mensinger
Carrie Misuraco
Sherise Morgan
Timothy Peterson
Michael Pfau
Chad Pierson
Yongcheng Qi
Sharyl Samargia-Grivette
James Sersha
Michael Setran
Carolyn Sigler
Craig Stroupe
David Syring
Neil Weberg
Allen Willeck
Scott Zimmerman

15th Year

Steven Abbott
Heidi Beckman
Robert Borden
Aaron Boyson
Cathie Carter
Hongyi Chen
Hairong Feng
Robert Feyen
Sam Firoozi
Gregory Gargano
Jennifer Gordon
Kurt Guidinger
Karen Haedtke
Susan Hall
Phillip Hanson
John Hatcher
Jim Johnson
Rebecca Katz Harwood
Edward Kruse
Jo Ann Luhtala
Ahmed Maamoun
Frank Maragi
Christopher McIntosh
Greg Mielke
Erik Nelson
Erin Olson
Curtis Phillips
Avesa Rockwell
Lori Sanchez
John Sawyer
James Schutte
Nora Twite Gaudet
Amy Versnik Nowak
Jennifer Webb
David Worley

10th Year

Charlene Aaseng
James Anderson
Susan Bachinski
Stephanie Bartsch
Joseph Bauerkemper
Matthew Bauman
Carla Boyd
Annie Bracey
Derek Bromme
Brenda Bussey
Meijun Cai
Royce Cameron
Rick Charles
Laure Charleux
Xiaogang Chen
Wendi Christenson
Chan Chun
Kristina D'Allaird
Tony Derosier
Jenny Dixon
Luiggi Donayre
Eric Erdmann
Lisa Erwin
Jacqueline Foley
Charles Fountaine
Ronald Freitag
Jennifer Gilles
Anna Gilmore
Jie Gooder
Michael Greminger
Gina Grensing
Laura Haffield
JoAnna Hansen
John Hanson
Ryan Hueffmeier
Stanley Karich
Carrie Kayes
Diana Ketola
Karen Knase
Romesh Lakhan
James LeGarde
Paul Mack
Jean Madsen
Gibson Nene
Matthew Nixon
Kerrie Northagen
Kevin Olson
Bridget Park
Erin Pepelnjak
Shane Peterson
Kim Pittman
Tanni Poole
Tiffany Quade
Lyndon Ramrattan
Cherie Rossing
David Saftner
Jeanine Schroer
Robert Schroer
Tom Sjoberg
Jenny Skull
Christine Strom
Abbey Strong
Derek Viebahn
Shannon Walsh
Steven Wolner