Distinguished Scholarship, Teaching & Service Awards
The University of Massachusetts Boston is rightly recognized for the excellence of its faculty. Each year at commencement, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in the three primary areas of faculty responsibility by presenting the Chancellor’s Awards for Distinguished Scholarship, Teaching, and Service.
2013 Distinguished Faculty:
Professor Lizabeth Roemer, Department of Psychology
Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship
A nationally and internationally known expert on anxiety disorders and mindfulness, Professor Roemer has had an extraordinary record of scholarly productivity over the course of her career. Along with 60 peer-reviewed articles published or in press, 31 book chapters, and 5 co-authored books, she has also been the author for two important trade books on mindfulness and anxiety, one for mental health professionals and one for individuals suffering from anxiety. In addition, she has co-authored an American Psychological Association monograph, Behavior Therapy. She serves on the editorial boards of three journals (Behaviour Research and Therapy, Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive and Behavioral Practice) and as an ad hoc reviewer for all of the top journals in her field. Professor Roemer’s research has shaped her field. The contributions she has made to the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders have “introduced new paradigms to address methodological limitations in previous research,” according to her department, and she has been awarded over two million dollars in federal grant funding. She has also increased the visibility of her research tremendously with 49 invited addresses, and has served as an author of over 150 conference presentations. Consistent with the university’s mission, her research is designed to help underserved minorities and to examine the acceptability of her treatments with individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Her colleagues describe her as a “delight to collaborate with,” equally engaged with both her research and her department and the Clinical Psychology Program, with scholarship notable for its “quality, rigor, and impact.”
The Chancellor’s Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee
Rachel Rubin, College of Liberal Arts, American Studies (committee co-chair)
John Tobin, College of Liberal Arts, English (committee co-chair)
Laura Hayman, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nursing
Sharon Horne, College of Education and Human Development, Counseling and School Psychology
David Levy, College of Management, Management and Marketing
Gary Siperstein, Center for Social Development and Education
Professor Arindam Bandopadhyaya, Department of Accounting and Finance
Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching
According to one student, “He creates an opportunity for students at every turn.” Professor Bandopadhyaya has been teaching at UMass Boston for more than 20 years, and is known for his energetic, enthusiastic, and consistent commitment to teaching. He excels in developing creative courses, in mentoring both students and colleagues, and in curriculum assessment. Professor Bandopadhyaya goes above and beyond to include a hands-on component in each course he teaches; this is most readily apparent in his Student Management Fund course, which manages a fund for the UMass Foundation which that has appreciated from $25,000 to $62,000. Professor Bandopadhyaya creates networks for his students with industry leaders who materialize in his classes as invited guest lecturers. Similarly, he also leads field trips to Boston-based businesses, the New York Stock Exchange, and the business environment in India over winter sessions. This type of learning by doing develops students as professionals and enriches their educational experience, while also elevating the stature of the program and the college to a higher level. As his dean states, “We are a stronger community of teachers because of his work.” Professor Bandopadhyaya teaches and inspires both undergraduate and graduate students, and mentors colleagues in the art of pedagogy. As one colleague writes, “he has imbued a generation of undergraduate and graduate students with a love of economics and finance.” It is clear that as an educator, Professor Bandopadhyaya is cutting edge; and, by being so, he gives his students, his college, and UMass Boston an edge through his commitment to teaching excellence.
Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award Committee
Stephanie Hartwell, College of Liberal Arts, Sociology (committee chair)
Raymond Liu, College of Management, Management and Marketing
Lusa Lo, College of Education and Human Development, Curriculum and Instruction
Marietta Schwartz, College of Science and Mathematics, Chemistry
Jessica Whiteley, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Exercise and Health Sciences
Professor Paul Watanabe, Department of Political Science
Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service
With 35 years of distinguished service at all levels of his university, community, and nation, Professor Watanabe is a “most deserving recipient of this award.” He was a founding director of the Asian American Studies Institute and currently serves as its director, as well as chair of the Political Science Department. He was an early director of the university honors program and currently teaches an honors course on the Japanese internment. He has worked with the Asian American Studies Program to win the U.S. Department of Education designation as an Asian American-, Native American-, and Pacific Islander-serving institution, making UMass Boston the only institution with this designation in the northeast. In addition, he helped to win a major five-year grant to bolster services for students from these underserved populations. Beyond his university service, he is currently the chair of the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations; is president of the Board of Directors of the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund; is on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts; and has served on numerous other boards. Professor Watanabe has also spent years fostering positive, proactive U.S.-Japan relations, including with Chukyo University, and facilitating communications with many Japanese consulates. Irene Inouye, president of the U.S.-Japan Council, praised his leadership role, especially when he served as a member of the Japanese American Leadership delegation to Japan. Professor Watanabe is also a widely-respected and frequently consulted public intellectual who comments regularly on the American political process and Asian American issues via local and national television, radio, newspapers, and news magazines. His service both on campus and to local, national, and international communities is service that has increased the visibility and prestige of our university.
The Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award Committee
Joan Liem, Special Assistant to the Provost (committee chair)
Steven Ackerman, College of Science and Mathematics, Biology
Jeffrey Burr, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, Gerontology
Shaun O’Connell, College of Liberal Arts, English
Nomination Criteria
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching
This award is based on the candidate’s teaching contributions during the period of his or her association with UMass Boston. A candidate for this award must have demonstrated that he or she is able to effectively teach and evaluate diverse students in a range of courses and on a variety of levels; to adapt different modes of teaching to different learning situations; and to experiment with novel teaching methods. In addition to being an excellent course instructor, a candidate should have demonstrated excellence in other teaching-related activities such as advising and mentoring students, developing and assessing curricula, assessing student learning outcomes, and guiding junior faculty to develop their teaching skills. Evidence should be provided that the candidate’s teaching has fostered students’ personal, intellectual and, if relevant, professional development.
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Scholarship
This award is based on the scholarly or creative work that the candidate has presented to the public during the period of his or her association with UMass Boston. The candidate’s work must exhibit excellence, as evidenced by peer recognition of its import and impact. Comparing scholarship and creative activity in the diverse fields of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, creative arts and the professions is a complex task. For this reason, the assessment of peers both internal and external to the campus will carry particular weight in the award process, as will acknowledgments particular to certain disciplines, e.g., grant funding from agencies that support research in the candidate’s discipline. In addition to being an excellent scholar, a candidate should have demonstrated an ability to engage others in his or her work, e.g., undergraduate and graduate students.
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service
This award is based on the candidate’s service contributions during the period of his or her association with UMass Boston. A candidate for this award should have provided service that is consistent with the missions of his or her department and/or college, and UMass Boston. The service activities should have made demonstrable, substantial and long-lasting contributions to those units, to the community and/or to the candidate’s discipline or profession.
Recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Faculty Awards
Distinguished Scholarship: Professor Rachel Rubin, College of Liberal Arts, Department of American Studies
Distinguished Scholarship: Professor John Tobin, College of Liberal Arts, Department of English
Distinguished Service: Professor Joan Liem, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology
Distinguished Teaching: Professor Stephanie Hartwelll, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology
Recipients of the 2011 Distinguished Faculty Awards
Distinguished Scholarship: Professor Alice Carter, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology
Distinguished Service: Professor Manickam Sugumaran, College of Science and Mathematics, Department of Biology
Distinguished Teaching: Professor Vivian Zamel, College of Liberal Arts, Department of English
Recipients of the 2010 Distinguished Faculty Awards
Distinguished Scholarship: Professor Lloyd Schwartz, College of Liberal Arts, Department of English
Distinguished Service: Professor Peter Kiang, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Asian American Studies Program
Distinguished Teaching: Professor Robert Carter, College of Science and Math, Department of Chemistry
