UCF highlighted more than 150 UCF faculty members for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the 2024 Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom.

The celebration honored recipients of the Pegasus Professor award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; 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, 40, 45 and 48 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.

The event also included the unveiling of winners for the Champions of Student Success and Well-Being Award: faculty members Kim Anderson of the College of Health Professions and Sciences and Alison Cares and Amie Newins of the College of Sciences. Together, they lead the Life Happens project, which explores the role traumatic and adverse life experiences play in the lives of college students and ways to help them overcome and succeed.

“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 faculty event was part of a Founders’ Day celebration of separate recognition ceremonies that also included employees and staff.

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

Champions of Student Success and Well-Being Award

• Kim Anderson, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Alison Cares, College of Sciences
• Amie Newins, College of Sciences

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, College of Undergraduate Studies

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 Shah, 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

48 Years of Service

• L. Timothy Worrell, College of Health Professions and Sciences

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

Story from UCF Celebrates, Honors Faculty with 2024 Founders’ Day Awards by Joe Adams for UCF Today