Recognition and Celebration

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) is proud to honor and recognize outstanding faculty who have dedicated time and energy to excellence in learning and teaching. Awards provide necessary resources that can help faculty build on both their teaching and research. Financial support, time and access to a community of scholars are some of the key advantages of receiving an award. Throughout the year, CELT strives to support faculty as they apply for such prestigious awards. Criteria and deadlines will vary depending on the award. Check out the list below and apply! It’s time to shine!

ManningManning Prize for Teaching Excellence

Established in 2015 by alumni Robert ’84 and Donna Manning ’85, ’91, the Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching honors outstanding faculty members from each of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts. This competitive prize is presented to faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching along with exemplary dedication to students and the campus community. This $10,000 award will be presented to one faculty member from each of the five campuses.

Past Winners from UMass Lowell:

• 2025: Christa Hodapp, Former Associate Teaching Professor, Philosophy, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (FAHSS)
• 2024: Phitsamay S. Uy, Associate Professor, School of Education, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• 2023: Stephanie Block, Associate Professor of Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• 2022: Khalilah Reddie, Associate Teaching Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Medical Profession Admission Gap Initiative and Collaboration (MAGIC) Program, Kennedy College of Sciences (KCS)
• 2021: Stacy Szczesiul, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Online Education, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• 2020: Keith Mitchell, Associate Professor of English
• 2019: James Nehring, Faculty Chair and Professor, Leadership in Schooling
• 2018: Deborah Finch, Associate Teaching Professor, Manning School of Business (MSB)

Teaching Excellence Awards

The Teaching Excellence Award is awarded to faculty member who best exemplifies excellence in teaching and campus leadership. Recipients are chosen based on making a distinct difference in their teaching climate at UMass Lowell. The 2026 Faculty Awards for Teaching Excellence in their respective departments are:

Kennedy College of Sciences

• Biological Sciences: Nicolai Konow, Naomi Wernick-Pfaffmann
• Chemistry: Suzanne Young, Jerome Delhommelle
• Miner School of Computer and Information Sciences: David Adams, Sirong Lin
• Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Juliette Rooney-Varga
• Mathematics and Statistics: Joris Roos, Erica Yankowskas
• Physics and Applied Physics: Ofer Cohen, Cecil Joseph

College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Art and Design: Jennifer Cadero-Gilette
• Criminology and Justice Studies: Yahayra Michel, Emily Greene-Colozzi
• Economics: Chenyang Xu
• English: Maggie Dietz, Maureen Stanton
• History: Patrick Young
• Music: Alan Williams
• Philosophy: Aaron Shepherd
• Political Science: Vanessa Gray
• Psychology: Ashleigh Hillier, Anita Li
• Sociology: Chandra Waring
• World Languages and Cultures: Fabiana Viglione
• School of Education: Colleen Tapley

Manning School of Business

• Accounting: Jingrong (Karen) Lin
• Finance: Tunde Kovacs
• Management: Adam Roebuck
• Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Yuerong (Cindy) Liu
• Operations and Information Systems: Juheng (Julie) Zhang, Ju Myung (JM) Song

Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences

• Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences: Brent Shell, Renee Barrile
• Solomont School of Nursing: Tanya Coutu, Yun-Ju Lai
• Physical Therapy and Kinesiology: Yi-Ning (Winnie) Wu
• Public Health: Cassandra Hua

Francis College of Engineering

• Biomedical Engineering: Adam St. Jean
• Chemical and Energy Engineering: Caitlin Morris
• Civil and Environmental Engineering: Edward Hajduk, Raj Kumar Gondle
• Electrical and Computer Engineering: Lewis Tseng, Oshadha Ranasingha
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering: Ertan Agar, Carter Keough
• Plastics Engineering: Stephen Johnston

Distinguished University Professor Award (3-year term)

Each year, the university recognizes one educator for their outstanding contributions in teaching, research and service to the institution. The award is considered UMass Lowell’s most prestigious academic honor for a faculty member. The Distinguished University Professor award acknowledges a faculty member who is recognized by peers as having made truly outstanding contributions, over a number of years, to research and scholarship on both national and international levels and who demonstrates excellence in teaching. The Distinguished University Professor delivers a university-wide lecture and serves as our commencement speaker at the Master’s and Doctoral commencement ceremony during the first year of the appointment.

Current and previous University Professors:

• Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, Political Science, 2025-2028
• Supriya Chakrabarti, Physics and Applied Physics, 2024-2027
• Sandra Lim, English, 2023-2026
• Ramaswamy Nagarajan, Plastics Engineering, 2022-2025
• Katherine Tucker, Biomedical, Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, 2021-2024
• Christopher Niezrecki, Mechanical Engineering, 2020-2023
• William Moylan, Music, 2019-2022
• Meg Bond, Psychology, 2018-2021
• Joey Mead, Plastics Engineering, 2017-2020
• Robert Forrant, History, 2016-2019
• Holly Yanco, Computer Science, 2015-2018
• Pradeep Kurup, Civil Engineering, 2014-2017
• Laura Punnett, Work Environment, 2013-2016
• Stephen McCarthy, Plastics Engineering, 2012-2015
• Regina Panasuk, Graduate School of Education, 2011-2014
• Robert Giles, Physics and Applied Physics, 2010-2013
• Kenneth Geiser, Work Environment, 2009-2012
• Susan Braunhut, Biological Sciences, 2008-2011

Faculty Symposium

Faculty Symposium is a yearly event put together to welcome broad participation from faculty at all career stages from across campus to celebrate to all of the faculty members hard work and accomplishments over the year with networking opportunities, lightning talks, keynote presentations and recognitions ceremony.

Faculty members enjoy interactive session where they share:

• Current research or creative work
• Research idea in preparation for a project proposal
• Community engagement project to encourage interdisciplinary participation
• Work of a Research & Engagement Center to foster collaboration
• Teaching innovation that can be adapted to other disciplines
• University-wide services such as a core research facility, library initiative, media teaching lab that can help faculty advance their teaching, research, and scholarship activities

2025 Faculty Symposium Teaching Panel

• Panel Moderator: Julie Nash, Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs
• Stephen Balsis, Professor, Psychology
• Elissa Magnant, Associate Teaching Professor, Management
• Natalie Steinel, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
• Cecil Joseph, Associate Teaching Professor, Physics and Applied Physics