Annual Faculty Excellence Awards
Recognizing Our Faculty
The College's academic community and leadership come together each year for the Scholars Reception, a festive event held at the Soda Center that honors Faculty Excellence Award recipients in a spirit of celebration and camaraderie. In addition, new recipients of the Provost's Faculty Research Grant—which supports essential research across the College—are announced.
In addition, the Saint Mary's College annual Professor of the Year Award honors an outstanding tenured member of the Saint Mary’s College faculty. The Professor of the Year award is designed to recognize distinguished achievement in teaching and/or scholarship by a faculty member of the College. Read more about SMC's Professor of the Year Award.
Submissions and nominations will be accepted in early spring...
with the 2026-2027 Scholars Reception set for March 26, 2027, and the Professor of the Year Reception scheduled for April 29, 2027.
2026 Faculty Excellence Award Winners
Each year, Saint Mary’s College of California recognizes tenure-track faculty members for their excellence in several key areas, including early career achievement, teaching excellence, service excellence, outstanding scholarship, advising and mentorship excellence, and inclusive excellence, justice, and liberation.
2026-2027 Professor of the YearShawny Anderson |
Professor of the Year Reception Scheduled April 29, 2027
Professor of the Year Award details →
2025-2026 Professor of the Year
Celebrating & Honoring Barbara McGraw
At a reception on April 30, 2026, the Saint Mary’s community will honor Professor McGraw for her achievements, influence, and impact on generations of students and fellow faculty members.
Faith, Politics, & Leadership: Finding Common Ground in a Pluralistic Society
At the April 30 reception, Professor McGraw will reflect on her work exploring the relationship between faith, politics, and leadership in a pluralistic society. A scholar of religion and public life and founder of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism, McGraw’s research examines how religious pluralism shaped the founding ideals of the United States—what she calls “America’s Sacred Ground”—and how those values can foster respectful dialogue across differences today. Her scholarship and public advocacy, including work defending religious liberty for incarcerated individuals, highlight the importance of civil discourse, ethical leadership, and interfaith understanding in strengthening democratic life.
Professor of the Year Award
The Saint Mary's College annual Professor of the Year Award honors an outstanding, full-time member of the Saint Mary’s College faculty.
One of the highest honors on campus, this award recognizes the outstanding contributions and dedication exhibited by a faculty member in teaching and scholarship. The recipient will deliver a formal presentation before the faculty and invited guests at an annual spring reception.
Each spring, the provost invites all members of the faculty and staff to submit nominations, along with supporting materials, for the award. Please see below for more information.
Previous Recipients of the Saint Mary’s College Professor of the Year Award:
- Barbara McGraw (2025-26)
- Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo (2024-25)
- Jose Feito (2023-24)
- Brenda Hillman (2022-23)
- Ted Tsukahara (2021-22)
- Rosemary Graham (2020-21)
- Ken Brown (2019-20)
- Joan Peterson (2018-19)
- Denise Witzig (2017-18)
- Steven Cortright (2016-17)
- Carla Bossard (2015-16)
- David Bowen (2014-15)
- Myrna Santiago (2013-14)
- Rebecca Proehl (2012-13)
- Barry Eckhouse (2011-12)
- Stephen Sloane (2010-11)
- Sandra Grayson (2009-10)
- Roy Wensley (2008-09)
- Ronald Olowin (2007-08)
- Lawrence Cory (2006-07)
- Nancy Struthers (2005-06)
- Brother John O’Neill (2004-05)
- Steve Woolpert (2003-04)
A call for nominations is sent out each Spring by the Office of Academic Affairs.
A complete nomination packet consists of a nomination letter and a current CV of the nominee. In the letter of nomination, please be as specific as possible about the particular distinguished accomplishments that characterize your nominee as a teacher and/or scholar.
All nominations received are considered by a nominating committee composed of the members of the Rank and Tenure Committee, the Chair of the Academic Senate, the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, the Academic Deans, and chaired by the Provost. All tenured faculty in good standing, including those on reduced services, are eligible for nomination. This group screens all names submitted by the general faculty and staff and selects valid nominations. The committee selects a final choice by secret ballot, accomplished by a simple majority of the votes cast. The name of the selected person will be formally announced by the provost at the Faculty End-of-Year Dinner. The winner of the award becomes eligible for re-nomination after five years.
Provost’s Faculty Research Grant Recipients
- Sunayani Bhattacharya | For Your Ears Only: Radio Technology and the Making of Modern Indian Conversation with Irish Radio
- Helga Lenart-Cheng | Telling Family Histories in the Age of DNA: An Archival Study of te PBS show, Finding Your Roots
- Zhara Sajedinia | Designing Trustworthy and Equitable Human-AI Interaction through Bias Transparency and Uncertainty-Aware Methods
- Freeborn Rwere | Impact of Human ALDH2 Variants on Acetaldehyde Metabolism and Aldehyde Toxicity
Provost’s Faculty Innovative Pedagogy Grant Recipient
Jonathan Montoya | Innovative STEM Instructions Using micro:bit
Scenes from the Scholars Reception
Dozens of Saint Mary's faculty, staff, and supporters attended the 2025 Scholars Reception to honor and pay tribute to their colleagues.
Advising & Mentorship Award
The Advising and Mentorship Award recognizes faculty who embody the ideal of Lasallian care for students through "conscientious and effective advising of students" as the first among all forms of faculty service in the Faculty Handbook. Academic Advising takes many forms at Saint Mary's College: through the First-Year Advising Cohorts/Transfer Advising Cohorts, concentrated faculty advisors, transfer onboarding advisors, undergraduate major advisors, and graduate student mentors. This award honors a faculty member who has far exceeded the expectation of supporting students' individualized academic planning, timely progress toward graduation, and personal success at Saint Mary's and beyond. Faculty were considered by The Advising Office based upon consistent, varied, and responsive advising of our students.
Recipients
2026 Elena Songster, History Department
Inclusive Excellence, Justice, & Liberation Award
The Saint Mary's College Inclusive Excellence, Justice & Liberation Award recognizes faculty members, or teams that include faculty members, who have demonstrated exceptional effort and intellectual leadership to promote and foster the Lasallian principles - respect for all persons, inclusive community, concern for the poor and social justice - through service, research, and/or teaching. The award recognizes impactful initiatives or projects and may be awarded to an individual or a team. Please see this document for more information about the award, nomination process, and selection criteria (requires SMC login).
Recipients
2026 Rogelio Lopez Garcia, Dance
2025 Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies, led by
María Luisa Ruiz, World Languages & Cultures, and
Myrna Santiago, History
2024 Michael Viola, Ethnic Studies
2023 Bedford Palmer II, Counseling
2022 Rebecca Anguiano, Counseling
2021 Denise Witzig, Women's & Gender Studies, and
Robin Dunn, Kinesiology
2020 Myrna Santiago, History
2019 Gloria Sosa, Counseling
Early Career Scholarship & Service Award
The Early Career Award recognizes tenure-track faculty at an early point in their career at Saint Mary’s College, who have excelled in the areas of scholarship or creative activity and demonstrated exemplary service to the College. Please see this document for more information about the award, nomination process, and selection criteria (requires SMC login).
Recipients
2026 James McCauley, Psychology
2025 Wan-Yi (Amy) Chu, Chemistry
2024 Yin Yuan, English
2023 Mary Raygoza, Teacher Education, and
Aaron Lee, Physics & Astronomy
2022 Jim Pesavento, Biology and
Alicia Rusoja, Justice, Community, & Leadership
2021 Anna Corwin, Anthropology
2020 Manisha Anantharaman, Justice, Community, & Leadership
2019 Michael J. Viola, Justice, Community, & Leadership
2018 Caitlin Powell, Psychology
2017 Aeleah Soine, History
2016 Raina Leon, Single Subject
2015 Makiko Imamura, Communication
2014 Monica Fitzgerald, Justice, Community, & Leadership
2013 Keith Garrison, Biology
2012 Jia Wu, Performing Arts
2011 Jyoti Bachani, Business
Teaching Excellence Award
The Saint Mary’s College Teaching Excellence Award recognizes full-time faculty members who have demonstrated sustained exceptional teaching performance at the College. Please see this document for more information about the award, nomination process, and selection criteria (requires SMC login).
Recipients
2026 Karen Ruff, Chemistry & Biochemistry
2025 Monique Lane, Leadership
2024 Nekesha Williams, Environmental & Earth Science
2023 Taj (Toni) Johns, Education, and
Scott M. Schönfeldt-Aultman, Communication
2022 Tammy Spencer, Justice, Community, & Leadership/Teacher Education
2021 José Feito, Psychology
2020 Greg Smith, Biology
2019 Molly Metherd, English
2018 Rebecca Carroll, Business
2017 Patriza Longo, Politics
2016 Margaret Field, Biology
2015 Berna Aksu, Business
2014 Kenneth Brown, Chemistry
2013 Cynthia Ganote, Sociology
2012 Denise Witzig, Women & Gender Studies
2011 Catherine Marachi, World Languages & Cultures
Faculty Service Award
The Saint Mary’s College Faculty Service Award recognizes a faculty member for exemplary service in a leadership capacity to the College and/or the community, who brings credit to the College in areas other than teaching and research. Please see this document for more information about the award, nomination process, and selection criteria (requires SMC login).
Recipients
2026 Vidya Chandrasekaran, Biology
2025 Helga Lenart-Cheng, World Languages & Cultures
2024 Mark Lingwood, Chemistry
2023 Robin Dunn, Kinesiology
2022 Jim Sauerberg, Mathematics
2021 Ron Ahnen, Politics
2020 Mary Kay Moskal, Education
2019 María Luisa Ruiz, World Languages & Cultures
2018 Ed Tywoniak, Communication
2017 Gloria Sosa, Counseling
2016 Jennifer Heung, Anthropology
2015 Ellen Rigsby, Communication
2014 Suzy Thomas, Counseling
2013 Rebecca Carroll, Business
2012 Brother Charles Hilken, FSC, History
Outstanding Scholar Award
The Saint Mary’s College Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes tenured faculty at Saint Mary’s College who have excelled in the areas of scholarship or creative activity, evidenced by their peer-reviewed publications, other scholarly and creative activities, and/or success in securing external funds for their research. Please see this document for more information about the award, nomination process, and selection criteria (requires SMC login).
Recipients
2026 Michael Marchetti, Biology
2025 Matthew Zapruder, Creative Writing
2024 Costanza Dopfel, Art & Art History, World Languages & Cultures
2023 Manisha Anantharaman, Justice, Community, & Leadership
2022 Sonya Schuh, Biology
2022 Lysley Tenorio, English, Creative Writing
2020 Ellen Veomett, Math & Computer Science
2019 Elena Songster, History
2018 Hisham Ahmed, Politics
2017 Myrna Santiago, History
2016 Saroja Subrahmanyan, Business
2015 Janice Doane, English
2014 Ronald P. Olowin, Physics
2013 Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, History
2012 David Alvarez, Politics
2011 Carl Guarneri, History