Annual Faculty Excellence Awards

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. 

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.

2025 Faculty Excellence Award Winners

• Hoang Vu, Psychology | Advising and Mentorship Award
• Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies, led by María Luisa Ruiz, World Languages and Cultures, and Myrna Santiago, History | Inclusive Excellence, Justice and Liberation Award
• Wan-Yi (Amy) Chu, Chemistry | Early Career Scholarship & Service Award
• Monique Lane, Leadership | Teaching Excellence Award
• Helga Lenart-Cheng, World Languages and Cultures  | Faculty Service Award
• Matthew Zapruder, Creative Writing | Outstanding Scholar Award 

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.