The College of Arts and Sciences announced the recipients of the Cooper Fellowship and other prestigious awards at a celebratory event on April 29.
The Annual Arts and Sciences Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activities Recognition Reception, held at the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science, honored the college’s new Cooper Fellows, as well as recipients of the Gabelli Senior Scholar, Dean’s Excellence, Pedagogical Innovation, and Distinguished Senior Lecturer awards.
“We finished the year strong and, as always when we finish the semester, I want to thank all of you for the support you provide to your students and for the support you provide to [the college],” said Leonidas Bachas, dean of the college.
The college’s senior associate deans announced three new Cooper Fellows at the event: Jill Ehrenreich-May, a professor in the Department of Psychology; Joseph Uscinski, a professor in the Department of Political Science; and Timothy Watson, a professor in the Department of English & Creative Writing. The Cooper Fellowship, which recognizes excellence in contributing to scholarship, teaching, and service, is the most prestigious award in the college.
In announcing Ehrenreich-May’s Cooper Fellowship, Joshua Cohn, the senior associate dean for research and graduate education, highlighted her research on youth psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and related issues.
“She has been a leader in emphasizing the important observation that most youth present multiple emotional concerns simultaneously, and she developed psychotherapy manuals for children and adolescents that have become trusted clinical resources,” Cohn said.
Jennifer Ferriss-Hill, the senior associate dean for faculty affairs, praised Uscinski’s work on conspiracy theories, as well as his excellence in teaching, including his role organizing and team-teaching a popular course on elections.
“He has been a generous citizen in his department, the University, and his discipline, and has organized two large conferences on our campus to bring together scholars of conspiracy theory research, with another in the plans,” Ferriss-Hill said.
Chantel Acevedo, the senior associate dean for academic affairs, highlighted Watson’s scholarship on Caribbean literature, postcolonial theory, and environmental humanities, as well as his role in creating the UGrow program for graduate students.
“An influential figure in his field, his department, in the college, and across the University, Tim Watson’s career has been characterized by collegiality and vision,” Acevedo said.
The Gabelli Senior Scholar, an award that honors the exceptional promise of faculty at the associate level, went to Robyn Walsh, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies. Ager Gondra, an assistant professor in the Michele Bowman Underwood Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, received the Pedagogical Innovation Award, which recognizes the use of a new pedagogical approach.
The winners of the Dean’s Excellence Award, which honors exceptional assistant professors, were announced by their respective department chairs as Allannah Karas, an assistant professor in the Department of Classics; Matthew Nelsen, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science; and Fuwu Zhang, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry.
April Mann from the Department of Writing Studies and NDavid Williams from the Department of Theatre Arts were named Distinguished Senior Lecturers, the highest award for lecturers at the college.
During the event, the college also highlighted recently published faculty books, as well as faculty retiring during the 2024–2025 academic year.
