Awards to be Presented at August 27 Convocation
Nine exceptional faculty members will receive the 2008-2009 Alumni Association Awards for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to the University. The awards, known as the “Faculty Montys,” will be presented at the All-University Convocation at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, in Montezuma Hall at Aztec Center to the following faculty members:
Dipak Gupta
College of Arts and Letters
Dipak Gupta, professor of political science, holds the Fred J. Hansen Chair of Peace Studies. He has received more than $2 million in external funds and has written nine books on terrorism, political instability, globalization and public policy, of which “Analyzing Public Policy” is required reading in universities around the world. Among his many honors is the Albert W. Johnson Lectureship, the highest distinction bestowed by SDSU for research and scholarship.
Kathleen Krentler
College of Business Administration
Kathleen Krentler, professor of marketing, has written extensively on the role of internet-savvy individuals in consumer decision making. A Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science, she has also served as its president. At SDSU, she is director of both undergraduate programs and assessment for the College of Business Administration, and in the latter role, is leading efforts to meet the demanding assessment requirements for the college’s reaccreditation.
Nancy Farnan
College of Education
The scholarship of Nancy Farnan, professor of teacher education, centers on teaching writing and language arts to young people. She co-developed and taught in the City Heights Writers’ Institute and co-directed the Partnership in Reading Video Project, which developed materials to improve teacher preparation. In 2003, she accepted the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Preparation on behalf of SDSU’s School of Teacher Education, of which she is director.
Eugene Olevsky
College of Engineering
Eugene Olevsky, director of the SDSU-UCSD joint doctoral program in engineering sciences, is an expert in powder sintering. The research from his Powder Technology Lab is applied to fuel and solar cells, hydrogen storage and nanotechnology. He has received a National Science Foundation Career Award, a Humboldt Fellowship, a TRW Excellence in Teaching Award and the Albert W. Johnson University Research Lectureship, the highest research honor bestowed by SDSU. He is also a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Loring Jones
College of Health and Human Services
Supported by more than $3 million in funding, the research of Loring Jones, professor of social work, focuses on factors that impact child welfare, including race, ethnicity, and social class. He is a consultant and board member for public and nonprofit agencies and has developed a strong international reputation through conference presentations across the globe. He regularly participates in the School of Social Work’s summer internship in Bangkok, Thailand.
Jeanne Nichols
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Jeanne Nichols, professor of exercise and nutritional sciences, has a long history of involving students in her applied research, which focuses on bone health in aging populations and, more recently, in teenage girls. She and her colleagues were the first to report exercise-related disorders in high school athletes. Since 1985, she has been affiliated with the SDSU Adult Fitness Program, renamed the Center for Optimal Health and Performance. She is an elite bicyclist and competitive off-road cyclist.
James Sallis
College of Sciences
Psychology professor, Dr. Jim Sallis, is an international authority whose research applies behavioral science to physical activity promotion, healthy eating and smoking prevention. Author of more than 375 peer-reviewed publications, he developed the SPARK physical education program, now used in more than 2000 schools. He directs the Active Living Research Program and is initiating an ecological analysis of activity, eating and weight in adolescents with $2.8 million in external funding. In 2007, the Society of Behavioral Medicine named him Distinguished Scientist, its highest honor.
Pamela Jackson
Library and Information Access
Pamela Jackson, information literacy librarian, has reached out to students in creative and effective ways through social networking. Her blog and bulletin board postings inform the campus about library services and events. She established a YouTube channel to distribute multimedia productions, including her library video tour. In Second Life, she created the 3-D Virtual SDSU Library. Pamela Jackson’s work places SDSU in the forefront of providing information services beyond the library’s physical walls.
Juan-Carlos Ramirez-Pimienta
SDSU Imperial Valley
An expert in Mexican and border literature and cultural studies, Juan-Carlos Ramirez-Pimienta is among the most incisive contemporary researchers into the corrido, a popular and influential Mexican ballad form. He is particularly well-known for his work on narcocorridos (drug-trafficking ballads), whose protagonists he neither demonizes nor glorifies. At Imperial Valley Campus, he coordinates the Spanish program, and also served on the 2006 organizing committee of the International Conference on Immigrant Rights.