Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Alex Dippold, Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No.16   April 24, 2000

Three Ithaca College Professors Receive Awards of Excellence Three Ithaca College faculty members were honored for outstanding achievement at the annual recognition and awards luncheon on May 9. Assistant professor of speech communication Ellen Bonaguro was presented with the Excellence in Service Award, biology professor Vicki Cameron received the Excellence in Scholarship Award, and professor of mathematics Martin Sternstein was given the Excellence in Teaching Award. From left to right: Peggy R. Williams, president; Vicki Cameron, professor of biology; Richard K. Charsky, NYSEG community outreach and development coordinator; Martin Sternstein, professor of mathematics; Ellen Bonaguro, assistant professor of speech communication; and Jim Malek, provost and vice president for academic affairs. The service and scholarship awards, sponsored by Ithaca College, and the teaching award, sponsored by the NYSEG Foundation through the Independent College Fund of New York, recognize those faculty members who have demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment in the appropriate category. Candidates are nominated by the campus community and reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee and previous award recipients. Honorees receive $1,000 and released time from courses. Ellen Bonaguro The criteria for the Excellence in Service Award include continued and exceptional contributions to the College, the larger community, and the discipline. Since joining the Ithaca College faculty in 1994, Bonaguro has immersed herself in teaching, advising, and committee work. As a member of the All-College Planning and Priorities Committee, she played a key role in identifying the College’s long-range direction and future goals. In addition to chairing the subcommittee charged with revising the College’s mission statement, she cochaired the technology task group and served as the planning committee’s faculty representative on the College’s budget committee. Bonaguro also serves on several department and school committees. She formed a committee to develop a minor in health communication, which is now part of the curriculum, and for the past three years she has been faculty adviser for Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communications Association. A faculty affiliate for the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, she is also a board member at Longview, serving on the development and programs committees. Bonaguro’s promotion to associate professor will be effective in August of this year. Vicki Cameron The Excellence in Scholarship Award is given for exemplary and creative contributions to knowledge. In materials supporting Cameron’s nomination, she was cited for not only publishing numerous high-quality, original research papers in the area of yeast molecular genetics, but also for involving students in significant ways. In four peer-reviewed papers Cameron has published since 1994, six Ithaca College undergraduates were included as coauthors. The journals include such prestigious publications as Genetics and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In addition, students who have collaborated with her have gone on to graduate study at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Tufts, and Michigan, among other institutions. Cameron’s research program has been continuously funded by grant money. Her last proposal, funded by the National Science Foundation, was awarded in a year when proposals had only a 20 percent success rate. Cameron came to Ithaca College in 1985. A member of the Council on Undergraduate Research, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Genetics Society of America, she was promoted to full professor in 1999. Martin Sternstein The criteria for the Excellence in Teaching Award include subject mastery, presentation, and the ability to interact successfully with students. Sternstein, in his 30-year teaching career at the College, has taught a full range of courses, from remedial math and business calculus through the entire spectrum of courses offered for math majors at all levels. Students have written letters praising his ability to clarify complex concepts and his willingness to devote extra time to anyone who needs it. In addition to his classroom efforts, Sternstein has published three books in the Barron’s Educational Series: EZ-101 Statistics, Statistics, and AP Statistics. He has also coauthored Applied Calculus and Finite Mathematics, both of which had special publications in West Africa, where Sternstein taught twice as a Fulbright fellow. Sternstein has run weeklong calculus workshops at the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, strengthening the College’s partnership with that institution. He is currently planning an honors program for African American and Hispanic seniors from the Frederick Douglass Academy and Ithaca High School who are considering careers in mathematics or computer science. Sternstein first came to Ithaca College in 1970; he was promoted to professor in 1983. photo by Cascadilla Photography From left to right: Peggy R. Williams, president; Vicki Cameron, professor of biology; Richard K. Charsky, NYSEG community outreach and development coordinator; Martin Sternstein, professor of mathematics; Ellen Bonaguro, assistant professor of speech communication; and Jim Malek, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

ITHACA | Back Issues | Table of Contents | NEWS Home | Publication Schedule | Letter to the Editor Created by Andrejs Ozolins. Updated 10. May. 2000