SUNY Delhi Faculty, Staff Receive Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

DELHI, NY (05/07/2016)(readMedia)-- Five SUNY Delhi faculty and staff members have been awarded the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in recognition of superior professional achievement and outstanding contributions to education. The prestigious awards are presented each year to acknowledge and encourage excellence among the SUNY's instructional faculty, librarians and professional staff.

"These honorees exemplify the Delhi campus' exceptional dedication to student success," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "They epitomize the values that make SUNY Delhi a great place to learn and work. I'm proud that Chancellor Zimpher has recognized their remarkable contributions."

Dr. Kathryn DeZur, professor and Director of Humanities and Social Sciences, received the award for Scholarship and Creative Activities. A recipient of the 2009-2010 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. DeZur is a brilliant scholar and educator regarded as a national expert on the Sir Philip Sidney circle of writers. Her scholarship explores reading, rhetoric and gender in early modern English literature.

She recently published "Gender, Interpretation, and Political Rule in Sidney's Arcadia," a book exploring politics, rhetoric and gender in the works of writers like Sidney, Lady Mary Wroth and Anna Weamys. She is a frequent presenter at international conferences, board member at the International Sidney Society, and peer reviewer for the Sidney Journal, Book History and PMLA journal of the Modern Language Association of America.

The award for Classified Services was presented to Robert Nicholson, Plant Utilities Engineer 3. Mr. Nicholson's deep knowledge of campus infrastructure has allowed him to make important contributions on campus, devising creative and cost-effective measures to reduce energy, emissions, and costs.

Mr. Nicholson played a vital role in the successful reconstruction of the Farrell Student and Community Center in 2011, in improving water service to the Valley Campus, and in establishing the College's partnership with the Arc of Delaware County, to name a few examples. When a water main broke in the middle of winter, cutting off service to 500 students, it was Mr. Nicholson and his crew working all night, underground, in -17 degree weather to make the repairs.

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Stephen Tucker, professor of Automotive Technology. Mr. Tucker spearheaded the accreditation of SUNY Delhi's Automotive Technology program by the National Automotive Technician's Education Foundation to improve instruction.

For 28 years, his commitment to the Automotive Technology Department at SUNY Delhi has been exemplary. He has completed more than 300 hours of trainings and seminars over the past decade to stay current in his field, applying that knowledge to improve curriculum, including introducing a new course: Automotive Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Technology.

Elizabeth Sova, Director of the O'Connor Center for Community Engagement (OCCE) at SUNY Delhi, received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Since joining the College in 2010, Ms. Sova has secured more than $216,000 in grants for the OCCE, including launching the AmeriCorps VISTA "Farm to Table" program to increase the College's purchasing of local food. Under her leadership, SUNY Delhi students consistently complete more than 20,000 hours of community service each year.

Ms. Sova's leadership led to SUNY Delhi receiving the Carnegie Foundation Community Service Classification in 2015, as well as the Life Saver Silver Level Award from the American Red Cross, the Outstanding Student Affairs Program Award, the Arc of Delaware County Community Partner of the Year award, and inclusion on the national Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2009. She coordinates the College's annual Community Service Day and Alternative Breaks, and co-chairs the Conference on Volunteerism with SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cobleskill.

The Chancellor's Excellence Award in Adjunct Teaching was presented to Theresa Brosche, adjunct professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Ms. Brosche's innovative, masterful approach to online education has significantly contributed to the growth of Delhi's BSN program, which is recognized among the top 10 percent of online programs in the nation.

Ms. Brosche assists other faculty in the nursing program with best practices and she is a published author, writing on many topics including online education. Beyond the classroom, she is involved in extensive community service, guest presenting, and volunteer service.

SUNY Delhi's Chancellor's Award recipients were nominated by their colleagues and received the required recommendation by a campus committee and the college president. A SUNY-wide committee then reviewed the nominations and recommended candidates to SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher for approval. They will be honored at SUNY Delhi's 99th Commencement Exercises on May 21 and at the College's Employee Appreciation Day on May 31.