Seven faculty members were recognized Feb. 9 for excellent teaching of undergraduate students at Cornell.
Andrea Simitch, associate professor of architecture; Steven Strogatz, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics; and Michael Van Amburgh, professor of animal science, are the newest recipients of Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowships, given by the Cornell Board of Trustees.
In addition, four faculty members were honored in two new Weiss teaching award categories established in 2016.
Jane Mendle, associate professor of human development, and Sara Warner, associate professor of performing and media arts, are Stephen H. Weiss Junior Fellows. James Blankenship, senior lecturer in molecular biology and genetics, and Walker White, senior lecturer in computer science, are Stephen H. Weiss Provost’s Teaching Fellows. The universitywide awards each have a term of five years.
The fellowship winners were announced by Interim President Hunter Rawlings at a recognition event in the Groos Family Atrium in Klarman Hall.
Established in 1992, the Weiss Presidential Fellowship was conceived by the late Stephen H. Weiss ’57, chairman emeritus of the board of trustees, to recognize tenured Cornell faculty members for the teaching and mentoring of undergraduates. Two or three recipients are named each year; in addition to a respected scholarly career, the recipients have sustained records of effective, inspiring and distinguished teaching and contributions to undergraduate education.
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Sara Warner joined Cornell as a visiting assistant professor of theater in 2004. For the Weiss award nomination, her colleagues cited her for creating new and exciting multidisciplinary courses, and for her role in re-establishing the theater major as her department transitioned in name and scope from theater, film and dance to performing and media arts.
The selection committed also noted her students’ appreciation for her passionate and engaging teaching; and for helping them find internships and providing tutoring and personal support.
In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in performing and media arts, Warner is a core member of the feminist, gender and sexuality studies and LGBT studies programs, and has affiliations in American studies and the history of art and visual studies. She has taught in the Cornell Prison Education and Telluride programs, and is a widely published scholar of dramatic literature, performance studies, and feminist and queer theory. Among her professional activities, she serves on the executive board of the Cherry Artspace in Ithaca.
The full version of this story appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.
