Last week 12 members of NYU's Faculty of Arts and Science were honored as the 2008 recipients of the College of Arts and Science Golden Dozen Awards.
The Golden Dozen Awards is an annual honor recognizing tenured professors, clinical faculty and full-time language faculty who have demonstrated exceptional contributions and services to undergraduate students. Candidates for the award must have held their current position for at least three years and are chosen based upon nominations and recommendations submitted each spring by students and fellow CAS faculty members.
On average, the awards committee receives several hundred submissions every year for the approximately 650 CAS faculty members. Although many faculty members become candidates for the award, only 12 become winners after being judged by a faculty evaluations committee. The committee consults directly with candidates' departments to better understand the candidates' dedication and service to the undergraduate community.
Among the 12 recipients of the award this year is author and associate biology professor Tyler Volk. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in architecture, Volk later came to NYU and received both a master's degree and a doctorate in applied science. Since coming to NYU, he has authored four books and has participated in collaborative research with Utah State University, NASA Ames Research Center and the NASA Kennedy Space Center on crop growth and development.
In the category of Outstanding Teaching Awards - a subcategory of the Golden Dozen Award reserved strictly for the recognition of adjunct faculty, full-time graduate instructors and part-time language lecturers - the journalism department won the most awards this year with two professors, Betty Ming Liu and Fran Stern. Liu was a former nationally syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News and Stern is an award-winning broadcast, online and print journalist who has worked for CBS and ABC News.
All winners of the annual Golden Dozen Awards this year were recognized yesterday at the CAS Baccalaureate Ceremony held in Madison Square Garden and also received a $1,500 addition to their base salary. Award recipients' respective departments also received a one-time grant of $500 from the university to enhance undergraduate education.
Byron Cheung is deputy campus editor. E-mail him at bcheung@nyunews.com.
