The faculty recipients of the 2013 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence include (from left) Richard Rosenfeld, Michael Bahr, Stephanie DiPietro (Gerald and Deanne Gitner Excellence in Teaching Award), Kathleen Nigro, Jessica Saigh and Alexei Demchenko. The awards were handed out at the annual State of the University Address Sept. 26 at UMSL. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Nearly 400 people gathered in the auditorium at the J.C. Penney Building/Conference Center Sept. 26 for University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellor Tom George’s annual State of the University Address.

In addition to highlighting campus news, George presented six outstanding faculty members with awards for their work.

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, established in 1988 by Chancellor Marguerite Ross Barnett, have become a university tradition to recognize the excellent work and commitment given daily by UMSL faculty.

This year’s Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence went to:

• Alexei Demchenko, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, for research and creativity
• Michael W. Bahr, associate professor for educational psychology, research and evaluation, for teaching
• Richard B. Rosenfeld, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, for service
• Kathleen B. Nigro, associate teaching professor of English and gender studies, for non-tenure track faculty member
• Jessica Saigh, adjunct instructor of English as a Second Language, for part-time faculty

Also, the annual Gerald and Deanne Gitner Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Stephanie M. DiPietro, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice.

Each year, the Gerald and Deanne Gitner Excellence in Teaching Award is given to a faculty member who is in the early stages of his or her career and demonstrates outstanding and innovative teaching abilities.

Awards for 25 years of service were presented to the following faculty:

William Gary Bachman, associate professor of optometry
Jean Heinz Bachman, associate professor of nursing
Carl Joseph Bassi, associate professor of optometry
Haiyan Cai, associate professor of mathematics and computer science
R. Rocco Cottone, professor of counseling and family therapy
Joy L. Dakich, lecturer of management
Susan Feigenbaum, professor of economics
Philip Fraundorf, associate professor of physics and astronomy
Kathy J. Gentile, associate professor of English
Nancy L. Gleason, associate dean for the Pierre Laclede Honors College
Wesley R. Harris, professor of chemistry and biochemistry
Therese Macan, professor of psychology
Robert J. Marquis, professor of biology and director of Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center
Nancy A. Shields, associate professor of sociology
Gwendolyn D’Anne Weise, associate professor of finance and legal studies

Click here to view Chancellor George’s State of the University presentation.