糖心视频

As the academic year concluded, Teachers College celebrated outstanding faculty members for their profound impact on students across four awards. The College honored Professors Cate Crowley, Oren Pizmony-Levy and Lori Quinn for their contributions to teaching and students, in addition to ten faculty across disciplines for departmental contributions. 

“Faculty Appreciation Week is a chance to pause and acknowledge the many ways that faculty members enrich the life of the College,” said Laura Smith, Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs. “Those contributions extend well beyond teaching and scholarship to include mentorship, leadership, service, and all the forms of care and stewardship that sustain an academic community.  Alongside our awards for excellence in Teaching and Mentoring, we were delighted to introduce two new awards this year—Excellence in Research Leadership and the Faculty Steward Awards—to recognize important contributions that sometimes take place behind the scenes but are essential to the College’s success.””

The May 7th awards ceremony included a welcome from Provost and Dean of the College KerryAnn O’Meara and remarks from President Thomas Bailey, who highlighted the many notes of appreciation for faculty members from individuals across the College. The program also recognized the accomplishments and longtime service of retiring faculty members Thomas James, Professor of History and Education, and Douglas Ready, Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy.

Cate Crowley, Professor of Practice of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), received the Excellence in Teaching Award, honoring a faculty member who has led with exceptional graduate teaching. Professor Crowley is described by her students as “an exceptional educator who creates meaningful, real-world learning experiences,” read Smith as she bestowed the award. “She supports, challenges, and believes in her students, opening doors beyond the classroom. Her dedication and passion inspire us to become the best.”

“One of my greatest joys is to be able to teach the incredible students that we have here in the CSD program at Teachers College,” Crowley shares. “Each student brings different strengths, and my hope is that I can support students so that they become aware of these strengths and build on them. My connections with students often continue well beyond their time at TC, and I so enjoy witnessing them develop into young leaders in the field.” 

At the College, Crowley's work is built on the firm belief that all people are entitled to quality care, no matter what their background. Her work focuses on two core areas: improving disability evaluation to distinguish true communication disorders from language/knowledge/cultural differences and  ensuring accessibility to quality cleft palate speech therapy services worldwide. Crowley’s diagnostic evaluation materials are seen as valid and non-discriminatory assessment tools and used by hundreds of school districts nationwide in thousands of speech-language evaluations annually.  Through her cleft speech work, Crowley works closely with her students and practicing speech language pathologists in research endeavors and international projects, such as in-person training for speech therapists in Asia, Africa and Latin America and as a member of Smile Train’s Global Medical Advisory Board. Crowley makes all her resources, including her assessment and treatment materials, available for free in over 50 languages at . 

Oren Pizmony-Levy, Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education, received the Priscilla Wohlstetter Faculty Mentoring Award, established in 2024 by Distinguished Research Professor Emerita Priscilla Wohlstetter. The award recognizes faculty members who have meaningfully guided students through academic pursuits, personal and professional development or and career exploration. As one student wrote: “Professor PizmonyLevy’s guidance has transformed my confidence, and he challenges students to think big about leading meaningful change in sustainability. He also activates students' potential and offers generous support outside the classroom, advising on career development, e.g., professional networking.”

“Good mentoring, for me, is relational, authentic and intentional. I see my students as whole people, with experiences, questions, aspirations, and stories that brought them to TC,” Pizmony-Levy shares. “I aim to build trusting and caring relationships, which are the foundation for good communication and meaningful growth.”

Pizmony-Levy is the founding Director of TC’s Center for Sustainable Futures, which explores new ways to transform education through original research and the exchange of ideas to empower people to address global and local environmental challenges. His mentorship includes inviting students to participate in research that examines global education movements, focusing primarily on environmental sustainability education policy and politics as reflected in the activities of international organizations, cities and more. “Students constantly surprise me with their creativity, innovation and ability to play with ideas and evidence in ways I could not have anticipated. Again and again, they show me what we can accomplish together,” he reflects. 

Lori Quinn, Professor of Movement Science and Kinesiology, received the Excellence in Research Leadership Award. The award recognizes exceptional faculty leadership—whether of a research team, lab, or other research project—and the meaningful ways in which they collaborate with students in their work. In the words of one of her students: “Professor Quinn gives me new insights when I lose direction or have doubts. She makes the team feel comfortable enough to share questions or ideas openly and we feel confident that we will yield great research with a strong leader on the team.”

“The best science happens when students feel ownership over their work and are trusted to bring their own perspectives to the questions we're asking,” Quinn shared in describing her approach to research. “I try to create an environment where students are not just executing someone else's project—they are shaping the research questions, troubleshooting problems and contributing meaningfully to the direction of the lab.”

Quinn is the Director of the Neurorehabilitation Research Lab at Teachers College, which conducts research on assessments and interventions for individuals with neurological diseases and disorders, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. Her research centers on targeted physical interventions, motor learning, clinical decision-making, rehabilitation outcomes and more.

“Watching students grow into independent scholars, clinicians and scientists is the most rewarding part of my work,” Quinn shares. 

During the reception, several faculty members were also honored with the Inaugural TC Faculty Stewardship Award, given by departments to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in exemplary citizenship within their departments, including collegiality, service, and meaningful engagement.

The recipients from each department  included: 

• Arts & Humanities: Nicole Johnson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Teaching
• Biobehavioral Sciences: Lisa Levinson, Assistant Professor of Teaching
• Counseling & Clinical Psychology: Ayorkor Gaba, Assistant Professor
• Curriculum & Teaching: Jacqueline Simmons, Program Director, Master of Arts and Master of Education in Curriculum & Teaching
• Education Policy & Social Analysis: Ansley Erickson, Associate Professor of History and Education Policy
• Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology: Pam Koch, Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition and Education
• Human Development: Bryan Keller, Associate Professor of Practice in Applied Statistics
• International & Transcultural Studies: Mary Mendenhall, Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education
• Mathematics Science and Technology: Ioana Literat, Associate Professor of Technology, Media and Learning
• Organization and Leadership: Mark Gooden, Christian Johnson Endeavor Professor of Education Leadership.