Faculty Awards

Read about the achievements of the outstanding faculty members of the College of Social Sciences.

2024

Austen D. Warbuton Award of Merit
Matthew Spangler, Professor in Communication Studies

 Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with a significant impact on a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award
Peggy Stevenson, Senior Lecturer in Justice Studies

 This award recognizes outstanding professional attainment, civic engagement, and exceptional contribution to the welfare of the College of Social Sciences and SJSU.

 

 The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by the CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients selects the individuals for the award.

Tenured Track Teaching Excellence Award

Shawna Bolton, Assistant Professor in Justice Studies

 

 

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award 
Jeremiah Garrido, Lecturer in Justice Studies

2023

Austen D. Warbuton Award of Merit

Wendy Rouse, History

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

Coss Meritorious Service Award

Carlos E. Garcia, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

This award recognizes outstanding professional attainment, civic engagement, and exceptional contribution to the welfare of the College of Social Sciences and SJSU.

 

 

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award 

Jennifer Morrison, Communication Studies

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

Tenured Track Teaching Excellence Award

Yolanda Wiggins, Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

2022

Austen D. Warbuton Award of Merit

Gregory Feist, Psychology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

Coss Meritorious Service Award

Priya Raman, Communication Studies

This award recognizes outstanding professional attainment, civic engagement, and exceptional contribution to the welfare of the College of Social Sciences and SJSU.

 

 

Coss Teaching Excellence Award 

Susana Gallardo, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Chicana and Chicano Studies

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

Tenured/Tenure-Track Teaching Excellence Award


 

Jonathan Gomez, Chicana and Chicano Studies

2021

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Urban & Regional Planning

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

Kathleen McConnell, Communication Studies

This award recognizes outstanding professional attainment, civic engagement, and exceptional contribution to the welfare of the College of Social Sciences and SJSU.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

 

Soma de Bourbon, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

 

 


John Marlovits, Anthropology

2020

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

Marco Meniketti, Anthropology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

Mary Wilson, History

This award recognizes outstanding professional attainment, civic engagement, and exceptional contribution to the welfare of the College of Social Sciences and SJSU.

 

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.


 Allison Katsev, History


 Oona Hatton, Communication Studies

SJSU President's Scholar

 Lawrence Quill, Political Science

Read about Lawrence Quill in Washington Square.

SJSU Outstanding Professor

 Charlotte Sunseri, Anthropology

Read about Charlotte Sunseri in Washington Square.

2019

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Elizabeth Weiss

Anthropology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

 

Ninos Malek

Lecturer, Economics



Valerie Carr

Assistant Professor, Psychology

2018

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Roberto González

Anthropology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select faculty members who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, have provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

 

Magdalena Barrera

Mexican American Studies

 

Libra Hilde

History

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

 

Stephanie Coopman

Communication Studies

 

Viviana Sanchez-Chopitea

Lecturer, Anthropology

2017

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Lawrence Quill

Political Science

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

 

Charlotte Sunseri

Assistant Professor, Anthropology

 

Sara Benson

Lecturer, Political Science

 

SJSU Outstanding Lecturer

Chris Cox

Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Read about Chris Cox in Washington Square.

2016

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

Frances L. Edwards

Political Science

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Patricia Evridge Hill

History

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

The College of Social Sciences award for teaching excellence honors one tenured/tenure track faculty member and one lecturer who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These individuals have been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. A committee of past award recipients select the individuals for the award.

 

Marco Meniketti

Professor, Anthropology

 

Jennifer Anderson

Lecturer, Anthropology

SJSU Outstanding Professor

Kenneth Peter

Political Science

Read about Kenneth Peter in Washington Square.

SJSU Distinguished Service Award

 

María Luisa Alaníz

Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Read about María Luisa Alaníz in Washington Square.

2015

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Andrew Wood

Communication Studies

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

Jonathan Roth

History

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

 

Scott Myers-Lipton

Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

The College of Social Sciences award for Teaching Excellence honors one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This individual has been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. The department chairs then elect the individual for the award.

2014

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Lynne Trulio

Environmental Studies

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Wendy Ng

Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

 

Sean Laraway

Psychology

The College of Social Sciences award for Teaching Excellence honors one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This individual has been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. The department chairs then elect the individual for the award.

2013

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

Hien Duc Do

Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Beth Von Till

Communication Studies

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

Beth Von Till has been a lecturer in the Communication Studies Department since 1987. Selected as the Outstanding Lecturer in 2007, her many duties have included Director of the Comm Studies Lab, WASC assessment coordinator, WASC Steering Committee, Chair of the Senate Curriculum and Research Policy Committee and Chair of the Academic Senate. Beth was a founding member and chair of the Communication Centers Section of the National Communication Association and president of the National Association of Communication Centers. She was named a Salzburg Fellow in 2007, 2010, and 2011. Currently serving on the University Library Board, she was recently elected to the Tower Foundation Board and the Athletics Board. Research interests include intercultural communication and organizational communication.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

 

Anne Marie Todd

Communication Studies

The College of Social Sciences award for Teaching Excellence honors one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This individual has been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. The department chairs then elect the individual for the award.

Anne Marie Todd is Professor of Communication Studies. Her most recent book, Communicating Environmental Patriotism: A Rhetorical History of the American Environmental Movement (Routledge, 2013) responds to American apathy toward global environmental crises and suggests patriotism as a persuasive framework for sustainability. Get Green! (Heinemann Raintree, 2008) promotes sustainability literacy and teaches conservation skills to young audiences (9–11 years). Her research has been published in journals including Public Understanding of ScienceEnvironmental CommunicationEthics & the Environment, and Critical Studies in Media Communication. Dr. Todd is a founding member of the International Environmental Communication Association and serves on the advisory board for the Green Ninja Project.

2012

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Chuck Darrah

Anthropology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

Chuck Darrah is a cultural anthropologist and chair of the Department of Anthropology at San José State University. His research has focused on work and workplaces, families, and technology. He co-founded the Silicon Valley Cultures Project and the Human Aspiration and Design Laboratory (HADLab), both at San José State University. His book, Learning and Work: An Exploration in Industrial Ethnography, is based on fieldwork in two manufacturing plants and focuses on how people become incorporated into communities of practice through work. Busier Than Ever! (with J. M. Freeman and J. A. English-Lueck) discusses busyness in American life. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the John and James Knight Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente. He is a co-founder of Design Practices Collaborative and consults in both the public and private sectors.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Dayana Salazar

Urban and Regional Planning

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

Dayana Salazar is a Professor at San José State University’s Urban Planning Department specializing in participatory community planning and development. She leads students out of the classroom to work with the community towards improving the quality of life in local neighborhoods. Under her leadership, teams of faculty and students have developed neighborhood improvement plans in close partnership with more than 12 diverse, low-income neighborhoods in the South San Francisco Bay area. The neighborhoods and local government agencies have used the neighborhood improvement plans to direct well over 30 million in public funds towards implementing community-identified priorities. Professor Salazar also serves as Executive Director for a multisector team of faculty, community residents, community benefit organizations, and city agencies that power CommUniverCity San José, a unique partnership between a neighborhood near the campus (community), San José State (university), and the City of San José (city) focusing collective resources, knowledge, and expertise on neighborhood-driven priorities. Read about Dayana Salazar at SJSU Today.

CoSS Teaching Excellence Award

 

Kenneth Peter

Political Science

The College of Social Sciences award for Teaching Excellence honors one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This individual has been nominated by CoSS faculty in consultation with the department chair. The department chairs then elect the individual for the award.

Kenneth Peter was raised in Idaho and educated at Stanford, Chicago, and Princeton. He was fortunate to have been influenced by several truly gifted teachers of political theory, including Nan Keohane, Brian Barry, Joe Cropsey, Sheldon Wolin, and Dennis Thompson. One could hardly pick a more diverse set of teachers, and Ken turned into a methodological eclectic. After finishing his Ph.D., Ken returned to his undergraduate roots and taught for two years in Stanford's program in Structured Liberal Education (SLE), a residential great books program. Following, he earned a permanent position at San José State, where he has taught all of our political theory courses as well as introductory American politics. Recently he has also taught for the Humanities Honors sequence, which has been one of the great intellectual challenges of his life. Ken agrees with Aristotle that “teaching is the highest form of scholarship.”

SJSU Outstanding Lecturer 2012

 

Genelle Austin-Lett

Communications Studies

Read about Genelle Austin-Lett at SJSU Today.

$73.3 Million NASA Research Award

Kevin Jordan

Psychology

Read about the NASA research award granted to Kevin Jordan at SJSU Today.

CommUniverCity Receives National Award for Innovative Partnership That Reduced Crime

Dayana Salazar

Urban and Regional Planning

Read about the national MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award for CommUniverCity at SJSU Today.

2011

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Peter Haas

Political Science

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Jan English-Lueck

Anthropology

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

University Outstanding Scholar

 

Mary Pickering

History

Read about Mary Pickering at SJSU Newsroom.

2010

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

Mary Pickering

History

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

María Luisa Alaníz

Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.

2009

Austen D. Warburton Award of Merit

 

William Reckmeyer

Anthropology

Endowed by Austen D. Warburton, this award recognizes a faculty member within the College who has achieved the highest level of scholarship, as demonstrated by an outstanding record of publications and the delivery of scholarly papers before prestigious professional organizations. The person’s achievements should be worthy of international or national recognition, with significant impact upon a field of scholarship in the Social Sciences.

CoSS Meritorious Service Award

 

Mark Van Selst

Psychology

For this award, the Department Chairs of the College select a faculty member who, through distinguished service on Department, College and University elected bodies, has provided leadership in advancing the interests of faculty.