14 TU faculty, staff honored as USM Board of Regents Award nominees

March 3, 2021

Towson University has recognized 14 members of its faculty and staff for their professional accomplishments and commitment to the TU community. 
 
The university award winners will be honored at the annual Faculty & Staff Recognition virtual event scheduled for March 23. 
 
"I am so proud of our entire Towson University community, and I especially want to thank our faculty and staff for the support you’ve shown our students, your colleagues and our entire university community during these trying times," President Kim Schatzel says. "These 14 honorees have earned the praise of their colleagues for their exemplary work in helping form the backbone of TU, which is now one of the nation’s top 100 public universities. Congratulations to our honorees, thank you for your dedication to TU and I look forward to being able to celebrate you all.”

The names of TU’s winners have been forwarded to the University System of Maryland (USM) as nominees for the prestigious 2021 USM Board of Regents (BOR) Awards. The USM BOR Awards, which will be announced later this year, represent the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents for achievements of faculty and staff (exempt and non-exempt) from institutions within the USM.

Melanie Perreault, TU’s provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs, says, "We applaud this year’s faculty and staff winners, whose efforts have fueled exceptional teaching, research, service and innovation at Towson University."

Steve Jones, associate vice president of human resources, says the TU community is represented in every facet of the process.

"We are grateful for the members of these committees who worked diligently to review each candidate to ensure they embody the commitment and forward-looking spirit that drive TU to be its very best," says Jones.

"We are deeply appreciative of the extraordinary dedication and exceptional effort our faculty and staff exhibit every day,” he continues. “They have gone above and beyond in their commitment to the university while making a positive impact on the TU community."

TU Faculty Awards

Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship or Creative Activity
Saradha Ananthakrishnan, Ph.D., associate professor
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Joel Moore, Ph.D., associate professor
Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences

Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Elizabeth P. Crusse, clinical associate professor
Nursing

Michelle Snyder, Ph.D., associate professor
Biological Sciences

Award for Excellence in Teaching
Karen Day, clinical associate professor
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Ellen Hondrogiannis, Ph.D., associate professor
Chemistry

Katherine Holman, Ph.D., associate professor
Special Education

Award for Excellence in Public Service
Natalie Scala, Ph.D., associate professor
Business Analytics & Technology Management

TU Staff Awards

Award for Effectiveness and Efficiency 
Julie Leary, associate director, client services
Office of Technology Services

Award for Outstanding Service to Students in an Academic or Residential Setting
Liz Shearer, director, study abroad
Office of Study Abroad

Award for Inclusion, Multiculturalism & Social Justice
Jen Stano, senior HR partner
Office of Human Resources

Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Institution and/or the Unit to Which the Person Belongs
Kelly Ward, auxiliary operations specialist
Auxiliary Services Department

Bobby Zengel, associate director
Procurement Department

Award for Extraordinary Public Service to the University or The Greater Community
Patricia Watson, associate director, sustainability
Facilities Management Department