AWARDS CONVOCATION 2021 The image on the cover is Beaumont Tower, which was completed in 1928 and dedicated by Michigan State College President Robert S. Shaw in June 1929. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost. Photography by University Communications. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. 2 | AWARDS CONVOCATION 2021 THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Honorable Dianne Byrum Chair Onondaga Township The Honorable Dan Kelly Vice Chair Clarkston The Honorable Melanie Foster East Lansing The Honorable Renee Knake Jefferson East Lansing The Honorable Pat O’Keefe Troy The Honorable Brianna T. Scott Muskegon The Honorable Kelly Tebay Pittsfield Township The Honorable Rema Vassar Detroit Samuel L. Stanley Jr. President East Lansing Teresa K. Woodruff Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs East Lansing Nakia White Barr Secretary of the Board of Trustees East Lansing 3 AWARDS CONVOCATION February 2021 Presentation of Awards William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Awards Teacher–Scholar Awards Community Engagement Scholarship Award The President’s Distinguished Teaching Award Distinguished Academic Staff Awards Excellence-in-Teaching Citations Robert F. Banks Award for Institutional Leadership Donald F. Koch Award for Quality in Undergraduate Teaching 4 | WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS 5 WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS Awards are based on a comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction, and outreach. Nwando Achebe John C. Besley Michael J. Boivin Kendra Spence Cheruvelil Donald E. Conlon Peter Glendinning Larry J. Gut Maria Knight Lapinski Adesuwa (Ade) B. Olomu Zhiyong Xi The William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Awards are supported by the Office of University Development at Michigan State University. 6 | WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARD RECIPIENTS IN ACTION 1 4 1. Nwando Achebe 2. John C. Besley 3. Michael J. Boivin 4. Kendra Spence Cheruvelil 5. Donald E. Conlon 7 2 3 5 8 | WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS 1. Peter Glendinning 2. Larry J. Gut 3. Maria Knight Lapinski 4. Adesuwa (Ade) B. Olomu 5. Zhiyong Xi 1 3 9 2 4 5 10 | WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS Department of History College of Social Science NWANDO ACHEBE Dr. Nwando Achebe, the Jack and Margaret Woodrow Wilson, and Ford Foundations, the Sweet Endowed Professor of History, is an World Health Organization, the Fulbright-Hays internationally recognized scholar of twentieth- Program, and the National Endowment for the century African history, who utilizes oral history Humanities. in the study of women, gender, and sexuality Dr. Achebe is a popular teacher and has in Nigeria. In the last fifteen years, she has contributed to MSU’s top-ranked African pioneered and redefined African historical History program through her mentorship of gender scholarship. Her second book, The students from around the world. She spends Female King of Colonial Nigeria: Ahebi Ugbabe, generous amounts of time with her students, a critical biography of the only female warrant helping them with writing; research methods, chief and king in all of colonial Nigeria, won particularly in archives; and the technical insight three book awards. Her sixth book, Female needed for conducting oral interviews. Currently Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa serving on a host of graduate committees, Dr. documents elite females, female principles, Achebe employs students as editors at the and female spiritual entities across the African Journal of West African History and as research continent, with attention to female power and assistants to help orient them to professional authority in Africa from the ancient past to the history practices. present. The Wellness Feed selected it as one of seven books to celebrate and learn about black Dr. Achebe serves as the Faculty Excellence history and the Washington Post’s 2020 The Advocate for the college and as a member of Monkey Cage selected it for its African Politics the Executive Board of the Association for the Summer Reading Spectacular. Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora. She was recently promoted to Associate Dean of Dr. Achebe founded the Journal of West African Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of History, the first journal to recognize and to Social Science. promote an understanding of West Africa’s historical distinctiveness. She was featured in For her many accomplishments as a pioneering The History Channel documentaries, “Roots: A scholar in the field of African history and History Revealed” and “Roots: A New Vision,” pedagogy, and her university, community, and and has been interviewed and featured in global outreach, Dr. Nwando Achebe is richly documentaries and news programing on four deserving of the Michigan State University different continents. Dr. Achebe has received William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award. grants and awards from the Rockefeller, 11 Department of Advertising and Public Relations College of Communication Arts and Sciences JOHN C. BESLEY Dr. John C. Besley, the Ellis N. Brandt Chair Executive Branch and Congress. Dr. Besley is in Public Relations and an internationally a fellow of the American Association for the recognized scholar on the public perception of Advancement of Science and received the science communication, focuses, theoretically Hillier-Krieghbaum Under-40 Award from the and empirically, on understanding the Association for Education in Journalism and decisions scientists make when they Mass Communication in 2013. communicate. His research has enabled him As a teacher, Dr. Besley focuses on civic to help scientists, communication trainers, engagement and community relations, science societies, and communicators think risk and crisis communication, science more deeply about long-term communication communication, and media relations, ensuring goals and the strategies needed to achieve that students are included in emerging science them. Building on his earlier research on communication-related conversations. He fairness perceptions and trust in scientists, organized the MSU Science Festival and the Dr. Besley has especially contributed to Communication on Tap program with the research and practice aimed at building Health and Risk Communication Center to positive relationships between scientists provide an opportunity for students and and their stakeholders. He is particularly faculty to discuss ongoing and emerging interested in how trust-related beliefs science communication issues. He regularly affect support for science and technology, brings students to Detroit, Chicago, and New including controversial topics, such as genetic York to engage with a range of organizations engineering and nuclear energy. regarding their strategic communication Dr. Besley has published more than eighty-five strategies. He provides students with peer-reviewed articles and book chapters experiential learning that helps build their and has received funding from the National confidence and prepares them to begin or Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of enhance their professional careers. Agriculture, and a range of foundations. He is For his excellent research to advance the lead author for the 2014, 2016, 2018, and science communication to the public and his 2020 National Science Board (NSB) chapters commitment to student learning, Dr. John C. on public attitudes and knowledge about Besley is most deserving of the Michigan State science and technology, which are part of University William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty a biennial report, Science and Engineering Award. Indicators, that NSB submits to the Federal 12 | WILLIAM J. BEAL OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARDS Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology College of Osteopathic Medicine MICHAEL J. BOIVIN Dr. Michael J. Boivin is internationally interventions among Congolese children recognized as one of the foremost affected by konzo disease or toxic exposure to scientists in the neurodevelopmental and heavy metal as well as children with epilepsy neuropsychological evaluation of African affected by nodding disease. children. As a two-time Fulbright research Dr. Boivin has published his findings from these fellow and a West African Research studies in such leading journals as Nature, Association Fellow, he has pioneered research Lancet HIV, Lancet Global Health, Pediatrics, for more than thirty-two years in assessing AIDS, PLoS ONE, Neuropsychology, and the impact of interventions on HIV, cerebral Clinical Infectious Diseases. He is editor of the malaria, konzo disease, intestinal parasite and book, Neuropsychology of Children in Africa: anemia treatment, and malnutrition in children Perspectives in Risk and Resilience. in Uganda, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Mali, Zimbabwe, and South Throughout his research, Dr. Boivin has Africa. He has also served as a consultant mentored MSU medical and graduate students for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaborative assessment and treatment of sponsored studies pertaining to HIV-affected neurodevelopmental global health research in children in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Africa. His supervision has resulted in scores Nigeria. In brief, Dr. Boivin was among the of presentations at national and international first researchers to demonstrate that malaria professional meetings and articles in peer- and HIV impact the neurodevelopment of reviewed journals, with many of these students