Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Service honored with Chancellor’s Awards

A group of smiling people, most wearing medalions around their necks
Winners of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence were honored by University leadership. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 24, 2024) — President Havidán Rodríguez, Provost Carol Kim and SUNY’s Interim Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs David Cantaffa led a celebration last week to honor the 14 faculty and staff winners of the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The awards offer SUNY-wide recognition in five categories: Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship and Creative Activities, and Teaching.

Cantaffa noted that the awards were established to recognize people who excel in their professional achievements at their universities. “Those of you being honored today are part of a larger whole that spans the SUNY system,” he said. “The history and trajectory of excellence at SUNY is made stronger through its collectivity.” 

President Rodríguez said the recipients go “above and beyond the minimum requirements of their role to excel in all that they do, day in and day out. Their excellence is a wonderful reflection on our university… From the research lab to the classroom to the athletic fields to the professional offices, we are all striving daily to achieve excellence.” 

Provost Kim presented the awards. “Each of you — whether in the classroom, the laboratory or through the tireless work that supports our operations behind the scenes — has helped elevate the academic experience for our students,” she said.

Winners were honored for:

Excellence in Teaching

Christine Taggart Bozlak – Department of Health Policy, Management & Behavior, School of Public Health

Amanda Nicole Spriggs – Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences

Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities

Youqin Huang – Department of Geography & Planning, College of Arts and Sciences

Liming Zhou – Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Excellence in Professional Service

Dafney Amilcar-Rodriguez – Student Financial Services

Michael Dzikowski – Information Technology Services

Colleen Davis – The Graduate School 

Crystal Rogers – School of Social Welfare 

Linda Krzykowski – Student Engagement 

Jermaine Harris – Career and Professional Development 

Excellence in Librarianship

Kelsey O’Brien – University Libraries

Excellence in Faculty Service

Mila Gascó-Hernández – Center for Technology in Government and the Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy 

Chancellor’s Excellence Award in Classified Service

Heide Horan – Residential Life

Sandra Peterson – Office of Finance and Administration