Eighteen faculty and staff in Cornell’s four contract colleges have been selected for the 2024–25 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

The honor is presented annually, recognizing awardees on campuses across the SUNY system for their commitment to sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and serving the public good.

Honors for faculty in service are:

• Sarah Besky, professor of the anthropology of work in the ILR School (ILR) and director of Cornell’s South Asia Program, for major contributions to building the academic community at Cornell and in the profession. She developed research and study abroad opportunities in South Asia and served as president of the Society for the Anthropology of Work from 2019 to 2023.
• Dr. Ned Place, professor of population medicine and diagnostic sciences and director of the Diagnostic Endocrinology Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), for sustained service at the college, university and community. In his lab, he has dedicated considerable effort to initiating interdisciplinary research programs supported by substantial grant funding, creating outreach initiatives and mentoring younger scientists. For nine years, he has served as chair of the campus-wide Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which ensures the ethical and humane treatment of vertebrate animals used in research and teaching.
• Robert Raguso, professor of neurobiology and behavior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), for extraordinary leadership and community-building, including as department chair 2014–2017 and throughout 2018. He skillfully created conditions for the revitalization of the department, paved the way for a more distributed leadership structure and elevated the undergraduate curriculum and teaching, leaving a lasting mark, both academically and administratively.
• Felix Thoemmes, associate professor in the Department of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology (CHE) and of psychology, for extraordinary leadership during the merger of two departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and CHE to form the new Department of Psychology, where he holds a joint appointment and which he currently chairs. He supports faculty, advocates for staff, has shaped teaching policy and attracted financial support for the department.

Honors for classified service:

• Allison Keller, administrative assistant in the senior associate dean’s office (CALS), for attention to detail, depth of understanding on policy and processes in CALS and never-failing patience.
• Rhonda Clouse, senior administrative lead in the dean’s office (ILR), for helping to develop an course-tracking data system and leading her team to thrive in a culture of collaboration, innovation and professional growth.
• Darin Gillenwater, undergraduate program coordinator in the Department of Human Centered Design (CHE), for handling a complex portfolio of duties across two undergraduate programs with creativity, flexibility and a genuinely positive attitude.

Honors for professional service:

• Caroline Brockner, director of finance and administration in the Department of Human Centered Design (CHE), for playing a key role in departmental initiatives, improving departmental procedures and fostering a sense of community.
• Lisa Rose, director of human resources (ILR), for providing invaluable mentorship for her colleagues through coaching, constructive feedback and role modeling.
• Jenny Stockdale, director of marketing and communications (CALS), for leading, with empathy and clear communication, a high-performing content creation team serving a large portfolio of internal partners.

Honors for scholarship and creative activities:

• Maureen Hanson, Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (CALS), for unique scientific contributions in two distinct areas: plants and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. She has received major recognition for excellence in both fields, attracts funding and trainees to Cornell and keeps a clear focus on applying her findings.
• Dr. Renata Ivanek, professor of population medicine and diagnostic sciences (CVM), for uniquely creative research bridging complex epidemiologic modeling and machine learning with urgent real-world challenges in animal and human health and food safety. She has secured numerous competitive grants from major agencies and produced over 115 frequently-cited, peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.
• Brian Lucas, associate professor of organizational behavior (ILR), for innovative and prolific work across two research streams: creativity, and ethics and moral psychology. His articles across both are cited extensively, and he is a recognized leader in the area of persistence and creative performance.
• Karl Pillemer, Hazel E. Reed Professor (CHE) in the Department of Psychology and professor of gerontology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, for world-class leadership in research and evidence-based interventions for improving the mental and physical health of older people. His work includes over 200 scholarly publications and three books for general audiences.

Honors for teaching:

• Tolunay Beker Aydemir, assistant professor of molecular nutrition in the Division of Nutritional Sciences (CHE), for exceptional teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. She maintains rigorous academic standards while fostering an inclusive community, which is reflected in her 2023 Excellence in Advising Award.
• Dr. Allison Miller ’03, D.V.M. ’07, senior lecturer in the departments of Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Sciences (CVM), for integrating innovative teaching methods — including digital technologies and virtual reality tools — in preclinical and clinical veterinary medicine. She received the 2024 inaugural Teaching Excellence Award in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
• Marvin Pritts, professor of horticulture and global development (CALS), for engaging hands-on teaching, exemplified by his popular Berry Crops, Hands-On Horticulture and several international courses. A CALS Curriculum Committee member, he is known for his creative approach to faculty development.
• Devon Proudfoot, associate professor of human resource studies (ILR), for teaching a broad range of classes that cover core theories and research in an engaging way. Her teaching and outstanding mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students receive consistently positive feedback.

Olivia Hall is a freelance writer for the Office of the Vice Provost for Engagement and Land-Grant Affairs.