Category: Faculty Awards

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Hand Awards

2026 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement

Since 1988, the Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement are made possible through the continued generosity of trustee emeritus and alumna, the late Dolly Hand and her late husband, Homer Hand. Through their support of excellence in higher education, Stetson University is honored this year to recognize the professional achievements of two outstanding faculty members in two primary areas: in Research, Creative, and Professional Activity, and in Community Impact.

Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity

This first Hand Award celebrates outstanding achievement in Research, Creative, and Professional Activity.

Prior to accepting an invitation to join the faculty at Stetson University in 2015, this faculty member served as a National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research post-doctoral Fellow at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Health Services and Outcomes Research. Since May 2024, this faculty member has served as faculty director of Advanced Analytics, and prior, as faculty director of Research Design and Analytics with the Stetson Center for Public Opinion Research.

This scholar is a quantitative psychologist and epidemiologist whose research exemplifies the spirit of the Hand Award through the exceptional quality, impact, and scope. Their recent research focuses on water conservation and coastal resilience, officer-involved shootings, pain perceptions in pancreatitis, cognitive impairment, and innovations in the field of prosthetics. In the last five years alone, this faculty member has amassed an impressive body of research to the tune of approximately 30 publication which have been published in the top journals in the field. In addition to other scholarly contributions, their work has been cited nearly 2,000 times, with over 4, 100 citations over the course of this scholar’s career.

Their intellectual contributions have significantly enhanced the disciplinary field as well as the intellectual landscape of Stetson University.This teacher-scholar is heavily involved in psychometrics research, a field of study in psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. These specialized studies are deeply informative for this scholar’s teaching and have been also useful for several of their service functions at the university.

One nominator wrote, “[This colleague] has an incredible H-index of 29, demonstrating a solid research performance and clear influence and impact within their field. It is worth noting that [their] research expertise has been invaluable to the university directly. [This colleague] has served as the faculty director of Advanced Analytics with [ Stetson’s] Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, providing invaluable data on issues such as the effectiveness of Student Evaluations of Teaching. [Their] expertise with statistical analysis has been essential in guiding the university toward sound policy.”

Their record of scholarship reflects the very best of Stetson University’s teacher-scholar ideal. Through sustained research excellence, generous mentorship, and a deep commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, this scholar has amplified the reach and reputation of Stetson’s academic mission.

Therefore, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field, and passionate dedication to students and the Stetson community, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at Stetson University to present the 2026 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity to Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Robert Askew.

Dr. Robert Askew.

Hand Award for Community Impact

This second Hand Award celebrates outstanding achievement in Community Impact. The award recipient joined Stetson’s faculty corps 30 years ago in 1996, and was recognized in 2023 with Stetson’s highest honor, the William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2025, this community warrior was named Faculty Partner of the Year, an award that recognizes outstanding collaboration and partnership with the broader community.

This faculty member embodies the spirit of the Hand Award for Community Impact through dedicated, hands-on service that elevates the critical importance of the outdoor classroom. For example, this scientist makes science accessible and fun for the public by organizing Science Saturdays. These family-friendly events invite children and adults to explore science and the environment through engaging activities that leave participants with a life-long love for nature. As such, throughout their longstanding Stetson career, this consummate teacher-scholar not only practices the art of science through prolific field research with students and publication of findings but expertly translates this and other work to strengthen environmental education and sustainability efforts.

An advocate for promoting citizen-science, this faculty member’s tireless work on the construction, leadership, and care for the flourishing Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem is widely recognized by faculty and community members. Individuals of all ages have been actively engaged in this community environmental endeavor. Personal testimonies attest to their impact on the project. This space has become an valued outdoor classroom and enriching community resource, even earning recognition from the Florida Native Plant Society for its educational and environmental importance. One nominator wrote “ Over [their] whole career at Stetson [this individual] has gone above and beyond to enhance and support environmental education and sustainability in our community through[their] work, building and maintaining the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem as a wonderful interactive and beautiful teaching landscape. “

Therefore, in recognition of her exceptional contributions to bringing learning about the environment to life for University students and the broader community, her tireless dedication to students, and her collaborative spirit that has enriched the Stetson and broader communities, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at Stetson University to present the prestigious 2026 Hand Award for Community Impact to Professor of Biology Dr. Cynthia Bennington.

Dr. Cynthia Bennington.

Presented by Dr. Katty Webb, Dean of the Library and Learning Technologies on May 8, 2026 at the 2026 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Awards Faculty Awards Hand Awards

2025 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement

It is my great honor to announce the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in research, creative, and professional activity, highlighting the significant contributions faculty members make to their professional fields and to the intellectual vibrancy of our campus.

The recipient of this year’s award is one of Stetson University’s most prolific scholars, whose work has had a profound national and global impact. With more than 300 publications, over 30,000 citations, and an h-index of 77—an exceptionally rare and esteemed score—his scholarship stands as a model of rigor, innovation, and collaboration. One nominator wrote: “He has collaborated on published projects with almost every faculty member within the psychology department, and with several other faculty across the university.” His research, particularly in the area of media psychology, has reshaped the field by challenging established views and offering a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between media and human behavior. His vital work been published in the most distinguished academic journals in his discipline and has also earned him numerous invitations to present his research at prestigious institutions around the world.

Transcending academic boundaries, today’s award recipient is also a well-respected public intellectual, whose expert insights are regularly featured in major media outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The LA Times. His ability to translate complex research on violence in media has made him a trusted voice on critical social issues.

As a teacher-scholar, this individual has been deeply committed to mentorship. One colleague wrote: “Every semester as he runs multiple studies in his lab, he has a team of undergraduate student research assistants working with him. His students get excellent training in the research process, and he often publishes with those students too.” In short, he embodies Stetson’s relationship-rich learning.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field, his tireless dedication to his students, and his collaborative spirit that has enriched the Stetson community, I am proud to announce that the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Christopher Ferguson.

Dr Christopher Ferguson

Presented by Dr. Katty Webb, Dean of the Library and Learning Technologies on May 9, 2025 at the 2025 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Awards Willa Dean Lowery Grant

Willa Dean Lowery Awards 2024

We congratulate our winners of the 2024 Willa Dean Lowery Fund to Support Research in the Natural Sciences

Kristine Dye, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Biology

Identification of a Non-Canonical Nuclear Localization Signal in the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small Tumor Antigen Necessary for the Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the most recently discovered human oncogenic virus, and the etiologic agent of Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC), a skin cancer three times more deadly than melanoma. Previous work at Stetson found the small tumor antigen (ST) of MCPyV to be responsible for the development of MCC. Using an innovative dissimilarity approach, it was found that MCPyV ST is uniquely oncogenic when compared to the ST antigens of other human polyomaviruses. Furthermore, it was found that MCPyV ST uniquely localizes to the nucleus despite the absence of a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) and that this localization is necessary for oncogenesis. Future studies aim to identify the novel NLS of MCPyV ST, and determine whether this non-canonical NLS is responsible for the unique oncogenic abilities of MCPyV, necessary for the development of MCC. Consequently, these findings may support the development of novel MCPyV targeted therapeutics necessary for the treatment of MCC.

Lynn Kee, Associate Professor of Biology

Investigating TOR ell Signaling and the Effects of Rapamycin on Painted Lady Caterpillar and Butterfly Development

TOR signaling has been studied extensively in other organisms, and collectively, studies show that TOR regulates cell growth, aging, and survival in many organisms. In mice, treatment with rapamycin, a chemical that inhibits TOR signaling results in mice that lived 28% to 38% longer than the control group, which is about 6 to 9 years in human years. Studies in other organisms have shown similar effects of rapamycin on aging, a phenomenon conserved from yeast to worms to flies to mice. Our initial studies have shown that rapamycin treatment with Vanessa Cardui caterpillars lead to longer lived caterpillars with 30% increase in lifespan. The caterpillars form a chrysalis but we observed a failure of butterflies to hatch out of the chrysalises. Whether the butterflies cannot escape due to impaired or delayed wing development is not known. Here, we aim to investigate rapamycin’s effect on caterpillar and butterfly development, and TOR signaling. We propose to test different concentrations of rapamycin on caterpillar and butterfly development. In addition, we aim to measure the effect of rapamycin treatment on TOR signaling components through biochemical protein assays. Collectively, these studies will be the first study to investigate how TOR inhibition with rapamycin affects the development and lifespan of caterpillars and butterflies.

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Awards Faculty Accomplishments Willa Dean Lowery Grant

Willa Dean Lowery Awards 2023

We congratulate our winner of the 2023 Willa Dean Lowery Fund to Support Research in the Natural Sciences

Holley Lynch, Associate Professor of Physics

Establishing Vanessa Cardui as a System for Embryo Research

Painted lady butterflies, Vanessa Cardui, are ideal for research with undergraduate students because butterflies are invertebrates with a relatively fast life cycle that lay eggs every day for several weeks at a time. Currently, Dr. Lynn Kee’s lab observations of the effect of genetic changes were all done at the caterpillar stage and beyond. Last year, we successfully collected the first images of embryo development in this species. This project will build on that success by making V. Cardui embryos a flexible system for student and faculty researchers by establishing temperature-based staging charts and developing a protocol to access tissues and cells in a living embryo. Achieving the first aim will allow researchers to schedule experiments to take advantage of peak egg-laying times regardless of the interest stage. Completing the second aim will allow the use of biophysical techniques from

imaging to mechanical manipulation on these embryos. This project has the potential to have a huge impact on the field by taking live images of cell movements at the embryo stage for any butterfly species.

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Awards Faculty Awards Hand Awards

2024 Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Stetson University proudly announces the winners of the 2024 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. These annual awards recognize outstanding faculty for their contributions in community impact, research, and professional activities. Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

Hand Award for Community Impact

Wendy Anderson, Professor of Environmental Science and Studies

The 2024 Hand Award for Community Impact recognizes a faculty member who came to Stetson University in 2014 as a department chair. In her almost 10 years at Stetson, she has achieved a distinguished record of community service, becoming a vital public figure and environmental champion in the broader West Volusia community. She chairs the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, contributes a regular column to The West Volusia Beacon about locally relevant environmental issues, and serves on two advisory panels tasked with land management. She has also served on the Volusia County Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee. Her ability to bridge political divides and navigate complex bureaucracies in the name of safeguarding the region’s shared natural and water resources is truly commendable. In so doing, she has enhanced Stetson’s profile, further advancing the university’s mission and values. This environmental scientist is described as a consummate community-engaged teacher-scholar, leveraging both her community connections and environmental expertise to enrich her students’ educational experiences. At Stetson, she reimagined the structure of the Department of Environmental Science and Studies and was instrumental in the creation of the Sustainable Food Systems Program. In her nomination packet, boasting numerous letters of support from faculty, staff, students, and DeLand community collaborators, multiple nominators refer to this faculty member as a “force of nature,” with one supporter noting that her level of community engagement is “nothing short of extraordinary.” Her primary nominator summarized her vast qualifications as follows: “I am honored and proud to work with her in the same department, where she effectively

showcases science in action. She embodies a conscientious scientist who takes her knowledge to streets, communities, city hall meetings, and her classrooms with the ultimate goal of passionately serving humanity. She has taught her students, in action, how to engage with individuals in positions of power and policymakers, compelling them to listen and take action to safeguard our shared environment.  

For her professional commitment and her exceptional contributions to the university and broader communities, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at Stetson University to present the 2024 Hand Award for Community Impact to Professor and Chair of Environmental Science and Studies and Director of the Sustainable Food Systems Program, Dr. Wendy Anderson. 

Dr. Wendy Anderson. 

Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity

Dr. Carol Azab, Associate Professor of Marketing

The first 2024 Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity recognizes an outstanding faculty member who – in her short time at Stetson University – has established herself as one of the most productive scholars in the School of Business Administration. This faculty member’s scholarly inquiry focuses on services marketing, global marketing, and the influence of the marketing function within the firm and the discipline. A hallmark of scholarly pursuits is peer review – the sharing and public testing of scholarly inquiry. The exceptional quality of this researcher’s scholarship is evidenced by the successful acceptance of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles in just eight years. Seven of her 10 papers have appeared in the most prestigious top-tier journals in the field, including the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, the Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of Behavioral Finance. These journals enjoy some of the highest impact factors, which are proxy measures of the importance, deep rigor, international reach, and appeal of the published research. One of her articles – on new rules of social media shopping – garnered the distinction of the most cited paper in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour in 2022, for which she won an award. By pursuing research projects with current and former colleagues, and supervising at least eight student research groups annually, herstudents have benefited significantly from her expertise in a broad set of analytical techniques. More specifically, her work in services marketing has helped redefine disciplinary knowledge and as a teacher-scholar, she has brought her findings to the classroom and transformed her marketing courses. In sum, her work has influenced the direction and evolution of her discipline. One faculty nominator wrote, “[This scholar] is passionate about justice in service recovery, establishing equity when companies fail customers’ expectations and [are] trying to win them back. Her research is significant because it deals with stereotypes of minority customers and the use of primary and secondary language in service encounters.”

Through her stellar scholarship and impressive service to her field, this faculty member contributes impressively to Stetson University’s scholarly and intellectual vibrancy. In 2023, she received the School of Business Administration’s Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award. It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff at Stetson University to present the 2024 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity to Associate Professor Dr. Carol Azab  for her professional commitment and her exceptional scholarly contributions.

Dr. Carol Azab

Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Jean Smith, Assistant Professor of Biology

The second 2024 Hand Award for Research, Creative and Professional Activity honors a faculty member who has rapidly established herself as a leading scientific researcher and whose quality of research has had a transformative impact on the field of molecular biology. Since arriving at Stetson University in 2019, this scientist has acquired an impressive publication record by repeatedly publishing her research outcomes in top-tier, high impact scientific journals, including Science, Genetics, and The Journal of Cell Biology. Within the past five years her body of research has been cited in the published works of other scientists approximately 500 times. Furthermore, she has garnered major grant support including a recent multi-year award from the National Science Foundation for more than half a million dollars. As a Stetson University teacher-scholar, this faculty member has demonstrated the unique integration of the teacher’s facilitation of students’ learning with her own continuous scholarly development in two ways. First, her involvement of students as researchers in her own professional development has led to ground-breaking research in molecular biology, and the team’s work has led to novel findings in the molecular mechanisms of cell fusion—a process essential for sexual reproduction in all organisms. Seven of her mentored research students have won best student presentation awards at scientific conferences. Second, her scholarly work infuses her courses with research-rich experiential learning opportunities for students. This is particularly noteworthy in her Genetics and Microbiology offerings—two courses that now form a vital core of Stetson’s extremely successful health professions curriculum. Several of her students have been recruited into the nation’s top graduate programs. One faculty nominator wrote: “She is an exemplar of the way in which an excellent, rigorous scientist can mentor and excite students, introducing them to concepts they may have never considered, and making the previously inconceivable understandable and attainable”.

It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff at Stetson University to present the 2024 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity to Assistant Professor Dr. Jean Smith  for her professional commitment and her exceptional scholarly contributions.

Dr. Jean Smith

Presented by Dr. Rosalie Richards, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemistry and Education on May 10, 2024 at the 2024 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Awards Hand Awards

2023 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2023 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Since 1988, the Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement are made possible through the continued generosity of trustee emeritus and alumna Dolly Hand and her late husband, Homer Hand. Through their support of excellence in higher education, Stetson University is honored this year to recognize one outstanding faculty member for the Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity.

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This teacher-scholar was invited to join the faculty corps at Stetson University six years ago and has engaged in an expansive scope of high-quality research and professional activity with penetrable national and international implications. As a recognized expert in development economics, their work has easily transcended academic boundaries by making practical global impact, particularly on women in agriculture in rural regions and in developing countries.This expertise is sought after by global organizations such as the World Bank, the UN Development Programme, and USAID. This work significantly contributes to Stetson’s vibrancy and vitality, especially on students in upper-level economics courses. 

This faculty member has acquired a prolific record in their short time here. One nominator wrote, this faculty member “has developed an impressive scholarly record during their time at Stetson. Their expertise in development economics has been recognized and sought after on campus, nationally, and internationally, and they have published their work in high-impact venues.”  

Therefore, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff at Stetson University to present the 2023 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity to Associate Professor Dr. Khushbu Mishra for her stellar, established, and sustained record of scholarly achievement.

Presented by Dr. Rosalie Richards, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemistry and Education on May 10, 2023 at the 2023 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Awards McEniry Awards

2022 William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2022 William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching

Established in 1974, the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching is considered to be Stetson University’s most prestigious award based on the highest attainment of teaching excellence as personified by the former Dean of the University, William Hugh McEniry. Exceptional teaching in the classroom is at the heartbeat of this award, along with intellectual growth, professional competency, academic activities outside of the classroom, and meaningful service to students and the University as a whole.

This year’s McEniry selection committee had an incredibly challenging job. Stetson is a community full of highly deserving teacher-scholars. This year’s awardee stood out as an exceptionally impactful educator at Stetson and within their field. There is a clear record demonstrating that this faculty member is a phenomenal teacher. Thoughtfully written nominations demonstrated a deep commitment to high-quality teaching.

A nomination by a fellow faculty member notes: “This professor is a star at everything he does. He is electric in the classroom. A superb intellect. A fine writer. His scholarship is set to do groundbreaking work in broad cultural fields”.

A student nomination states: “This professor really pushed all his students to achieve academic excellence. He maintained a very high standard in class and promoted a higher level of thinking. This professor was always very accessible and open to help students outside of class hours.”

A second student nomination states: “This professor effortlessly explains all of the information. I personally look up to him as an ACADEMIC GIANT.”

Yet, a third student nomination states: “This professor has found a way to make his students enjoy taking his classes while also keeping us on our toes.”

I am delighted and honored to announce this year’s award winner! For the first time in the history of Stetson University, the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching will be presented to the winner of the Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity. Please join me in wishing heartfelt congratulations to the recipient of the 2022 William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Professor of Music.

Dr. Daniil Zavlunov!

Presented by Dr. Hala El Arag, Professor of Computer Science, on May 6, 2022 at the 2022Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Awards Hand Awards

2022 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2022 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

The Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements are made possible through the continued generosity of trustee emeritus and alumna Dolly Hand and her husband, Homer Hand. Through their support of excellence in higher education, we are honored to recognize outstanding faculty.  The awards have been presented to faculty since 1988, with recipients whose names many in the audience will recognize as faculty who have been transformative to this institution—Michael Rickman, Karen Kaivola, and Leonard Nance to name a few. 

This year, we recognize the professional achievements of two outstanding faculty members in two primary areas:  Research, Creative, and Professional Activity and Community Impact.  Historically, there have been Hand awards that recognized the stellar work of faculty who have been at Stetson for a short period of time, and then go on to do great things at Stetson.  Some examples include then-Assistant Professors Terri Witek, Stephen Robinson, Sue Ryan, and Isabel Botero, who all received the Hand recognition just a few years after they joined the University. Both recipients of this prestigious recognition were invited to join the faculty in 2014. In sum, during their short tenure at Stetson University, they have made significant contributions to their fields, to Stetson’s vibrancy and vitality, to our academic culture, and to the world beyond this campus.

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The first 2022 Hand Award honors a faculty member whose quality of research and writing has had a transformative impact on the School of Music and on Stetson University. As a musicologist, he is a scholar of Music History with many interests including Russian, French and Italian opera of the 19th century, Russian and Soviet music, music and politics and theories of musical form. His research into music censorship in 19th century Imperial Russia, specifically during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, is groundbreaking and of significant interest to students of opera worldwide. His command of both musicology and theory demonstrates a latitude of expertise comprising individual composers, genres, and time periods.

Furthermore, he maintains an impressive publication record in high impact academic readership sources including the Journal of Music Theory, the Journal of Musicology, and in the Cambridge and Oxford University presses. The variety, breadth, scope, cross-disciplinarity, and international appeal of his repertoire has positioned his body of work as important and valuable beyond the world of music. To that end, this scholar ranks among the top music historians in the nation and abroad.

One nominator wrote, “Twelve publications (and others already underway) are many for any discipline at Stetson where research and publications are a measure of contribution.” Another wrote, “My career in all facets – including performance, teaching, and administration – has well prepared me to understand and appreciate exceptional individuals such as [this professor]”.

Therefore, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff at Stetson University to present the 2022 Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity to Associate Professor Daniil Zavulov for his professional commitment, and in recognition and celebration of his substantial scholarly contributions.

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This year’s second 2022 Hand award honors a faculty member who has accomplished an extraordinarily impactful breadth and scope of timely work within the eight years of her tenure at Stetson University. A scholar, teacher, and practitioner, she rapidly compiled a distinguished record of community service, becoming a key force in Stetson’s relationship with the broader community. Her special focus has been on the health needs of underserved communities including the Spring Hill community of southwestern DeLand. In collaboration with various community partners, she has initiated or supported multiple studies and programs. This work included comprehensive needs assessments of all African American communities to demonstrate the need for improved public health and nutritional resources and an Oral History of the James W. Wright building in DeLand, research that resulted in grant funding awarded and the building being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2016, she received an Exceptional Community Partner Award from the Spring Hill Neighborhood Association for her exemplary work. And with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she provided vital community support by serving as staff epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health.

One nominator wrote, “In my entire time directing community engagement efforts for the university, [this professor] stands out for being the most consistent and effective faculty collaborator with our non-profit partners in the greater Spring Hill community. Truly, I believe that no faculty member epitomizes the connection of our institution’s academic and civic missions as strongly as [this professor]”.

For her professional commitment and in recognition and celebration of her substantial contributions to the Stetson community and the greater DeLand and Volusia communities, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff at Stetson University to present the second 2022 Hand Award for Community Impact to Associate Professor Asal Mohammadi Johnson.

Presented by Dr. Rosalie Richards, Associate Provost for Faculty Development on May 6, 2022 at the 2022 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony

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Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Awards International Awards

2 Stetson Faculty Receive International Recognition

Two Stetson University School of Business Administration professors have been recognized by two separate international organizations for outstanding achievements.

porrait outside
Isabel Botero

Isabel Botero, Ph.D., assistant professor of family enterprise and entrepreneurship, was awarded the Advanced Certificate in Family Wealth Advising (ACFWA) and honored as a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute (FFI) at the 2018 FFI Global Conference held in London, England.

To be named a fellow honoree, Botero had to achieve comprehensive professional knowledge and significant expertise over the past 10 years that may now be shared and used by family business owners and family wealth management clients. The Family Firm Institute (www.ffi.org), an international professional membership organization of more than 1,800 individuals and organizations across 88 countries, provides interdisciplinary education and networking opportunities for family business and family wealth advisors, consultants, educators and researchers.

“Becoming a Fellow for the Family Firm Institute is an honor for me because it highlights my collaborative work to help family enterprises around the world become better,” explained Botero. “It also acknowledges the importance of education and research in the field.”

Jennifer Foo

Jennifer Foo, Ph.D., professor of finance, also has been honored as a member of the Jewish National Fund’s Winter 2018-2019 Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel. This competitive academic fellowship gives full-time higher education faculty members the opportunity to participate in a 12-day all-expenses-paid academic trip to Israel. The program strives to link scholars from diverse disciplines with their Israeli counterparts at major universities to initiate collaboration and exchanges, and to give participants an opportunity to explore Israel’s history, politics, culture and economy. Foo is the first Stetson University faculty member to receive this fellowship.

“This fellowship is an invaluable and exciting opportunity for me to learn about Israel,” said Foo. “I look forward to learning how an entrepreneurial and innovative business spirit can be born out of a necessity to grow and survive, as it did in Israel.”

Neal Mero

“This recognition of Dr. Botero and Dr. Foo highlights the quality of faculty who serve in the Stetson School of Business Administration,” said Neal P. Mero, Ph.D., dean and professor of management. “In addition to bringing global recognition to Stetson for their work, my colleagues leverage that expertise through their service as incredible teachers and scholars delivering a world-class education to our students.”

-Marie Dinklage

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Faculty Accomplishments Faculty Awards International Awards International Learning

Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel

The Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel seeks to link scholars from diverse disciplines with their Israeli counterparts at major institutions for the purpose of initiating exchanges and collaborations. Past faculty fellows at Stetson are Professors Jennifer Foo (Winter 2019) and Ronette Lategan-Potgieter (Winter 2020).

Full-time university and college faculty members are invited to participate in a 12-day, all-expenses-paid academic trip to Israel. The program covers the cost of flight to Israel from New York City, as well as all in-country room and board expenses. If selected for this competitive academic fellowship, WORLD: Rinker Center for International Learning will cover the cost of roundtrip airfare between Orlando and New York. 

The application is due by September 22, 2022. 

Questions about the application? Feel free to reach out to Paula Hentz or Jennifer Foo.