Teacher-Scholars Honored
Teaching and scholarship were honored in spring at the annual Celebration of Faculty Accomplishments.
Robin Blaetz, associate professor and chair of film studies, and Fred McGinness, professor of history and chair of complex organizations, each received the MHC Faculty Award for Teaching. Wei Chen, associate professor of chemistry, and Daniel Czitrom, professor of history, received the Meribeth E. Cameron Faculty Award for Scholarship.
Blaetz was noted for her ability in getting students to see more clearly “what it is they are looking at.” Blaetz spoke about the growing importance for students to “gain mastery of the visual world that surrounds them.”
McGinness’s pivotal role in the complex organizations program for more than twenty years was recognized. In accepting the award, he spoke of the responsibility of historians to “not only remember the past but to do so without distorting it.”
Chen, a polymer scientist who has garnered worldwide recognition, was honored for her groundbreaking work “designing and building new molecular architectures.” She also was commended for her willingness to mentor students and actively involve them in her research.
Czitrom, a leading authority on the history of New York City, was praised for the many forms his scholarship takes, from textbooks to plays to commentaries to critical works. His citation also acknowledged his role as a resource for junior faculty members.
