The 29th Annual Faculty Day Conference and Awards Ceremony at Brooklyn College brought together faculty, staff, and students for a day of interdisciplinary dialogue, innovation, and celebration of academic achievement on May 20 in the Student Center.
Aleah Ranjitsingh (left), Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, and Dale Byam, Associate Professor of Africana Studies.
The event highlighted the breadth of scholarship and teaching across the college through roundtable discussions, poster presentations, panel sessions, and the presentation of faculty awards. Organized to foster collaboration and strengthen the intellectual life of the campus community, Faculty Day showcased the creative and scholarly work taking place across disciplines.
Ana Bartolomé (left), Operations Manager/Community Outreach Coordinator for the Brooklyn College Cancer Center, and Abdelaziz Elmadani, Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology, Counseling & Leadership.
Morning and afternoon sessions explored a wide range of timely topics, including academic freedom, accessibility, career readiness, artificial intelligence in the classroom, interdisciplinary neuroscience education, online harassment, and social justice in teaching and learning. Faculty members from departments across the college shared research and teaching strategies designed to address emerging challenges in higher education and society.
Roundtable discussions encouraged informal conversations among colleagues on subjects ranging from graduate classroom teaching and cyberbullying prevention to environmental sustainability and immigrant women entering the U.S. workforce. Other sessions examined open educational resources, community-centered arts practices, and the impact of generative AI on teaching and assessment.
Academic poster presentations focused on digital innovation, research methodologies, and data-driven scholarship. Faculty presenters demonstrated how artificial intelligence, open data platforms, and interdisciplinary collaboration are reshaping research and instruction in fields including psychology, finance, marketing, biology, and education.
(Left to right) Yehuda L. Klein, Professor of Economics; Stalin Haeger-Espinal, Sustainability Coordinator; speak with student Moussa Toni Cisse about his research project, “Building A Better Campus: Reducing Single Use Plastics on Brooklyn College Campus.” Other students who worked on this were Ahmed Fall, Eiden Cooper, Natalia Urbaez, and Jimmy Huang.
Afternoon panels explored themes of storytelling, artistic expression, diversity, and inclusion through perspectives from cinema, theater, psychology, counseling, and library studies. Discussions examined issues of racial justice, multilingual education, accessibility, and advocacy, emphasizing the role of higher education in fostering inclusive learning environments.
(Left to right) Karen B. Stern Gabbay, Professor of History; Murat Cevher, Assistant Professor of Biology; Matthew Lindauer, Associate Professor of Philosophy; Viju Raghupathi, Professor of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship; and Garumma Tolu Feyissa, Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at the Awards Ceremony.
You can learn more about the presentations here.
Faculty Day also saw President Michelle J. Anderson announce a new student-centered comprehensive fundraising campaign designed to strengthen Brooklyn College by investing in student success, academic excellence, and STEM research and career pathways. The new campaign expands resources, improves infrastructure, and positions the college to attract additional students, partnerships, and long-term support. President Anderson explained that to date, the campaign has already funded thousands of scholarships and completion grants, helping students stay enrolled and graduate on time while also supporting faculty development and innovation. Ultimately, the campaign reinforces the college’s mission as an accessible, transformative institution and aligns new philanthropic resources with the work already happening across departments, classrooms, and research initiatives.
The conference concluded with the Faculty Awards Ceremony and a reception hosted by President Anderson, recognizing outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarly and creative work, faculty service, and mentoring. Awards presented included Awards for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Achievement, Awards for Outstanding Faculty Service, the Claire Tow ’52 Awards for Excellence in Teaching, and the Tow Award for Excellence in Mentoring.
AWARD LIST
Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Achievement
(Presented by Karen Stern, History)
- Murat Cevher, Biology
- Garumma Feyissa, Health and Nutrition Sciences
- Matthew Lindauer, Philosophy
- Viju Raghupathi, Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship
Award for Outstanding Faculty Service
(Presented by Malka Simon, Art)
- Swapna Banerjee, History
- Qi He, Biology
- Yoon-Joo Lee, Childhood, Bilingual, and Special Education
- Emily Molina, Sociology
- Carla Santamaria, Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies
Claire Tow ’52 Award for Excellence in Teaching
(Presented by Jessica Velez, Childhood, Bilingual, and Special Education)
- Sophia Bamert, English
- Lauren Mancia, History
- Jasmine Mitchell, Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies
- Mim Nakarmi, Physics
- Veronica Paredes, Childhood, Bilingual, and Special Education
Tow Award for Excellence in Mentoring
(Presented by President Michelle J. Anderson)
- Heidi Goodson, Mathematics
