M E M O R A N D U M

March 22, 2018 TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: Kristina M. Johnson, Chancellor SUBJECT: Appointment of Distinguished Teaching Professors Action Requested

The proposed resolution appoints the faculty members listed below to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York campus indicated. Resolution I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution:

Whereas the Board of Trustees has proudly established a historic tradition of acknowledging and honoring extraordinary faculty achievement through appointment to the Distinguished Faculty Rank; and Whereas the appointment to the Distinguished Faculty Rank at the State-operated campuses is both a system-wide distinction and a promotion in rank; and Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees has the authority to bestow system-wide distinctions; now, therefore, be it Resolved that each faculty member listed below be, and hereby is, promoted to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State-operated campus indicated, effective March 22, 2018:

Professor Christopher S. Cohan, State University of New York at Buffalo; Professor Peter K. Ducey, State University of New York College at Cortland;

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Professor Daniel George Payne, State University of New York College at Oneonta; and

Professor Andrea A. Zevenbergen, State University of New York College at Fredonia.

Background The Distinguished Teaching Professorship recognizes and honors mastery of teaching. For individuals to be recognized as a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, candidates must have demonstrated consistently superior mastery of teaching; outstanding service to students and commitment to their ongoing intellectual growth, scholarship and professional development; and adherence to rigorous academic standards and requirements. Further, to be eligible for nomination, a faculty member must have attained and held the rank of full professor for five years, have completed at least three years of full-time teaching on the nominating campus, 10 years of full-time teaching in the SUNY system, and must have regularly carried a full-time teaching load as defined by the campus at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level.

Brief summaries of the accomplishments of each candidate are set forth below:

Professor Christopher S. Cohan – Dr. Cohan, a member of the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is a teacher and investigator in the neurosciences with a more than thirty-year history of excellence in academic education. He uses innovative approaches to integrative neuroscience teaching, and has continuously developed and improved his already outstanding skills as an educator. He adopted digital methods in education long before they were common. Dr. Cohan’s teaching integrates a cross-disciplinary approach to subject matter with state-of-the-art educational methodologies attuned to individual student learning styles. Professor Cohan has developed novel websites, unique interactive learning exercises, and a one of a kind hands-on “brain museum” in support of the multi-modal education of students in neuroscience. He is known as a preeminent teacher both regionally and nationally. Medical students have selected Dr. Cohan for award recognition of his teaching excellence 13 times.

Professor Peter K. Ducey – Dr. Ducey, a member of the Department of Biological Sciences at SUNY Cortland, has devoted over two decades to the mastery of teaching and learning. He implements a variety of teaching methods, including scaffolding and innovative applied learning activities

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designed to engage students at all levels. As a faculty mentor, he introduces majors and non-majors to professional undergraduate and graduate research. He maintains longstanding mentorships with former students, many of whom go on to become physicians, teachers and Ph.D.’s, and who attest to the positive impact he has made on their lives. He serves as a member of the SUNY Master Teacher Advisory Board for Central New York, sharing his expertise with K-12 teacher-leaders from across the region. He is frequently sought after as a model educator and mentor with colleagues frequently asking him to attend their classes and offer suggestions. Dr. Ducey possesses a strong record of scholarship, which is reflected in his teaching. Dr. Ducey’s students are authors or co-authors in more than 25 of his publications including peer-reviewed journal articles and published abstracts of conference proceedings. He serves on the editorial board for Northeast Naturalist and has served as a reviewer for NSF and NIH. He is a 2004 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2006 SUNY Chancellor’s/Research Foundation Recognition for Exemplary Contributions to Research in Scholarship, as well as the SUNY Cortland Excellence of the Use of Research in Teaching Award in 2002, the Outstanding Achievement in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award in 2016, and the Excellence in Academic Advisement Award in 2017.

Professor Daniel George Payne – Dr. Payne, a member of the Department of English at SUNY Oneonta, has proven to be a truly exceptional instructor in both English and the Environmental Humanities since his arrival in 2001. In addition to the student-centered classroom environment and wide-ranging classroom activities provided by Dr. Payne, he has routinely engaged with his students outside the classroom, advising independent study students (45 since 2001) and arranging innovative field experiences. Professor Payne’s teaching accolades include the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2012); the SUNY Oneonta Inter-Greek Council Award for Outstanding Faculty (2011); and the SUNY Oneonta Outstanding Advisor and Mentor Award (2007). His excellence in teaching and mentorship is fed by his internationally recognized scholarship in the area of environmental literature, expertise he has used to encourage SUNY Oneonta to incorporate sustainability throughout its curricula and as a part of its identity. In addition to developing interdisciplinary courses in the Environmental Humanities deemed key to the program’s success, Dr. Payne has regularly hosted internationally acclaimed environmental writers on the Oneonta campus to engage and inspire students. For the past fifteen years serving as Director of the John Burroughs Nature Writing Conference, Professor Payne has created a unique and extraordinary opportunity for students from various disciplines to interact with international experts in the field of Environmental Literature.

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Professor Andrea A. Zevenbergen – Dr. Zevenbergen, a member of the Department of Psychology at SUNY Fredonia, is a superb mentor and teacher. Through data driven assessment, she continuously refines her courses in order to maximize the student learning experience. She recently pursued and received a faculty development grant to pilot innovative teaching strategies. She exemplifies the teacher-scholar model through lessons informed by her scholarship as well as the provision of countless hands-on opportunities for her students outside of the classroom. She is committed to faculty-student collaborations and has supervised more than fifty independent study students, three McNair students, and one undergraduate research fellow. In addition, she has co-authored paper presentations with 35 students and supervised more than 150 student internships, engaging students in her research on child language acquisition and emergent literacy. She has more than 25 widely cited publications, and nearly 70 research presentations. She has served on and led many committees, including those relating to athletics, diversity, curriculum, and student success, and has mentored colleagues on how to be more effective in advising. As Fredonia's Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), she provided sound academic support and advocacy for student athletes, chaired the Intercollegiate Athletic Board, and led the SUNYAC FAR Organization. Evidence of her noteworthy teaching can be seen in her extremely high teaching evaluations, extensive and very effective mentoring, numerous teaching awards, as well as enthusiastic student comments. A copy of the nominating letter from each candidate’s respective campus

president is attached. Complete dossiers are available in the Office of the System Provost. Attachments