Dr. Marian Mattison, associate professor of social work, was named the recipient of the 2005-06 Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award during the Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting on Wednesday, April 12.

The announcement was made by Dr. Joan R. Branham, associate professor of art history, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and chair of the Teaching Award Selection Committee (TASC).

Mattison is the fourth recipient of the faculty teaching award, which was established in 2002 as part of the College’s Strategic Plan. The award recognizes a tenured faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching, a passion and enthusiasm for learning, and a genuine concern for students’ academic and personal growth. The award is supported by John J. Accinno, C.P.A. ’46, who endowed it in honor of his late brother, Joseph.

Branham noted that as part of the award’s nomination process, comments on faculty members and their teaching are solicited from faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

“While this semester’s students attributed ‘the excitement in class’ to Dr. Mattison’s ‘animated, passionate, and enthusiastic’ teaching style, an alum wrote in about the transformative effect Dr. Mattison’s teaching [has] had on her life beyond graduation,” Branham noted.

“She writes, ‘Since taking Dr. Mattison’s course, I have found myself applying the knowledge gained through her amazing teaching to my everyday life . . . to understand people of all ages from psychological, biological, and social perspectives, which is a skill that will persist throughout my entire life.’”

Mattison, who holds a doctor of social welfare degree from Columbia University and a master’s of social work from the State University of New York at Buffalo , joined PC’s faculty in July 1995 as an assistant professor of social work after serving as a special lecturer since July 1994. She was promoted to associate professor in September 2003.

Her prior academic positions include serving as an adjunct professor in the social work departments of Marywood University , the State University of New York at Brockport, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Prior to academia, Mattison served in several social work-related capacities.

Mattison’s scholarly interests include ethical decision-making in social work practice and  professional values and ethics, both of which she has explored in published articles and book chapters. Mattison’s professional and service activities include offering workshops on ethical decision-making and the ethical obligations of social work practitioners, workshops on effective parenting practices for adoptive families, and presentations at professional conferences.

Selection process detailed

Branham noted that nominations from faculty, staff, alumni, and students resulted in 131 nominations of 72 faculty members (some being nominated multiple times). The committee received 19 dossiers with faculty members’ teaching philosophies and course syllabi for formal consideration. After studying the nominations and the dossiers, the committee selected three finalists.

She continued, “Members of the committee visited the three finalists during their classes to observe the nominees ‘in action.’ Student feedback also was solicited in a Mid-Term Assessment Survey taken in each of their classes.” The committee then deliberated and voted on the faculty member who they felt best exhibited the facets of the award, she said.

The first three teaching award recipients were Dr. Joseph P. Cammarano, assistant professor of political science; Dr. Stephen J. Lynch, professor of English and director of the Liberal Arts Honors Program; and Dr. Vance G. Morgan, professor of philosophy and department chair. Recipients receive formal recognition at Academic Convocation in September, a stipend which this year totals $7,000, and have their name inscribed on the award plaque in Phillips Memorial Library.

Humbled by the award

Mattison later shared her thoughts on receiving the award. “I’m very humbled by this honor,” she said. “I feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction in being among the scores of talented educators at PC.”

The award, she said, “verifies to me that the College does value and cultivate excellence in teaching. I credit the College for keeping our class sizes small and maintaining the teaching load at levels that encourage faculty to undertake different pedagogies, and experiment with different teaching strategies.”

Along with Branham and the two most recent award winners, Lynch and Morgan, the 2005-06 TASC committee members are: Yvonne D. Arruda, associate dean of undergraduate studies; Dr. Sheila M. Adamus, professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dr. Thomas R. King, assistant professor of management and department chair; Dr. Susan Griffith, assistant professor of social work; Dr. Douglas W. Blum, professor of political science; Dr. Hugh F. Lena, vice president for academic affairs; and two Student Congress representatives, Brent Gilbert ’07 of Blackstone, Mass., and Katherine “Kat” Page ’06 of West Boylston, Mass.

Branham thanked all who took part in the award process and noted the committee will meet on May 9 “to review and revise the selection process yet again, learning from our experiences and feedback from faculty every year.”