Kennesaw State awards ceremony recognizes outstanding faculty members

KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 18, 2023

Photo of President Kat Schwaig and Ming Chen — Kathy Schwaig and Ming Chen

College of the Arts Theatre and Performance Studies professor Ming Chen has received the University Distinguished Professor Award, the top honor presented during Kennesaw State’s annual Faculty Awards ceremony on Monday.

Chen, who has taught at Kennesaw State for 32 years, was recognized for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional achievement, receiving $15,000 and a $5,000 faculty development fund from the KSU Foundation as part of the award. She is a renowned expert in theatrical set design and was one of 12 faculty members recognized at the event in areas including teaching, scholarship and creative activity, professional service and community engagement, early career, diversity and inclusion, and international achievement.

“This annual ceremony celebrates some of KSU’s most inspiring teachers and scholars who are helping our students succeed inside the classroom and beyond,” said President Kathy Schwaig. “Congratulations to professor Chen and all of this year’s honorees. Also, I offer thanks to the KSU Foundation for their generous support of these awards.”

Chen credited colleagues, students and family for helping her have an outstanding career.

“I feel both validated and humbled to receive this honor. I feel validated because it took me 32 years of hard work at KSU to get this recognition. I feel humbled, because when I look back, trying to find one thing in my entire career at KSU that I did all on my own. I could find none,” she said. “In theater, we often take teamwork for granted, for it is the nature of the beast. But today, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who worked with me and inspired me as colleagues, students, and collaborators, who supported me and encouraged me as administrators and staff members, and even who cooked for me for the past 40 years without complaint. That is my husband, Zhen-Huan Lu. I could not do what I have done without their help. So this award also belongs to all of them.”

The awards process is managed by KSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Following nominations from each dean, candidates are evaluated and awarded based on a review by five committees across the University, which includes faculty representation from each college.

Photo of honorees, picture from left to right are Brian Moore, Ming Chen, Karolin Mirzakhan, Darina Lepadatu, Susan Kirkpatrick Smith, Yi Jin, Chinasa Elue, Nicolas Douguet, Ramazan Aygun, Melih Madanoglu, Susanne Estrella, Anne White — L to R: Brian Moore, Ming Chen, Karolin Mirzakhan, Darina Lepadatu, Susan Kirkpatrick Smith, Yi Jin, Chinasa Elue, Nicolas Douguet, Ramazan Aygun, Melih Madanoglu, Susanne Estrella, Anne White

Other honorees include:

Outstanding Early Career Faculty

Nicolas Douguet, assistant professor of physics
Brian Moore, director of the Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services Research and assistant professor of psychology

Outstanding Part-time Teaching

Susanne Estrella, part-time instructor of German

Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth Faculty Award for Distinguished International Achievement

Susan Kirkpatrick Smith, associate professor of anthropology

Diversity and Inclusion

Chinasa Elue, associate professor of educational leadership and higher education

Outstanding Professional Service and Community Engagement

Darina Lepadatu, sociology program coordinator and professor of sociology

Outstanding Research and Creative Activity

Ramazan Savaş Aygün, director of research computing and associate professor of computer science
Melih Madanoglu, Michael A. Leven Endowed Chair and professor of hospitality

Outstanding Online Teaching

Yi Jin, associate professor of instructional technology

Outstanding Teaching

Karolin Mirzakhan, lecturer of philosophy
Anne White, education mentor and professor of nursing

– By Gary Tanner
Photos by Matt Yung