Phillip G. Sokolove | Joel F. Liebman | Joe E. Hill | James Peach | Jodi Kelber-Kaye
Presidential Teaching Professor
Phillip G. Sokolove |
Phillip G. Sokolove, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has contributed significantly to improving the quality of teaching and learning at UMBC. In order to increase student participation, Sokolove implemented widely-recommended “active learning” methods in his large-enrollment (280+ students) introductory biology classes.
He is the first UMBC faculty member to introduce the use of wireless microphones in large classrooms and one of the first two faculty members at UMBC to use an electronic “clicker” system that allows students to respond anonymously to questions asked during lectures to assess their understanding of key concepts. Sokolove obtained an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, received a doctorate in biophysics from Harvard University and did his postdoctoral training at Stanford University. He began his employment with UMBC in 1974. |
Presidential Research Professor
Joel F. Liebman |
Joel F. Liebman, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is well known for his excellence in organic, inorganic and physical chemistry research. Among his many research accomplishments, with over 100 peer coworkers from some 20 countries, Liebman has co-authored or co-edited over 380 publications.
He also co-authored several chapters of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Chemistry WebBook, the primary ongoing electronic database of chemical information. Due to the WebBook’s significance, the European Union’s Eurospec Program produced translations in Czech, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Liebman, a UMBC faculty member since 1972, received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1967 and earned his master’s and doctorate in chemistry from Princeton University in 1968 and 1970 respectively. |
Presidential Distinguished Staff Award
Joe E. Hill |
Joe E. Hill serves as assistant director of operations and maintenance in Facilities Management. He joined the UMBC community 34 years ago as a groundskeeper. Following an electrical apprenticeship and service as campus electrician and supervisor, Hill assumed leadership positions within Facilities Management, through extensive service on campus committees and in the UMBC and USM shared governance process.
As a tireless advocate for staff, he served recently as president of the UMBC Professional Staff Senate and is currently chair of the Council of University System Staff. |
James Peach |
James Peach is supervisor of the plumbing shop in Facilities Management, where he has distinguished himself by his exemplary leadership.
In addition, throughout his eight years at UMBC, he has demonstrated an abiding commitment to helping students, faculty and staff by assuming such responsibilities as maintaining the swimming pools, mentoring employees, assisting other shops in facilities management, clearing snow, tackling asbestos abatement projects and helping students move into residence halls. In May 2006, Peach will graduate with honors from Mount St. Mary’s University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. |
President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award
Jodi Kelber-Kaye |
Jodi Kelber-Kaye is a visiting assistant professor in the Women’s Studies Program and the acting director of Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL), a diverse group of undergraduate women who are involved in a learning community that promotes academic excellence, leadership development and civic engagement.
She also serves as the faculty advisor for WILL’s living and learning residential floor. In addition to teaching core women’s studies courses, Kelber-Kaye, a faculty member since 2003, has developed and teaches Queer Representations in Film and Television, and Understanding AIDS, a course cross-listed with interdisciplinary studies. Kelber-Kaye received her Ph.D. in comparative cultural and literary studies from the University of Arizona in 2003. |
View Previous Presidential Faculty and Staff Award Recipients
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