Professor of Physics Michael Chopp (left) and Professor of English Robert Eberwein each were awarded the honor of Distinguished Professor at the ninth annual Faculty Recognition Luncheon.

By Jeff Samoray, OU Web Writer

As part of its annual Founders’ Day celebration, Oakland University pays special tribute to faculty who make extraordinary contributions in the areas of teaching, scholarship, research and service. In recognition of their inspired efforts to deliver a personal, high-quality education, several faculty members were honored during the ninth annual Faculty Recognition Luncheon April 15.

“I am thrilled to have been a part of such a group,” said Special Instructor of French Dikka Berven, who was one of 25 luncheon awardees. “It’s nice to hear about the accomplishments of other faculty across campus. Oftentimes, we’re so heavily involved in our work we don’t have the opportunity to meet our other colleagues and learn about their research.

“I also think it’s really important that President Russi leads an event like this because it shows appreciation for our efforts and contributes considerably to how we feel about our work. The others who attend this event also are very generous themselves in showing their support and mutual collegiality.”

Each year, the OU Senate Teaching and Learning Committee and the University Research Committee honor faculty whose teaching and research efforts merit singular praise. The four individuals who received such honors this year include:

• Djamel Bouchaffra, assistant professor of computer science and engineering, recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award;
• Robert Justin Goldstein, professor of political science, recipient of the Research Excellence Award;
• Donggang Yao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, recipient of the New Investigator Research Excellence Award;
• Gerald Compton, laboratory manager for the Chemistry Department, recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Professor of Physics Michael Chopp and Professor of English Bob Eberwein received special recognition by being awarded the honor of distinguished professor.

“Throughout his illustrious career at Oakland, Dr. Chopp pursued research in laboratories at widely known hospitals such as Henry Ford, guided countless doctoral students through their dissertations, performed groundbreaking basic and applied research with his students, and pioneered concepts praised by prestigious organizations such as the American Heart Association,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Virinder Moudgil, who presented the awards to Chopp and Eberwein. “Through his work, Dr. Chopp has unquestionably brought esteem to this university. His vigorous commitment to medical physics is on full display through his lively lectures, challenging research projects and tireless mentoring. A true scholar, Dr. Chopp includes Oakland University medical physics students as coauthors in his publications.”

In his remarks about Eberwein, Moudgil noted his many contributions to the university since he began teaching at Oakland in 1969.

“A respected faculty member for the past 35 years at Oakland, Dr. Eberwein is widely known and admired for his work in film studies. His scholarly work and teaching in cinema studies is paralleled by his service to the community as a regular participant in numerous film study conferences,” Moudgil said. “Without a doubt, his enthusiasm for cinema studies is evident in the zeal with which he approaches his teaching as several generations of students, many who have gone on to become film scholars themselves, have attested. Now writing his fifth book, Dr. Eberwein published four books about film and film criticism, countless scholarly articles and reviews, and continually participates in film conferences. Whether he is developing new committees, serving as a departmental adviser or obtaining rare books for the university library, Dr. Eberwein is truly an exemplar in scholarly success, community devotion and individual class.” 

The OU Board of Trustees created the rank of distinguished professor in 1988. The criteria is based on preeminence in scholarship, teaching and public or professional service. Chopp and Eberwein join 11 other OU faculty members who have been honored with this prestigious status.

Prior to the introduction of this year’s honorees, 2003 excellence award recipients Mary Stein, associate professor of teacher development and educational studies, and John Seeley, assistant professor of chemistry, delivered their remarks.

“Teaching is my passion,” Stein said. “I’m always studying ways to improve teaching and learning. Two of the things I’ve learned is that students often learn in other ways than I’ve anticipated, and my job is to first listen to what my students already know, then teach.

“I know that my students will become teachers themselves and pass on their experiences to their own students. Because of this, I feel I have a chance to change things for the better and touch the future as a teacher.”

The complete list of 2004 honorees includes:

2004 Distinguished Professors

• Michael Chopp, distinguished professor of physics
• Robert Eberwein, distinguished professor of English

2004 Teaching Excellence Award

• Djamel Bouchaffra, assistant professor of computer science and engineering

2004 Research Excellence Award

• Robert Justin Goldstein, professor of political science

2004 New Investigator Research Excellence Award

• Donggang Yao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering

2004 Excellence in Teaching Award

• Gerald Compton, laboratory manager for the Chemistry Department

College of Arts and Sciences

• Claude Baillargeon, assistant professor of art and art history
• Dikka Berven, special instructor of French
• Laurie Eisenhower, professor of dance
• Nancy Joseph, assistant professor of English
• John Klemanski, professor of political science
• Charles Lindemann, professor of biological sciences
• Mark Metzler, assistant professor of history
• Jo Reger, assistant professor of sociology
• Ronald Sudol, professor of rhetoric
• Maria Bryant, professor of physical/theoretical chemistry

School of Business Administration

• Lizabeth Barclay, professor of management
• Balaji Rajagopalan, associate professor of management information systems 

School of Education and Human Services

• Ambika Bhargava, assistant professor of human development and child studies
• Tomas Giberson, assistant professor of human resource development
• William Keane, associate professor of educational leadership

School of Engineering and Computer Science

• Daniel Aloi, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering
• Donggang Yao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering

School of Nursing

• Darlene Schott-Baer, associate professor of nursing

Eye Research Institute

• Andrew Goldberg, assistant professor of biomedical sciences 

University Library

• Ann Pogany, associate professor and coordinator of technical services

Hosted by the Office of the President, Founders’ Day honors the memory of benefactors Alfred and Matilda Dodge Wilson, who donated 1,500 acres and $2 million to establish Oakland University.