San Diego State Faculty to Receive Top Honors
For Teaching, Research and Community Service

Contact: Renee Haines
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Office (619) 594-4298
rhaines@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO, Wednesday, August 24, 2005 – Nine professors will receive San Diego State University's highest award for faculty on Thursday for their contributions to teaching, research and community service.

The 2005-2006 Alumni Awards for Outstanding Faculty Contributions will be presented at Thursday's formal All-University Convocation, which each year celebrates the start of another academic year for San Diego's largest and oldest university.

“I am honored to present this year’s awards to these extraordinary men and women. They inspire and energize us on many levels, but especially in their research, teaching and community service,” said San Diego State President Stephen L. Weber.

This year’s recipients are:

• Nadine Bezuk of the College of Education is a veteran mathematics educator who serves as co-director of two San Diego State programs designed to raise the level of mathematics teaching and learning. Bezuk is co-director of the $5.2 million Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics (ISAM) project at the QUALCOMM Institute for Innovation and Educational Success. She also is co-director of the $3 million Professional Development Collaborative (PDC) of the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education. The PDC has trained more than 250 mathematics specialists in San Diego County elementary schools.

• Bruce Harley of the Division of Library and Information Access has helped usher San Diego State’s library into the digital age as electronic information services coordinator and chair of the library’s automatic planning and electronic services committee. Harley also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology, a liaison to the university’s honors program and avid supporter of the Freshman Success Program at San Diego State.

• Brian Loveman, a political science professor in the College of Arts and Letters, is a renowned scholar in Latin American politics and human rights, Loveman holds the Fred J. Hansen Chair for Peace Studies at San Diego State. He is the author or editor of 19 books and monographs. His research grants include awards from the Ford Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

• Wendy Maruyama, an art professor in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, is an acclaimed contemporary furniture designer and maker whose work has been featured in leading collections, exhibitions and publications in the United States and abroad. A San Diego State alumnus, Maruyama has been a faculty member of the School of Art, Design and Art History since 1989.

• Richard Morris, a professor of physics in the College of Sciences since 1957, is legendary for his love of teaching and service to students. Indeed, generous gifts to his program from Sony Corp., the Naval Research Laboratory, Lockheed Missile Systems and others were facilitated by former students. His typically heavy teaching schedule includes undergraduate and graduate courses with a strong emphasis in hands-on research.

• Lewis Shapiro, associate professor in the School of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the College of Health and Human Services, is a leader in the study of post-stroke adults who suffer from the language deficit aphasia. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1988, and he recently was named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. His articles have been published in leading journals, and he has addressed scholarly audiences throughout the United States and abroad.

• Nikhil Varaiya, a finance professor and chair of the finance department in the College of Business, has been recognized by his students six times with the Outstanding Faculty Award in the college’s Executive MBA Program. His articles and case studies have appeared in several leading academic journals.

• Diana Verzi, associate professor of mathematics at San Diego State’s Imperial Valley Campus, is founder and coordinator of the undergraduate mathematics program there. Her commitment to involving students in mathematical research has served to improve the quality of mathematics teaching and learning in the Imperial Valley. She is a continuing sponsor for summer algebra academies for “at risk” students, and is a mentor of the McNair Scholars’ Program

• Bruce Westermo, an award-winning civil and environmental engineering professor and researcher, also is assistant dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering. Westermo is director of Project Lead the Way, which introduces middle and high school students to engineering. He has established half of all programs like it in California.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasing international emphasis that prepares students for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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