海角大神

FACULTY RECOGNITIONS

2023 Student Impact Grant for Faculty Mentors

The Student Impact Grants for Faculty Mentors are given annually to EIU faculty who engage in high impact student practices, including projects intended to result in publications with student co-authors, joint research endeavors with students that are accessible to external audiences, partnerships with local community organizations or schools, public displays of research and/or new creative works, and other projects that lead to external recognition at EIU.

Sanghoon Kang (Biological Sciences), Gopal Periyannan and Radu Semeniuc (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Diane Burns (Geology-Geography), Margaret Floress (Psychology), and Andrew Britton (School of Communication & Journalism).

 

2024 Achievement and Contribution Awards

The Achievement and Contribution Awards are given annually to 海角大神 faculty for outstanding work in the areas of teaching/primary duties, research, service, and balanced (combination of all three areas).  Our faculty continue to achieve distinction in each of the award areas — congratulations to all!

Jenny Chi (Art + Design), Elliott Zieman (Biological Sciences), Radu Semeniuc (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Ahmed Abou-Zaid, Assande Adom (Economics), Melissa Caldwell (English), David Viertel (Geology-Geography), Lee Patterson (History), Paul Johnston (Music), Robert Strausbaugh (Physics), Ryan Burge, Jin Hong Kim (Political Science), Margaret Floress, Steven Scher, Jeffrey Stowell, Jian Zhu (Psychology), Anna Kochigina (School of Communication & Journalism), and Larry Cox (Theatre).

 

2025 EIU Distinguished Faculty Award

One of the most prestigious honors available to EIU faculty, the Distinguished Faculty Award is presented each spring to the faculty member or department chair who best exemplifies achievement in teaching/performance of primary duties, research/creative activity, and service.

Joe Gisondi, a professor of Journalism at EIU, has turned the student-run newspaper, the Daily Eastern News, into one of the premier college news organizations in the country, has authored two books, regularly runs sports journalism workshops across the country, and has been named one of the most influential advisers of the last 100 years by the Associated Collegiate Press.   Gisondi’s primary responsibilities at EIU revolve around supervision of student journalists who run the DEN and teaching journalism classes, with a particular, although not exclusive, focus on sports reporting. After 20 years as a working journalist, and a master’s degree from the University of Central Florida, Professor Gisondi joined the EIU faculty in 2002. He has had a profound impact on EIU students and on the EIU and Coles County community. Along the way, he found time to earn a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction from Spalding University. As student media director, the student newspaper has been named the Best College Media Group for the past two years by the College Media Association among the 50-plus national honors, has won 82 awards in the Illinois College Press Association journalism competition over the past three years, including for best news website and best print edition, and has earned four nominations and one win for an Associated Collegiate Press's Pacemaker Award. Previous to EIU, his student newspapers at Valencia College in Orlando won three ACP Pacemaker Awards among four nominations and the newspaper was twice named Florida student-newspaper of the year. In part for these accomplishments, in 2022 Professor Gisondi was named to the inaugural class of the Associated Collegiate Press's “Pioneers,” presented to distinguished journalism educators and advocates who have provided exceptional leadership for collegiate media programs and made remarkable contributions to collegiate journalism. In addition to his work with students, Professor Gisondi has continued an active writing career. He has published a textbook, The Field Guide To Covering Sports, on sports reporting that is used across the country, and perhaps, most notably, a book reporting on people around the country who are actively searching for the cryptid Bigfoot. He also founded the website ColesCountySports.com, contributing prolifically to stories on the site covering the range of sports in Charleston, Mattoon, and the rest of the county.

 

2024-25 EIU Faculty Laureate

Dr. Nora Lee Heist is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Journalism and the Basic Course Director, overseeing the general education public speaking course at Eastern. She has served as the Speaking and Listening Representative for the General Education Committee since she joined the university in Fall 2020, and as the committee chair for the 2023-2024 and 24-25 school years. She is the recipient of a 2024 DWF Collaborative Redesign Initiative grant, and has been working to make substantive revisions to the general education public speaking course to support student success and retention. Dr. Heist has also served as a Co-Chair for the Higher Learning Commission Criterion 5 Subcommittee and as a representative on Illinois Articulation Initiative’s General Education Communication Panel.

 

2024 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award

The Mendez Award is presented each fall to the EIU faculty member or department chair who best exemplifies dedication and achievement in service to the university, their profession, and the community at large.

Dr. Steven W. Daniels began teaching in the Physics Department in 1991. He earned his Ph. D. in Physics from the University of Maryland. His research has included Optics, Lasers, and Plasma Physics. He has been PI on NSF, DARPA, and DOE grants, as well as several internal grants.  Dr. Daniels was the driving force for events surrounding two Solar Eclipses at EIU.  He has been the President of the Charleston Rotary Club, the President and also Treasurer for the Excellence in Education Foundation which supports the local school district, the President and also Secretary of the EIU Council of Chairs, and Chair of the Physics Department for many years.  Dr. Daniels has shepherded the Electrical Engineering major from its inception to the point where two classes have graduated and it is a fully functioning and vital part of the curricular offerings of EIU.  He is a longtime member of the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers executive board.  He also serves on subcommittees of the American National Standards Institute which develops laser safety standards for the country.  Dr. Daniels is an avid runner and has bowled on the Faculty-Staff Bowling League for over 30 years.  

 

2025 Alan and Carlene Baharlou Distinguished Service Award

The Alan and Carlene Baharlou Distinguished Service is designed to recognize a member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who has developed a record of outstanding service that supports and contributes to the teaching and research missions of the College.

Dr. Steven W. Daniels began teaching in the Physics Department in 1991. He earned his Ph. D. in Physics from the University of Maryland. His research has included Optics, Lasers, and Plasma Physics. He has been PI on NSF, DARPA, and DOE grants, as well as several internal grants.  Dr. Daniels was the driving force for events surrounding two Solar Eclipses at EIU.  He has been the President of the Charleston Rotary Club, the President and also Treasurer for the Excellence in Education Foundation which supports the local school district, the President and also Secretary of the EIU Council of Chairs, and Chair of the Physics Department for many years.  Dr. Daniels has shepherded the Electrical Engineering major from its inception to the point where two classes have graduated and it is a fully functioning and vital part of the curricular offerings of EIU.  He is a longtime member of the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers executive board.  He also serves on subcommittees of the American National Standards Institute which develops laser safety standards for the country.  Dr. Daniels is an avid runner and has bowled on the Faculty-Staff Bowling League for over 30 years.  

 

2025 Hanner Teaching Excellence Award

The Hanner Teaching Excellence Award is designed to celebrate and honor consistent excellence in teaching.

Samantha Tableriou, Associate Professor of Graphic Design + Typography, was chosen as the 2025 Hanner Award recipient. Samantha Tableriou is an award-winning graphic designer based in central Illinois. Samantha is versed in environmental graphic design, signage planning, creative direction, project management, and branding. Having begun her career in the museum design field with Taylor Studios, Inc., she now operates independently as Samantha Tableriou Design, creating graphics for exhibitions and experiences all over the world. In addition to creating immersive environments, Samantha teaches graphic design and typography at 海角大神 within the Art + Design Department, where she equips future generations of designers with the essential skills they need to succeed in the respective field. In a world of digital abundance, Sam is passionate about working with multidisciplinary teams to create tactile, environmental, in-person experiences in which families, friends, individuals, and colleagues can learn, be moved, connect, and immerse in astonishing, unforgettable stories.

 

2025 James K. and Wanda L. Johnson Award

The purpose of this award is to provide faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences with assistance in the pursuit of their individual research or development activities, the presentation of special conferences or guest speakers, the development of study abroad activities, interdisciplinary programs/courses, and the advancement of technology in the classroom.

Alan Pocaro, Associate Professor of Printmaking and Foundations, is the 2025 Johnson Award recipient. Alan Pocaro was formerly adjunct faculty at both the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Miami University. Pocaro is associated with the movement, an informal group of artists and writers who emphasize the physical and material nature of art. Pocaro regularly contributes art-criticism to Chicago’s magazine, and his writings have been featured in , , , and , as well as .

 

2025 Lawrence A. Ringenberg Award

The Ringenberg Award is the highest faculty honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.  The award is named in honor of Lawrence A. Ringenberg, the first dean of Arts