Honors and Awards Archive

Alejandro Anreus, professor of art history, won a first place award for his book, Luis Cruz Azaceta, in the International Latino Book Awards, June 27, 2015.

Brenda Marshall, nursing, was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious National League for Nursing's Academy of Nursing Education (2015).

The William Paterson University Sales Team, consisting of students Matthew Alston, Nicholas Cruz, Jared Helenic and Ashley Marfo, placed second at the Bayou Sales Challenge hosted by Nicholls State University in Louisiana in 2015.

Pete McGuinness, assistant professor of music, was nominated for two 2015 Grammy Awards in the arranging category.

Bela Florenthal, marketing and management sciences, won the Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award in 2015 from Beta Gamma Sigma, the premier honor society recognizing business excellence.

Adonis Rivie, a biology student, won a first place award for his poster presentation at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held in San Antonio, Texas in 2015. He also won first place in the physiology section at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference in San Antonio, Texas, held in November 2014.

Jean Fuller-Stanley, College of Science and Health, was honored as an outstanding Woman in Education by the Passaic County chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., at their annual Harvest of Hope Achievement Luncheon in 2014.  She is one of 10 educators so honored in the county this year.

James Teng, marketing and management sciences, received a 2014 Bright Idea Award from the New Jersey Policy Research Organization Foundation for his paper entitled, "Stackelberg solution in a vendor-buyer supply chain model with permissible delay in payments."

William Paterson University received the 2013 Faith in Paterson Award at their 104th Annual Gala on January 26, 2013.

Kate Muldoon, regional director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) at William Paterson University, received the “State Star” award in recognition of her contributions to the program at the 33rd annual Association of Small Business Development Centers national conference (September 2013).

Financial planning students Linda Hoxha and Ania Lamparska placed third in the 2013 Financial Service Professionals National Industry Issues Competition held in Tucson, Arizona on January 28, 2013.

William Paterson University received two Green Design Awards for the renovation of Science Hall East and the Smart Buildings Project from the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders in June 2012. The awards recognize the University's ongoing commitment to sustainability in building and design.

William Paterson University was named a finalist in the 2012 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards contest.  The awards recognize innovation and excellence in climate leadership at signatory institutions of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Among the finalists, the University also received the most votes for producing an innovative video highlighting the institution's sustainability efforts.

William Paterson University's student-run radio station, WP 88.7 FM won the title of Best College/University Station in the Nation Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) awards in 2012 and 2013. In addition, the radio station won first place for Best Specialty Show, was a finalist in two other categories, and Rob Quicke, assistant professor of communication and general manager of the station, won the Outstanding Service Award in 2012.

Kathleen Waldron, president of William Paterson University, receives the "Monthly MUSE" award from Identity Magazine, an online publication for women, in July 2012.

Kathleen Waldron, president of William Paterson University, was named Irish Woman of the Year by the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders at their Irish Heritage Celebration on March 14, 2012.

William Paterson student Christina Nicastro won first place for junior women and José Martinez won second place for sophomore men at the 34th Annual New Jersey National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS) Auditions held on February 18, 2012 at New Jersey City University.

Julie Bliss, professor and chair, nursing, was appointed to the National Advisory Committee for Evaluating Innovations in Nursing Education, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation project that has designated $4.2 million to evaluate innovative educational strategies for nursing education (2012).

A research paper by Prabakar Kothandaraman and a second research paper co-authored by Raza Mir, Hannah Wong, William Healy, and Sia Nassiripour, all faculty members in the Cotsakos College of Business, each won a Bright Ideas research award on October 26, 2012 from the New Jersey Policy Research Organization Foundation (NJPRO)

William Paterson University’s College of Education received the Best Practice Award in Support of Global Diversity for 2011 from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). The award honors the integration of diversity awareness into educator preparation and was presented to representatives of the program at AACTE’s 63rd Annual Meeting and Exhibits in San Diego.

William Paterson University solar panel facility ranks among the top ten largest installations at higher education institutions in the United States, according to a report released by the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in October 2011.

William Paterson University's Office of Marketing and Public Relations, through its agency, Lipman Hearne, Inc, received a Silver Award for the University's Internet/World Wide Website and Admissions Re-Skin at the 26th Annual Educational Marketing Advertising Awards in April, 2011.

The North Jersey Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention presented an award to William Paterson University on October 16, 2011 in recognition of efforts by students and staff members to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention.

WPSC 88.7 FM was also among the Top 25 Nationwide for the MTVu Woodie for College Radio Station of the Year 2011, and took the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's (IBS) Golden Microphone Award for Programming Excellence, and Bronze Microphone for programming operations.

William Paterson students Nick Bowman, Claudia Capilla, and Mike Walsh placed second overall in the National Financial Planning Association (FPA) Competition in San Diego on September 14-17, 2011 and won $5,000 in scholarship money for the University.

Sgt. Lynette Butler, coordinator of veterans affairs and mediation services at William Paterson University, was appointed to a two-year term on the Operation College Promise (OCP) National Advisory Council in 2011.

Ofelia Garcia, recently retired professor of art, and former dean of the University’s College of the Arts and Communication, was appointed as chair of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2011.

Tina Lesher, professor, communication, won first prize for fiction for her novel, The Abaya Chronicles, from the National Federation of Press Women at their 2011 annual convention held in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Payton MacDonald, associate professor, music, was awarded a 2011 ASCAPLUS award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).

Elizabeth Mullin, kinesiology, was designated a certified consultant by the Association for Sport Psychology, the international professional organization of sport and exercise psychology (2011).

Maureen Martin, assistant professor, English, served as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow at the University of Nizwa, Oman, spring 2011.

Karen Phillips, assistant professor, nursing, received an excellence in teaching award from St. Clare's Hospital in 2011.

Sheetal Ranjan, assistant professor, sociology, was presented with the Women's Initiative Award at the Bergen County celebration of Indian Independence Day held on August 15, 2011. Ranjan was recognized for her research in the field of violence against women and children.

Robb Rehberg, assistant professor, kinesiology, received the highest honor given to an athletic trainer in New Jersey by being inducted into the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey Hall of Fame in February 2011. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees, Brain Injury Association of New Jersey.

Triicia Coxwell Snyder, associate professor, Cotsakos College of Business, won a bright idea award from the New Jersey Policy Research Organization Foundation (NJPRO) and Seton Hall University for her paper, "Do Federal Budgets Cause Crowding out?” in 2011. Her paper was selected from a field of 109 entries.

Amanda Switzer, a student majoring in environmental science, received the Federal Student Intern Award from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, one of only three awarded in the nation (2011).

Aaron Tesfaye, assistant professor,political science, was named Fulbright Research Fellow at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 2010-2011.

Miryam Wahrman, professor of biology, won the first place award for her article, "Aphasia," published in The Jewish Standard in 2011.

William Paterson University ranks among the top producers of Fulbright Scholars at master’s degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States for the 2010-2011 academic year, according to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education.

William Paterson University’s College of the Arts and Communication received the annual Achievement Award in August 2010 from the American Muslim Union for an “innovative program to promote community awareness.”

William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business was cited in the 2010 edition of Princeton Review’s The Best 301 Business Schools in the U.S.

The University’s Cotsakos College of Business received special recognition in 2010 from Beta Gamma Sigma, an International Honor Society for business, for the exceptional growth rate of chapter inductees.

William Paterson University received the Green Building Design Award in June 2010 from Passaic County in recognition of the University’s large photovoltaic (solar panel) installation.

Sergeant George Guzman Jr., Sergeant Lourens Latona, and Police Officer Javier Hernandez of the University Police Department were awarded the 2010 Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Law Enforcement Distinguished Service Award Certificate.

Cyril S. Ku, professor and chair, computer science, and Linda Kaufman, professor, computer science, were inducted into the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Computer Science Honor Society (2010).

Bruce Diamond won the New Jersey Psychological Association's Distinguished Researcher award in 2010 for his work in the area of neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Janis Strasser, professor, early childhood education, received the National Early Childhood Teacher Educator of the Year award (2010).

Stephen Bryant, a distinguished bass-baritone and professor of music, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Opera Recording for his lead role on the recording of Tan Dun's opera Marco Polo. (January 2010)

Avinash Arya, associate professor, Cotsakos College of Business, received the 2010 Max Block Distinguished Article Award from The CPA Jounal for the article,"Recent Developments in Fair Value Accounting," co-authored with Alan Reinstein, August 2010.

John Runfeldt, associate director, Institutional Research and Assessment, received the 2010 North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR) Best IR and Practitioner Report for the report entitled Organizing Student Tracker Results using SPSS.

Stephen Betts and Robert Laud, associate professors, marketing and management, have each received a Bright Ideas research award for their research papers from the New Jersey Policy Research Organization Foundation (NJPRO) in 2010. Their papers were chosen from a field of 130 entries.

Charley Flint, sociology, has received the Dr. Robert J. McCormack Leadership Award, presented to her for outstanding leadership as president of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Justice Educators. The award covers the term she served from 2008 to 2010.

Ofelia Garcia, professor of art, and former dean of the University’s College of the Arts and Communication, received a lifetime achievement award in 2010 from the Women’s Caucus for Art, an affiliate of the College Art Association.

William Paterson University received the Energy and Climate Action Award from New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS) in recognition of meritorious performance in energy and emissions reduction, 2005.

Melkamu Zeleke, chair and professor, mathematics, earned the Fulbright Award at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia in 2010-2011.

Hilary Wilder, associate professor, educational leadership and professional studies, was named a Fulbright Scholar for the spring 2010 semester, lecturing and conducting research at the University of Namibia (UNAM).

Thomas Uhlein, associate professor, art, received the Award of Excellence in Debt Poster Series from University and College Design Association 2010 at their 40th Annual National Design Show. He also received a Bronze Medal at the 2010 Art Directors Club of New Jersey 47th Annual Awards Exhibition.

Erica Seguine, a graduate student in jazz arranging, won first place at the 2010 Zurich Jazz Orchestra Composer Competition, for her piece Gray Sky.

Legendary jazz artist Clark Terry, permanent artist-in-residence in the University’s Jazz Studies Program, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, January 2010.

William Paterson's Peer Health Advocates won the Outstanding Chapter Award for 2010 from the Bacchus Network, a network focusing on comprehensive health and safety issues.

William Paterson students Nathan Phillips, Nicholas Scheibner, and Cagla Yildirim won the first place award in the National Financial Planning Challenge Knowledge Bowl at the National Financial Planning Association (FPA) conference in Denver, Co. on October 9, 2010. The team won $10,000 worth of scholarships for William Paterson University.

The Vanguard Orchestra, featuring William Paterson jazz faculty members John Mosca, Jim McNeely, and Rich Perry, was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble in 2010, after winning a Grammy Award in 2009.

Cindy Gennarelli, director of the Child Development Center, was awarded the Practitioner of the Year Award from the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators in November 2009.

Philip Cioffari, professor, English, won the Best Director Award for his film, Love in the Age of Dion, New York International Independent Film Festival, March 2009. The film was also an Official Selection at the Bergenfield Film Festival in May 2009.

Darlene Russell, assistant professor, secondary and middle school education, received the National Women Educators (NWE) Activist Curriculum Award by the Research on Women in Education, American Educational Research Association (AERA), October 2009.

William Paterson University received the Environmental Stewardship Award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in recognition of voluntary, proactive, innovative actions that go beyond compliance to improve the environment and ensure a sustainable future, September 2008.

Ask Me No Questions, a novel by Marina Budhos, assistant professor, English, was selected for the Nutmeg Book Award by the Connecticut Public Libraries in 2009 and received the James Cook Teen Book Award in 2007.

Maya Chadda, professor, political science, received a Fulbright research fellowship to India, 2007.

Ming Fay, professor, art, was awarded a Public Art Commission at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Terminal 2, and was a finalist in Public Art Competition, San Francisco Central Subway Station.

Rochelle Kaplan, professor, elementary and early childhood education, was the recipient of the Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring from the Northeastern Educational Research Association.

Sarah Nalle, professor, history, won a Guggenheim Fellowship for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Charlotte Nekola, professor of English, received a Fulbright Hays Senior Scholar Teaching Fellowship, University of Liege, Belgium, spring 2008.

Glen Sherman, associate vice president and dean of student development, was named the 2008-2009 Outstanding OAD (Alcohol and Other Drugs) Professional by Outside the Classroom, Inc.

Robb Rehberg, assistant professor, kinesiology, received the National Athletic Trainers Association Dan Campbell Award for Legislative Excellence for efforts leading to the passing of athletic training legislation in New Jersey, June, 2008. Rehberg also received the New Jersey Coaches Association Hall of Fame award, April 6, 2008.