Academic Convocation 2024
September 26, 2024 — At this year’s Academic Convocation on September 25, Fairleigh Dickinson University honored faculty and staff standouts; welcomed new faculty; congratulated recently tenured faculty and awarded an honorary degree.
Theodora Smiley Lacey. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)
In celebration of a life devoted to racial equity and social justice, the University conferred upon Theodora Smiley Lacey a Doctor of Humane Letters. Lacey’s commitment to the Civil Rights Movement began as she worked alongside her pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., participating in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Later, she documented voter-discrimination violations and supported efforts to desegregate Teaneck, N.J., public schools. She and her husband volunteered with the Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey to confront discriminatory housing practices. She also taught science for nearly four decades.
“As someone who grew up in the segregated South, being nurtured in my community, but denied access to most of the state’s higher education institutions, I know well the importance and the value of receiving an education,” said Lacey as she accepted the honorary degree. “A strong democracy requires a literate, informed, independent thinking electorate. And building inclusive communities requires learning about and embracing others. My presence here today confirms that learning is a lifelong process, and at 92, I am still learning.”
FDU President Michael Avaltroni presented the honorary degree and Benjamin Rifkin, University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, presided over the rest of the Convocation ceremony.
“In the day-to-day hustle and bustle of teaching for coverage, let us not lose sight of the bigger picture. We are preparing our students to lead meaningful, fulfilling and successful lives. Our students do not need us to teach them things that they can learn from Google, but rather to teach them how to think clearly, solve problems creatively, collaborate with partners from diverse backgrounds who have diverse perspectives, act ethically and communicate persuasively,” said Rifkin at the close of the ceremony.
“Please never underestimate your power as an educator, as a teacher, to have an impact on the lives of our students. That is, in fact, the noblest purpose of our enterprise. Thank you and best wishes for an incredible year!”
From left, Benjamin Rifkin, Hong Zhao, Stacie Lents, Ajay Garg, Giridhar Nandikotkur and Michael Avaltroni. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)
Faculty Awards
Each year the University honors four faculty members in the areas of service, teaching, research and scholarship, and student success and belonging.
Ajay Garg, professor of administrative science and associate director of the Master of Administrative Science at the Vancouver Campus, received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Service.
Giridhar Nandikotkur, assistant professor of physics, accepted the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching.
Hong Zhao, professor of electrical engineering, received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship.
Stacie Lents, professor of theater and theater arts program director, accepted the Distinguished Faculty Award for Student Success and Belonging.
Staff Awards
This year’s Pillar Award recipients are Aurora Bugallo, University Registrar, Metropolitan Campus; and Mary Ford, Director of Freshman Intensive Studies, School of the Arts, Becton College of Arts and Sciences.