GC Alumni Awards
We recognize the tremendous talents of our scholarly community with the prestigious Graduate Center Alumni Awards. Congratulations to our 2019 honorees! Please nominate exceptional GC alumni for April 2020. Contact GCAlumni@gc.cuny.edu with questions. Thank you!
2019 Alumni Achievement Award recipients:
- James Giordano (Ph.D. ’87, Psychology – Biopsychology), Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program and Scholar-in-Residence in the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics; Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center
- Maggie Nelson (Ph.D. ’04, English), Poet, critic, and nonfiction writer; Professor of English, University of Southern California
2019 Graduate of the Last Decade Award (GOLD) recipients:
- Amy E. Hughes (Ph.D. ’09, Theatre), Associate Professor, Theater History & Criticism, Brooklyn College
- Nandini Sikand (Ph.D. ’10, Anthropology), Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Lafayette College
2019 City University of New York (CUNY) Award recipients:
- Ardie Walser (Ph.D. ’91, Engineering – Electrical), Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, Electrical Engineering, Grove School of Engineering, The City College of New York
- Cindy R. Lobel (Ph.D. ’03, History), Posthumous Award, Former Assistant Professor of History, Lehman College; and Former Professor, Liberal Studies, The Graduate Center and Macaulay Honors College
GC Alumni Award Committee Members
- Bruce Altschuler (Ph.D. 1981, Political Science)
- Herman Berliner (Ph.D. 1970, Economics)
- Kristopher Burrell (Ph.D. 2011, History)
- Peter V. Cobb (Ph. D. 1972, Mathematics)
- Margaret Connors McQuade (Ph.D. 2005, Art History)
- Chirag Raval (Ph.D. 2012, Biomedical Engineering)
- Caroline Urvater (Ph.D. 2016, Comparative Literature; M.A. 1990, Comparative Literature)
Past Awards
2017 Alumni Achievement Award recipients:
- Perry N. Halkitis (Ph.D. ’95, Educational Psychology), Dean and Professor, Biostatistics & Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, Medicine, Applied Psychology, and Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers School of Public Health | For his academic leadership and important contributions to our understanding of HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and mental health disease
- Michael P. Jacobson (Ph.D. ’86, Sociology), Founder and Executive Director, CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance | For his outstanding contributions to promoting good and just governments
2017 Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award recipient:
- Maya Hess (Ph.D. ’14, Criminal Justice), Founder and CEO of Red T, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of translators and interpreters in conflict zones and other high-risk settings | For her outstanding humanitarian and educational work
2017 City University of New York (CUNY) Award recipients:
- William Seraile (Ph.D. ’77, History), Professor Emeritus of African American History, Lehman College | For his outstanding scholarly contributions and dedication to CUNY
- Edward Smaldone (Ph.D. ’86, Music Composition), Professor of Music Theory and Composition. Past Director, Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College | For his outstanding scholarly and administrative contributions and dedication to CUNY
2016 Alumni Achievement Award recipients:
- Paul Mariani (Ph.D. ’68, English), Distinguished Professor Emeritus Professor of Poetry at Boston College, for his lifetime achievement in biography, poetry, memoir, and teaching
- Jacquelyn Days Serwer (Ph.D. ’81, Art History), Chief Curator, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, for her achievements at this new museum
2016 Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award recipient:
- Christopher Emdin (Ph.D. ’07, Urban Education), Associate Professor of Science Education, Teachers College at Columbia University, for his important research in novel contexts
2016 City University of New York (CUNY) Award recipient:
- Betty Lee Sung (Ph.D. ’82, Sociology), Professor Emeritus of Asian-American Studies, City College, for outstanding contributions as a scholar and role model for students