Syracuse University

In a Feb. 12 ceremony at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, SU Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw will present five faculty and staff members with Chancellor's Citations for Distinguished Service, Exceptional Academic Achievement and Outstanding Contributions to the University's Academic Programs. The Chancellor's Citation is one of SU's highest honors, given each year to recognize the outstanding contributions made by faculty and staff to the University's mission.

The 2004 honorees are Virginia Rieger Denton, Ann Grodzins Gold, Carlos R.P. Hartmann, Barry L. Wells and Barbara A. Yonai. Recipients of the Chancellor's Citation receive a special art object created by a member of the faculty in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, together with a citation statement recognizing their accomplishments. They are honored in the company of colleagues, family and past recipients of the award.

• Virginia Rieger Denton 
  
  Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service
  
  Virginia Rieger Denton has served SU for 41 years; she retired in October 2003 as the director of the Office of Design and Construction. She will be honored with a Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service.
  
  

  "Ginny devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to every inch of SU's 938 acres of buildings and landscape," says Eleanor Ware, senior vice president for human services and government relations. "From complex restorations to new construction, she approached every project with integrity and courage and made sure that every outcome would serve generations of students, faculty, staff and visitors for years to come. Every view on campus owes something to Ginny."[more]
  
  

• Ann Grodzins Gold
  
  Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement
  
  Karma is a Sanskrit word for one of Hinduism's basic beliefs: the law of cause and effect under which people's lives are dictated by their thoughts, words and deeds.
  
  

  Ann Grodzins Gold, a professor of religion who also teaches anthropology, has been creating a lot of good karma during her 20 years in academe-leading to her receipt of a Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement.[more]
  
  

• Carlos R.P. Hartmann
  
  Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement
  
  While a graduate student working on his dissertation, Carlos R.P. Hartmann remembers a single computation frustrating him for three months. One night, he had a dream in which he saw a different way of tackling the problem-and when he woke, he came up with the solution in 15 minutes.
  

  
  Hartmann's creative thinking, diligence, and outstanding scholarship have led his colleagues to call him "one of the best and best-known coding theorists of his generation" and successfully nominate him for a Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement. Today, he chairs the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS).[more]
  
  
  

• Barry L. Wells
  
  Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service
  
  According to the people who know him on campus, in the Syracuse community and in national higher education circles, Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service honoree Barry L. Wells is well received and well respected. He is a true gentleman who educates by example, providing learning opportunities for students and his peers through unusual talent and unconditional commitment to SU.[more]
  
  
  

• Barbara A. Yonai
  
  Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to the University's Academic Programs
  
  
  "We never have a real downtime," says Barbara Yonai about the unit she directs, the Center for the Study of Teaching and Learning (CSTL). "We always have a lot going on."
  
  

  That workload is a sign of the trust and respect campus denizens have for Yonai. During a recent University-required assessment of academic services to student athletes, Athletic Director Jake Crouthamel asked for Yonai to take a lead role. According to Ronald R. Cavanagh, vice president for undergraduate studies, when Crouthamel was told that Yonai had other projects on her plate, he said "I know that she makes time for people, and we really need her." Indeed, Yonai did make time for the Athletics Department, and the review was completed successfully. [more]
  
  

Note to editor: High-resolution color digital images of Chancellor's Citation honorees are available by calling (315) 443-3784. Information about the honorees is available online at http://sunews.syr.edu.