For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent honors, publications and presentations include the following:

Honors

Sgt. Jamel Howard, corporal in the UD Police Department, has received the 2024 Colonel S.B.I. Duncan Leadership Award from the Delaware Army National Guard. This annual award is given to one airman and one soldier who has demonstrated leadership, community involvement, job excellence, inspiration and a commitment to continuing education. In announcing the award, Command Sergeant Major Michael Fields said, “Sgt. Howard is, without any doubt, a great example for all to emulate, and he brings great credit to himself, C Company, 126th General Support Aviation Battalion and the Delaware Army National Guard. He has most clearly demonstrated the military aspects of leadership, which incorporate recruiting, industry, devotion to duty, getting the task accomplished in a positive and timely manner, and the art of influencing and directing others.” Howard will be officially recognized during a ceremony on March 2 at the Duncan Armory in New Castle.

Peyton Free, a second-year master of public health student in the epidemiology program at the College of Health Sciences, has been awarded the Center for Excellence in Public Health Leadership 2025 Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement (RISE) Fellowship. During this one-year appointment, Peyton will study wastewater epidemiology, detection, sequencing and spread of new variants of COVID-19 and RSV alongside Dr. Jeffrey Ram with Wayne State University.

UD Ph.D. candidates Cameron Ibrahim, Lottie Murray and Juliana Nam have been awarded graduate fellowships from the Koerner Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to training and retaining engineers in the United States. These three students bring the total number of UD recipients of this fellowship to seven. The fellowships provide financial support to help students complete their doctoral degrees in engineering research, with the goal of preparing them to address complex national challenges. These awards play an important role in expanding accessibility and resources for doctoral candidates in the field.

Publications

Heinz-Uwe Haus, professor emeritus of theatre, published in the newest issue of Lumina Lina (The Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality, New York, An XXX, Nr. 1, 2025, p. 149-151) a review of a collection of poems by Clelia Ifrim, titled The Lamb of Abel. The bilingual edition—translated from Romanian to English by the author; published at Cismigiu Books, Bucuresti, 2024—refers to the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel. While filled with tragedy, the story teaches a valuable lesson about living with sincerity. Through their example, we learn how not just our actions, but our attitudes matter. "It reads (Genesis 4:7): 'Do not let seduction have its way, but rule over it!' The poet makes reference to Christian identity without any superficiality and with alert attention to what is happening around her. Her collection of poems reflects a creative perseverance to recognize human nature. Every attitude, every image is of lyrical sensitivity. Clelia Ifrim’s poems are a convincing example of how fragile lyrical formations grow out of divine spirituality," Haus said.                                    

Alisa Moldavanova, associate professor and Master of Public Administration Program director at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, will celebrate the paperback release of her latest book, The Overlooked Pillar: Making a Case for Cultural Sustainability, from SUNY Press on Feb. 2, 2025. 

Presentations

UD faculty and staff made several presentations at the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) 2025 Annual Conference. The theme of this year’s conference, held Jan. 22-23, 2025, in Washington, D.C., was “Elevating Holistic Student Success: Enrollment Management to World Readiness.” 

• Meg Grotti, associate University librarian for learning, engagement and curriculum support, Matthew Kinservik, professor of English, and Matthew Trevett-Smith, director of the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning and assistant professor of anthropology, presented a session titled, “AI Literacy as a Shared Responsibility: The Importance of Cross-Team Collaboration.” In line with the conference theme, their session challenged attendees to (re)envision existing and new structures, processes, practices and policies to enable higher education institutions to respond to the monumental challenges/opportunities introduced by artificial intelligence. Grotti shared, “Together, we outlined a strategy for developing AI literacy across campus, focusing on creating a holistic approach that supports student learning in a time of rapid technological change.”
• Matthew Trevett-Smith, director of the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning and assistant professor of anthropology, delivered a workshop titled “From Working Relationships to Strategic Partnerships: A New Paradigm for Higher Education Leaders.” Trevett-Smith, who has been an engaged member of the professional association for nearly a decade, shared, “This highly interactive session helped leaders from multiple research-intensive universities draft a plan to intentionally and strategically engage with their institutional network of relationships and partnerships, allowing them to increase their impact beyond a single immediate sphere of authority, foster unexpected collaborations and catalyze their institutional mission.” Trevett-Smith’s research into higher education strategic partnerships is ongoing and conducted in collaboration with colleagues at Penn State, the University of Georgia and the University of Idaho.
• Agnes Ly, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, and Rose Muravchick, associate director for educational development in the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning, presented a session titled “Creating a Community to Create a Community: The Role of Collaborative Faculty Development on Improving First-Year Courses.” This session shared the two perspectives of faculty development and direct instruction as a way to highlight common pathways that create a sense of student community in very large classes. Of the experience, Ly said, “It was rewarding to be able to step outside of my discipline and engage with higher education leaders spanning advising, teaching, student life and more. The presentations and conversations reinforced for me how meaningful change in student success requires dedication and alignment across all units of a university.” Focusing on UD’s Foundational Course Initiative, this presentation highlighted the importance of cross-disciplinary community building among instructors of first-year large enrollment courses.
• Kevin R. Guidry, associate director for educational assessment in the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL), Andrew Jenks, educational assessment specialist in CTAL, and Nicole Long, assistant vice president of student experience and belonging in the Division of Student Life, participated in a panel discussion titled "The Promise of Integrated Assessment to Improve Learning." They were joined by Indiana University colleague Jillian Kinzie and discussed how their units collaborate to conduct highly effective and meaningful assessment of learning at the University of Delaware. Their panel was based on a forthcoming journal article of which Guidry and Jenks are among the coauthors and a forthcoming book chapter of which Long is a coauthor.

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