Honoring Excellence that Comes from Longevity

Universities make their contribution to societies in multiple ways. They educate the next generation, in effect, producing the leaders of the society over decades. Through their scholarship and research, they continually redefine the key questions within every academic field, motivated by new influences from the world. They discover new knowledge, they articulate new theories, they unlock new insights into long lasting unanswered questions.

Many of these contributions cannot be achieved quickly. Progress requires repeated false starts and revisions of initial approaches. The contributions require deep passion of the perseverant mind. They require an endless commitment of knowledge entrepreneurship, the intellectual gene that drives each faculty member forward. Staff members supporting students and faculty gain great expertise over time through learning the myriad of individual concerns, problems, and issues that arise in their work.

So, it is fitting that universities honor those who have displayed decades-long devotion to their craft, practiced at that university. Longevity of purpose deserves recognition in institutions that achieve their society impact through long-lasting effort.

Georgetown (pre-COVID) held an annual ceremony to honor those among its ranks who experienced their twentieth anniversary of university employment. The Gold Vicennial Medals are awarded to full time faculty and AAP staff; the Silver Vicennial Medals are awarded to part-time faculty and AAP staff. In pre-COVID times, the honorees, their families and colleagues would assemble in Gaston Hall. With appropriate pomp and circumstance, the awards would be given, pictures taken with President DeGioia, and social events held afterward. It is one our favorite ceremonies because of the warmth of fellowship exuded throughout the event.

COVID stopped that this year, and we missed staging such an event. However, we did have a Zoom toast of the honorees, with chosen beverages delivered to their homes so we all could “raise a glass” in celebration. The event was limited to families and honorees. But it wasn’t the same as the Gaston Hall event because fewer of their colleagues were part of the ceremony.

I feel especially close to this “class” because the pandemic cheated them of a nice moment.

Below is a listing of them. They didn’t get the Gaston Hall show, but, at the very least, we can congratulate their achievement!

GOLD MEDALISTS
LUCA ANDERLINI (Professor of Economics, Georgetown College)
A specialist in the study of (mostly) rational strategic behavior in general situations, more specific contractual settings, and the application of these techniques to the economic analysis of law; an expert in game theory, contract theory and law and economics.

PARTHA BANERJEE (Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Center)
Researcher of cellular heterogeneity in prostate gland, identifying cancer stem cells in prostate tumor, and developing of small molecule drugs that reactivate tumor suppressor genes and target oncogenes for translational research.

CHARLENE BROWN-MCKENZIE (Director, Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, Main Campus)
Director of Center for Multicultural Equity and Access engagement with the diverse generations of Hoyas, both past and present. For years, Executive Director of the Institute for College Preparation, a pre-college academic enrichment program that provides comprehensive support to DC area middle and high school students.

DONNA CAMERON (Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Medical Center)
Directs the Community-Based Learning (CBL) Course, passionate about encouraging positive health behaviors, linking faculty and students with community participants in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

FRANCES DELAURENTIS (Director, Georgetown Law Writing Center, Law Center)
Director of the Law Writing center; contributions to Georgetown’s Legal Writing program from 2008-2013; instructor of legal research and writing to first-year students and upperclass law students in advanced practice-based writing.

HEIDI ELMENDORF (Department of Biology, Georgetown College)
Researcher in global health and parasitic disease; creator of innovative curricula within the Department of Biology, leader of the Regents Science Scholars Program and other programs to advance educational equity on campus and the broader higher education ecosystem.

ERIC GARDNER (Academic and Data Analysis Advisor, McCourt School of Public Policy)
Advisor to graduate students in the McCourt School, with a focus on statistical data analysis for Masters students working on their Capstone projects; work with McCourt Admissions and Academic Affairs.

RADOSLAV GOLDMAN (Professor, Department of Oncology, Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Medical Center)
Researcher exploring the impact of glycoscine on human pathophysiology at the Clinical Translational Glycoscine Research Center, one of the founders of the research center; directed the Proteomics Shared Resource at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

YAHYA HENDI (Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University)
Director for Muslim Life; founder and president of Clergy Beyond Borders; member of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council, working to promote environmental responsibility, racial justice, eliminate poverty, fight against the growing sense of militarism, and empowering Muslims to reform the way they practice and understand Islam.

MARK HUGGETT (Professor, Department of Economics, Georgetown College)
Researcher on the importance of idiosyncratic risk for a number of issues including aggregate wealth accumulation, wealth inequality, lifetime inequality and asset pricing.

MICHAEL KAZIN (Professor, Department of History, Georgetown College)
Historian of the United States; co-editor of magazine, Dissent; student of U.S. politics and social movements, 19th and 20th centuries.

DONALD LANGEVOORT (Professor, Law School Faculty, Law Center)
Specialist in corporate and securities law; teaching Corporations, Security Regulations, Contracts; scholar of investor protections.

SANDRA LAYTON (Associate Director of International Student & Scholar Services, Office of Global Services, Main Campus)
Directs support for immigration processes for international faculty, researchers staff and student interns on all campuses.

SUSANNA LEE (Professor, French and Francophone Studies Department, Georgetown College)
Scholar of the nineteenth century novel, crime fiction, religion and literature, and law and humanities; director of the program in Comparative Literature.

AMY LEONARD (Associate Professor, Department of History, Georgetown College)
Researcher in women, gender, and sexuality in Reformation Europe, with publications on nuns and the Reformation, early education in Germany, Martin Luther and women, and teaching the Reformation; director of undergraduate studies.

ANA LEVENSON (Assistant Teaching Professor, Spanish and Portuguese Department, Georgetown College)
Scholar of second language acquisition and teaching methods that enhance the learning of culture; active in the development and improvement of the Spanish language program.

ARIK LEVINSON (Professor, Department of Economics, Georgetown College)
Student of environment, energy, public economics; research on how the environmental consequences of American consumers’ choices have differed across income groups over time; a comparison of energy taxes and efficiency standards; and the redistributive consequences of electricity pricing.

MATTHEW LEWIS (Assistant Dean for Research and Planning, the Office of Student Financial Services, Main Campus)
Directs statistical analysis to support Georgetown’s commitment to meet the full demonstrated need of its undergraduate population; formerly worked in University Registrar’s office.

EDWARD MALONEY (Executive Director, the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Main Campus)
Professor of practice of narrative literature and theory, Department of English, Founding Director of the Program in Learning, Design, and Technology; expert in innovation in pedagogy in higher education.

JOSEPH MCCARTIN (Professor of History, Georgetown College).
Scholar of the intersection of labor, politics, and public policy; founding Executive Director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor & the Working Poor; expert in labor unions, effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. labor market and U.S. economy, global cities, labor policy.

SHEILA MCMULLAN (no longer with Georgetown)
Formerly vice dean of the Graduate School; JD with a focus on mediation, negotiation, and higher education law.

SARAH MCNAMER (Professor of English and Medieval Studies, Georgetown College)
Scholar of the relationship between literature and history of emotion; instructor of course in medieval literature and culture, as well as English literary history; director of the Global Medieval Studies program.

DAVID NOLAN (Women’s Soccer Coach, Athletic Department, Georgetown University)
Coach has amassed a career record of 217-86-41, placing him as one of the most successful current coaches in NCAA soccer; under his tutelage the Hoyas have earned 16 All-America Honor, garnered 17 Big East Player of the Year awards and had a player named as a MAC Herman Semifinalist in 8 of the last 9 years.

ROSALENA O’NEIL (Deputy Director, Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy, School of Foreign Service)
Academic and career coach for students educated to have careers in global business and policy; develops partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives supporting students in global fellowship activities.

LEE PINKOWITZ (Associate Professor of Finance, McDonough School of Business)
Research on corporate cash holdings and corporate governance, impact of tax cuts on corporate behavior; instructor of finance courses at McDonough.

VIVALDO SANTOS (Associate Professor of Portuguese, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Georgetown College)
Director of Portuguese program Student of Brazilian literature and culture; research on the representation of the body in the Brazilian Avant-garde, in the intersection of literature and economics, and luxury in the Enlightenment and material culture.

NATALIE SCHILLING (Professor, Department of Linguistics, Georgetown College)
Scholar of variation and change in American English dialects and intra-individual stylistic variation; student of the history of American English; has had an emphasis on sharing and applying linguistic understandings beyond academia for societal betterment.

BETSY PAGE SIGMAN (Distinguished Teaching Professor, McDonough School of Business)
Director of Assessment and Analytics, member of the Operations and Information Management area in McDonough; studies issues management, survey research, social media, and electronic commerce.

STEVEN SINGER (Professor, Department of Biology, Georgetown College)
Researcher specializing in understanding the response to intestinal infections with the protozoan Giardia lamblia; former chair, departments of Biology and Computer Science, helped found the Center for Infectious Disease, and directed B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs in Biology of Global Health and Global Infectious Disease.

EDWARD SOULE (Associate Professor, McDonough School of Business)
Research in the moral and social dimensions of commercial life; designing and executing humane business models; instructor in courses on managerial ethics, principled leadership and corporate social responsibility.

REV. CHRISTOPHER STECK, S.J. (Associate Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Georgetown College)
Scholar of ethical treatment of animals, environmental ethics, and theoretical issues in Catholic moral theory; former department chair; teaches courses on animals and the environment, the problem of God.

JENNIFER SWIFT (Professor, Department of Chemistry, Georgetown College)
Research on establishing and tuning structure-property relationships in molecular crystals, and elucidating biomineralization pathways associated with crystal deposition disease; advocate for undergraduate research; regularly teaches courses in organic chemistry, molecular gastronomy and solid-state materials chemistry.

AI-HUI TAN (Director of Academic Affairs, Communication, Culture & Technology Program, Graduate School)
Focus on enriching the student experience in the program; formerly department administrator for Center for Language Education and Development, focusing on learners and teachers of English as a Foreign language.

EDWARD VAN KEUREN (Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Georgetown University)
Research on the synthesis, characterization and application of multicomponent micro- and nano-materials, developing a wide range of novel materials, including endohedral fullerenes for organic solar cells, charge transfer cocrystals for organic electronic devices and nanoparticle contrast agents for MRI.

LULEN WALKER (Art Curator, Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Lauinger Library)
Curator of twenty-seven exhibitions in the Library showcasing the permanent collection; chairs the Library’s Exhibitions Committee and serves on the Public Arts Committee; collaborates with faculty in presenting classes in the Booth Center taught from original works of art and other primary source materials. She works to build the art collection through donations and purchases and assists researchers.

ASTRID WEIGERT (Teaching Professor, Department of German, Georgetown College)
Teaches courses on all levels and on topics ranging from German Business Culture to German Romanticism; curriculum and course development with an emphasis on the advanced learner and German business culture; scholar of Gender and genre in 18th and 19th century German literature.

SILVER MEDALISTS
RICHARD CAPINO (Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law)
Instructor of Graduate Seminar: Federal Limitations on State and Local Taxation, Comparative State and Federal Taxation, Graduate Honors Seminar: State and Local Taxation, Graduate Seminar: Current Issues State and Local Taxation, Independent Supervised Tax Topics Research, and Seminar: Introduction to State and Local Research.

DAVID STEWART CHRISTY, JR. (Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law)
Expert in international trade law; coached Law Center’s World Trade Organization Moot Court team and serves as a Senior Institute of International Economic Law Fellow.

DAVID ESTABROOK (Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law)
Expert in financial reporting and accounting, and he is an Associate Chief Accountant in the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission; supervision of investigations related to financial reporting by public companies and technical consultations with attorneys regarding accounting and auditing matters.

ANNE IMAMURA (Adjunct Professor, Sociology, Georgetown College)
Instructor of courses on Japanese Society and Family and Gender in Japan; scholar of women’s roles in Japan and the nature of family culture in the country.

JOSEPH JENSEN (Adjunct Professor, Liberal Studies, School of Continuing Studies)
Instructor in Biblical Literature and the Ancient World, Jewish-Christian Origins, Zoroastrianism, Islam and the Qur’an, the religions of India and China, Medieval Thought and Culture, and the History of Medicine.

MARK KAUPPI (Adjunct Professor, School of Foreign Service)
Scholar of terrorism, the contemporary relevance of Thucydides; instructor of Introduction to Strategic Thought and The Plague of War.

PHILIP KHINDA (Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law)
Expert in securities law, litigation; advisor to public companies, corporate boards, special committees, and financial institutions dealing with corporate crises, shareholder and derivative litigation, and government and internal investigations; instructor of courses in financial reporting and accounting, corporate governance, crisis management, securities regulation, and SEC enforcement.

RICHARD SCHROEDER (Adjunct Professor, Science, Technology, and International Affairs, School of Foreign Service)
Expert in Cold War and intelligence issues; teaches courses in technology and intelligence.