For more than half a century at California State University, Los Angeles, some of the most gifted and honored educators in the nation have given students the benefit of their expertise and wisdom. Undergraduates and graduate students pursuing degrees have been guided in their specific disciplines while learning critical thinking skills from the prominent scientists, scholars, and artists who teach at Cal State LA.
Faculty at Cal State LA involve students in their research projects in a way rarely found at the private and larger public universities. Whether in the laboratory, the dance studio, or the elementary school classroom, whether collecting data for surveys or gathering oral histories in the community, students have been able to work side by side with these experts, among the most honored professors in the California State University system.
We take this opportunity to recognize the excellence of all Cal State LA faculty members and salute those who have been especially honored by the University and the CSU over the years.
The Outstanding Professor Awards recognize full time faculty who demonstrate exceptional excellence in teaching while making significant contributions in scholarship or creative activity, professional achievement, and service to the University and the broader community. Established by the Academic Senate in 1963, these awards honor faculty whose work exemplifies the highest standards of academic excellence.
The Outstanding Lecturer Award recognizes one non tenure track faculty member each year for outstanding teaching effectiveness and meaningful service to the Cal State LA campus community. The award celebrates excellence in instruction, student success, scholarship or creative activity, and contributions that enhance the University.
The President's Distinguished Professor Award is the University's highest faculty honor. It is presented to a previous Outstanding Professor Award recipient who has continued to demonstrate sustained excellence in teaching, scholarship or creative activity, professional achievement, and service, reflecting a distinguished record of leadership and lasting impact on the University community.
Award Recipients
Listed here are recipients of Cal State LA's Outstanding Professor Award (OPA) and Outstanding Lecturer Award, as well as those professors who have received the CSU Trustees OPA, the CSU/Cal State LA OPA and the President's Distinguished Professor Award. They have written major books and textbooks, led internationally honored research projects, or served on national committees or as editors of significant journals in their fields. All have been active on the many committees that exist at the University. But first and foremost, they are outstanding teachers, honored for their devotion to students and to the communication of knowledge. Because of them, we can approach the next century with confidence in our University's mission to provide excellence in education.
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Devika Hazra (Economics and Statistics)
Eun-Young (Elaine) Kang (Computer Science)
Rupa Purasinghe (Civil Engineering)
Patrick Sharp (Liberal Studies)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Dinur Blum (Sociology)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
David Blekhman (Technology)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Cheryl Kamei-Hannan (Special Education and Counseling)
Alejandra Marchevsky (Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
Gustavo Menezes (Civil Engineering)
Gabriela Simon-Cereijido (Communication Disorders)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Sharri Kornblum (Mathematics)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Nanda Ganesan (Information Systems)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
John C. Bachman (Mechanical Engineering)
Mitchell Eisen (Psychology)
James Ford III (Music)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Dmitri Seals (Sociology)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Howard Xu (Biological Sciences)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
David Blekhman (Technology)
Michael Calabrese (English)
Sara Carina Graef (Music)
Siyon Rhee (Social Work)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Brenda Naimy (Special Education)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Stephen McGuire (Management)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Krishna Foster (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Simona Montanari (Child and Family Studies)
Katherine Roberts (Criminal Justice and Criminalistics)
Walter Zelman (Public Health)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Nikola Alenkin (Social Work)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Choi Chatterjee (History)
John M. Kennedy (Music)
No campus awards
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Mark Balaguer (Philosophy)
Heidi Riggio (Psychology)
Deborah Won (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Howard Xu (Biological Sciences)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Jessica Bodoh-Creed (Anthropology)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Sachiko Matsunaga (Modern Languages and Literatures)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Nana Lawson Bush, V (Applied and Advanced Studies in Education/Pan-African Studies)
Ray de Leon (Kinesiology and Nutritional Science)
Dionne Espinoza (Liberal Studies)
ChorSwang Ngin (Anthropology)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Howard Lum (Civil Engineering)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Daphne Liu (Mathematics)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Talia Mae Bettcher (Philosophy)
Nanda Ganesan (Information Systems)
Patrick J. Krug (Biological Sciences)
Arturo Pacheco-Vega (Mechanical Engineering)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Jay Conway (Philosophy)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Sharon H. Ulanoff (Curriculum and Instruction)
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS
Oscar Bernal (Physics and Astronomy)
Meredith Greenburg (Music, Theatre and Dance)
Mark Tufenkjian (Civil Engineering)
Angela Vergara (History)
OUTSTANDING LECTURER
Kamran Afary (Communication Studies)
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
José Cruz González (Music)