2022 Awards Convocation

St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Awards Convocation is a yearly event that recognizes and celebrates members of the College community who are highly accomplished and who can be considered paragons in areas that include service, leadership, teaching and academics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Mary’s College is unable to hold its yearly Awards Convocation in person. We offer through this site our St. Mary’s College congratulations to all the recipients. We hope visitors to this page will share their pride and thank these honorees for jobs well done.

Tuajuanda C. Jordan, PhD

President of St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan has served as St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s (SMCM) seventh president since July 2014. During her tenure, the Board of Trustees approved A Time for Rebirth, a new three-year strategic plan that builds on the College’s charter as Maryland’s only public honors college and the first of its kind in the nation.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland has been widely recognized for its successes. Ranked among the top 100 Kiplinger’s list of best values in public colleges (2018) and among the top 10 best public liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report (2019), SMCM continues to build upon its solid reputation for academic excellence under Dr. Jordan’s watch. Under her leadership, the College continues to analyze and assess its programming to ensure that students are provided opportunities to be engaged, productive global citizens and leaders.

Since joining the College, President Jordan has been widely recognized for her contributions to higher education and the larger community. Recently, she was named a 2018 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow in Science Education. In 2017, she was named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education by the national magazine, Diverse Issues in Higher Education. In addition to serving on numerous national panels and boards, she was recognized as a Black Leader in Education by the AFRO (2017), was named one of Fisk University’s Talented Tenth (2016), Purdue University’s Distinguished Women Scholars (2015-16), and as an Influential Marylander by the Daily Record (2015). She received an Education Excellence Award (2018) from the Southern Maryland Minority Chamber of Commerce, the Torchbearer Award (2014) from the National Coalition of Black Women, Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter and was inducted (2015) into the Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society.

Prior to SMCM, Dr. Jordan served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. While there, she helped recruit an exceptional and diverse faculty, launched a center for entrepreneurship, and developed a campus-wide system to increase student persistence and graduation rates. While an associate dean and tenured faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana, she helped establish the center for undergraduate research and creativity.

Dr. Jordan gained national prominence in the realm of science education with the creation of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance (SEA) program and the launch of its first initiative, the SEA Phage program, which engaged novice undergraduates in research in genomics and bioinformatics. This program has been implemented at more than 50 diverse institutions across the nation, impacted thousands of students and faculty, and resulted in numerous scientific and pedagogical publications.

Dr. Jordan holds a B.S. in chemistry from Fisk University and a PhD in biochemistry from Purdue University.

Faculty & Staff Awards

Homer L. Dodge Award for Outstanding Service

Established in 1985 by the late Norton T. Dodge, faculty emeritus, to recognize efforts to enhance and improve the College.

Introduced by Pamela Mertz, professor of chemistry
Presented by Nancy Dodge

Andrew Koch, professor of chemistry

Professor of Chemistry Andrew Koch has dedicated his career to the education and training of undergraduates. He introduces students to advanced synthetic techniques and modern spectroscopy. He teaches undergraduates to be independent researchers, while exposing them to developing fields within chemistry and building an appreciation for the chemist’s role in solving problems. His work has received external funding, and many of his students have presented their findings at national and regional conferences.

The Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member

Established in 2003 by the late Norton T. Dodge, faculty emeritus, to recognize excellence in teaching.

Presented by Nancy Dodge

Ayse Ikizler, assistant professor of psychology

Assistant Professor of Psychology Ayse Ikizler focuses her research on the link between various forms of oppressive experiences and mental health outcomes among marginalized groups, as well as issues pertaining to intersectionality. She earned a PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.

Norton T. Dodge Awardee for Scholarly and Creative Achievement by a Junior Faculty member

Created in 2003 by Don Stabile to recognize excellence in teaching.

Presented by Nancy Dodge

Tristan Cai, assistant professor of photography

Assistant Professor of Photography Tristan Cai earned his master of fine arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. For his multidisciplinary art, Cai has received the San Francisco Art Institute MFA Fellowship Award, the Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Award, as well as the Arts Bursary Award from the National Arts Council of Singapore. His works have been exhibited across the globe.

Jordan Teaching Exemplar Award

Established in 2017 to recognize members of the St. Mary’s College community who exhibit exemplary teaching within or beyond the traditional classroom of the College.

Presented by Tuajuanda Jordan, president

Crystal Oliver, lecturer of English

Crystal Oliver is a lecturer of English and co-director of the Chesapeake Writers’ Conference. A poet and songwriter, Oliver earned her master of fine arts degree in poetry from Brooklyn College. She is a published writer and musician.

The Andy Kozak Faculty Contribution to Student Life Award

Established in 2011 by Don Stabile to recognize faculty members who are active participants in the student life of the College.

Crystal Oliver, lecturer of English

Joe Carroll Memorial Staff Award

Established in 2012 by the Staff Senate through contributions from the College community to recognize nonexempt staff who dedicate themselves through exceptional integrity and service.

Presented by Melissa Golowski

Cheryl Duncan, caretaker I

Cheryl Duncan joined the College’s housekeeping staff in 2019. She was born in Washington, D.C. but grew up in Maryland, Duncan raised three adopted children who are now adults and fostered others. She was named Foster Parent of the Year by the Maryland Dept. of Social Services in 1998. The following year, then-Governor Parris Glendening awarded Duncan with the Opening Your Hearts and Homes to Foster Children Award. She does intercessory prayer each week for those in need.

St. Mary's Award

Established in 2017 by President Jordan and present to an individual or group whose actions and deeds epitomize the St. Mary's Way.

Presented by Tuajuanda Jordan, president