New inductees into the academies of Faculty Service and Leadership named
Four faculty members have been newly appointed to the academies of Faculty Service and Leadership at Virginia Tech.
The Academy of Faculty Service recognizes exceptional service to the university beyond a faculty member’s usual responsibilities.
The Academy of Faculty Leadership, new this year, recognizes exceptional leadership within the university, either within or beyond a faculty member’s usual responsibilities.
For both academies, instructional, research, administrative, and professional faculty members are eligible for inclusion.
One faculty member received an appointment to the Academy of Faculty Service:
- Marlene Preston, associate professor and assistant department head of communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Preston has earned recognition for her service to projects with clear and far-reaching university-wide impact, such as work on the general education curriculum revision, the Common Book Committee, and assessment initiatives.
Three faculty members received an appointment to the Academy of Faculty Leadership:
- Kathryn Albright, professor of architecture in the School of Architecture + Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Albright has earned recognition for her leadership of the college’s First-Year Experience program as well as key initiatives related to student advancement and faculty engagement in the college and across the university.
- Matthew Gabriele, associate professor of religion and culture in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and principal of the Residential College at Ambler Johnston. Gabriele has earned recognition for his leadership across a variety of activities and programs impacting students, faculty, and staff within and beyond his department that have created measurable cultural change at the university.
- John McDowell, professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and associate scientific director at the Fralin Life Science Institute. McDowell has earned recognition for his leadership in various roles and programs, including interdisciplinary graduate education, department leadership, and multidisciplinary research projects.
The academies are structured to parallel the academies of Teaching Excellence and Outreach Excellence, and members are called upon for representative service to university committees.
A call for nominations to the academies is typically issued each year in September and recommendations are due in mid-November. An announcement is made through Virginia Tech News. This year’s nomination process was delayed until spring in anticipation of the formation of the Academy of Faculty Leadership, which worked through university governance in the fall.
