A Word From the VP
Dear Colleagues,
The very best part of my position as Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement is learning about and celebrating the great work of the faculty. This issue of Faculty Matters highlights faculty achievements over the last six months. Included in this issue are the names of colleagues who were promoted and tenured this year, those who were awarded by their peers at FSU, and those who received major honorific awards for their excellent work in teaching, research, service, and leadership.
I am happy that my last turn as editor of Faculty Matters is the issue filled with good news about our amazing faculty. The next issue of this newsletter will come from my successor, Dr. Jeanette Taylor. Jeanette begins her tenure as VP on June 2nd. Although new to the position, she is not new to FSU. Jeanette started her career here as an Assistant Professor in 2000. She rose through the ranks of Associate and Full Professor and served in several leadership roles (Department Chair, Associate Dean) before accepting a position as Vice Provost at the University of Georgia in 2023. I am delighted that we successfully recruited her back to FSU. I have no doubt that she will excel in her new position.
It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the VP for Faculty Development and Advancement for the past 10 years. Welcoming new faculty at orientation and celebrating their successes over the years has been a joy. What attracted me to FSU back in 1980 and kept me here for 45 years is wonderful colleagues and opportunities for continued growth and advancement. I benefited from the support and mentorship of colleagues and leaders, and I want the same to be true for all our faculty. Fostering collegiality and opportunities for professional growth remain the top priorities of the OFDA.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for everything you do for our students and the university. This year, particularly last semester, has presented significant challenges. I am deeply appreciative of your support for our students and one another. Your efforts have been exemplary. Additionally, I would like to extend my thanks to my esteemed colleagues in the OFDA for their ongoing dedication to supporting faculty. It is reassuring to know that I am leaving this office in excellent hands.
I hope that you are making some time to rest and enjoy time with loved ones this summer. I know that many of you will also be involved in research, writing, teaching, and other professional activities during the summer months, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Janet Kistner
Professor of Psychology
Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement
Faculty Celebrations
Promotions and Tenure Awarded
Congratulations to our outstanding faculty earning Tenure and/or promotions to Associate or Full Professor. We are grateful for all you bring to life at FSU.
Specialized Faculty Promotions Awarded
FSU faculty specializing in teaching or research, clinical practice, as well as University Librarians, were awarded with promotions this spring. Congratulations and thank you for all your contributions to the FSU community.
Congratulations to those recognized nationally for excellence.
FSU faculty achieve at all levels. They are recognized by their campus peers and students for excellence, and they are recognized by national organizations as a leader in the field. Please take time to congratulate your colleagues on the following outstanding recognitions.
Fulbright Scholar Awards
- Kristin Dowell, Art History
- Mai Kung, Nursing
- Anke Meyer-Baese, Scientific Computing
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
- Tarez Graban
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists
- Jenny Root, Education
Guggenheim Fellow
- Gwen Welliver
National Academy of Inventors
- Longya Xu
- Helen Li
Getty Residential Scholar
- Andrea DeGiorgi
Keats-Shelley Association of America Distinguished Scholar Award
- Judith Pascoe
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
- Eugenia Millender
Krell Institute
James Corones Award in Leadership, Community Building and Communication
- Kenneth Hanson
Southeast Division of the American Physical Society (SESAPS)
James W. Beams Award
- Laura Reina
American Physical Society (APS)
Herbert P. Broida Award
- Lucio Frydman
Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellow
- Will Hanley
FSU Faculty Are Lauded by their Peers
It matters that one’s peers recognize excellence. Sometimes the hardest place to get noticed is at home. FSU has a long tradition of celebrating outstanding performance as teachers, mentors, and scholars. The colleagues listed below were selected by their peers for three of the highest awards offered at FSU. Offer them your congratulations.
In fall, we will have more to celebrate. Stay tuned for the announcement of University Teaching awards, University Mentoring awards, and the Ralph Stair Prize in Innovative Education.
Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor
- Pamela Keel
Distinguished University Scholars
- Xiaobiao Xu
- Jan Jaroszynski
Distinguished Research Professors
- Matthew Goff
- Qing-Xiang Sang
- Antonio Terracciano
Faculty Support
“Writing is an exploration, you start from nothing, and learn as you go”
– EL Doctorow
Virtual Writing Accountability Sessions
FSU faculty are writing this summer and some are using the Virtual Writing Accountability Sessions to keep them motivated. This virtual writing space is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. You may enter and leave the virtual space when it fits your schedule. We ask that you insert in the chat what your writing goals are for the session and let us know what you accomplished before you leave. We write with our cameras off and our microphones on silent. We do communicate by chat.
The summer session will run May 12 - June 27. Register here. There will be no virtual writing in July. We will start Fall Virtual Writing on August 4.
In-Person Writing Intensive
This summer FSU will also host an in-person Faculty Writing Intensive. We will meet from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. June 23 - 27 in the Pitch Room (112) of the Innovation Hub. Faculty must provide their own laptop and/or other writing tools. Beverages and snacks, camaraderie and accountability will be abundantly available. Register by June 19, please.
The FSU Community
Milton S. Carothers Faculty Lecture Series – SAVE THE DATE!
The Milton S. Carothers Faculty Lecture Series is the longest running, regularly occurring, interdisciplinary lecture series at Florida State University. Established in 1981 by the Rev. Carothers at the Presbyterian University Center (Westminster House), the series transitioned from the Faculty Luncheon Series to the Carothers Lecture Series in 2021 with an increased focus on interdisciplinary faculty research, community, and outreach. If you missed a presentation this year, you may watch them here: youtube.com/@fsufaculty/videos
But don’t miss any in AY2025-26. The schedule is below.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Sabrina Dickey, Associate Professor, College of Nursing
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 -- Crossover Event with FSU Discovery Days!
Jayur Mehta, Associate Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 -- Crossover Event with the Festival of the Creative Arts! In Conversation
Aimee Boutin, Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences
Meaghan McSorley, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Lara Perez-Felkner, Professor of Higher Education and Sociology, Anne's College
Native American and Indigenous Studies Center
FSU faculty and students continue to learn from and with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Check out this good work Floridians are doing together: nais.fsu.edu
Faculty Senate
Thank you to Bridgett Birmingham for her service as FSU Faculty Senate President, 2023-2025.
Welcome to Roxanne Hughes, the new Faculty Senate President for 2025-2027. We appreciate your commitment to faculty governance.