CCAS Faculty & Staff Recognition
The faculty and staff of the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS) are the backbone of the college’s learning and research mission. CCAS students thrive thanks to the depth and breadth of our faculty expertise and the operational and professional guidance of our staff.
Every year, CCAS leadership recognizes the exceptional work of the CCAS team through awards and other forms of recognition, as outlined on this page. Congratulations!
CCAS Staff Excellence Award
Every year, CCAS recognizes a staff member who has gone above and beyond their assigned duties to ensure that students, faculty and staff colleagues enjoy a positive experience in the college. The award recognizes achievements in job performance, service to students and colleagues, dedication to the department, and/or outstanding contributions, problem-solving or willingness to take on new or challenging tasks.
2026 Recipient:
Jack McGuire
Senior Studio Engineer, School of Media and Public Affairs
- Past Staff Awardees
- 2025: Candace Sumner-Robinson, Director, Undergraduate Academic Advising
- 2024: Anna Marie Siegel, Senior Associate Director of Graduate Student Services
- 2023: Tiara Jenkins, Academic Department Lab Coordinator, Department of Anthropology
- 2022: Trey Johnston, Associate Director, Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute
Note: Formerly named the CCAS Staff Appreciation Award until 2026.
The Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses
The Kenny Prize is awarded annually to a CCAS faculty member who has shown innovation, creativity, and originality in teaching an introductory course in the Arts and Sciences. The recipient, who is among the most talented of our teachers, teaches an introductory or basic course during the academic year in a novel and innovative way. Professors receiving this award have encouraged their students to think differently, allowing them to take advantage of their academic experience. The Kenny Prize honors former Dean Robert Kenny and his special dedication to stimulating experiences for GW students and his emphasis on the importance of introductory courses as students undertake their studies in the liberal arts and sciences.
2026 Recipient:
Sharon Roosevelt
Teaching Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Past Kenny Prize Awardees
- 2025: Nabila Hijazi, Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing; Brad Marshall, Teaching Professor of French
- 2024: Nicole Bartels, Teaching Assistant Professor of Political Science; Danika Myers, Teaching Assistant Professor of Writing
- 2023: Michelle Kelso, Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Affairs; Director, Human Services and Social Justice Program
- 2022: Phillip Troutman, Affiliated Faculty, Director of Writing in the Disciplines; Sara Matthiesen, Associate Professor of History and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Xiaoke Zhang, Associate Professor of Statistics (Honorable Mention)
The Columbian Prize for Teaching and Mentoring Advanced Undergraduate Students
The Columbian Prize is awarded annually to a regular, full- time CCAS faculty member who demonstrates excellence in the teaching and mentoring of advanced undergraduate students. With this prize, CCAS recognizes exceptional achievement in one or more of the following areas of work: teaching an advanced undergraduate course, advising students, directing undergraduate research, designing a capstone experience, or mentoring students who achieve departmental honors and other distinctions.
2026 Recipient:
Anna Kimmel
Assistant Professor of Dance, Director of Undergraduate Studies; Undergraduate Faculty Advisor; Affiliate Faculty of the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service
- Past Columbian Prize Awardees
- 2025: Eric Grynaviski, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Joel B. Lewis, Professor of Mathematics
- 2024: Jameta Barlow, Assistant Director of Writing, Health Policy and Management, and WGSS; Axel Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Physics
- 2023: Hosam M. Mahmoud, Professor of Statistics
- 2022: Randi Gray Kristensen, Assistant Professor of Writing
The Award for Excellence in Graduate Faculty Mentoring
The Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award is given annually to a faculty member nominated by CCAS graduate student. Mentoring and advising are crucial to the intellectual life and career trajectories of graduate students across the arts, sciences and professions. A good mentor is a source of wisdom and expertise, an inspiring role model, a compassionate critic, a sounding board, an advocate and a career counselor.
2026 Recipient:
Michele Carlson
Program Head of Studio Arts, and Associate Professor, Printmaking, at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design
- Past Graduate Faculty Mentor Awardees
- 2025: Desmond Goss, Assistant Professor of Sociology
- 2024: Suse Anderson, Associate Professor of Museum Studies
- 2023: Fran Buntman, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
- 2022: Kavita Daiya, Associate Dean of Academic Innovation; Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
The Award for Excellence in the Mentoring of Doctoral Students
This award is given annually to a faculty member nominated by students in the PhD and PsyD programs of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Mentoring and advising are crucial to the intellectual life and career trajectories of doctoral students across the arts, sciences and professions. A good mentor is a source of wisdom and expertise, an inspiring role model, a compassionate critic, a sounding board, an advocate and a career counselor.
2026 Recipient:
Jisoo M. Kim
Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures
- Past Doctoral Mentor Awardees
- 2025: Holly Dugan, Associate Professor of English
- 2024: Ellen Yeung, Assistant Professor of Applied Social Psychology
- 2023: Ilana Feldman, Professor of Anthropology, History, and International Affairs
- 2022: Sandy Kawano, Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Cynthia Deitch DEI Faculty Trailblazer Award
The CCAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Faculty Award was established to honor the legacy of Dr. Cynthia Deitch, a dedicated trailblazer in the Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program who championed DEI. Nominees demonstrate their commitment to DEI through their research, publications, presentations, community service, campus engagement and leadership roles.
2026 Recipients:
Assistant Professor of Sociology; Co-Director of Law & Society Program
Clinical Assistant Professor, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
- Past DEI Faculty Trailblazer Award Recipients
- 2025: Richard Grinker, Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs
- 2024: Valentina Harizanov, Professor of Mathematics
CCAS DEI Staff Trailblazer Award
The CCAS DEI Staff Award was established to honor the legacy of Dr. Cynthia Deitch, a dedicated trailblazer in the Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program who championed DEI. Nominees demonstrate their commitment to DEI through their research, publications, presentations, community service, campus engagement and leadership roles.
2026 Recipient:
Trey Johnston
Associate Director, Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute
- Past DEI Staff Trailblazer Awardees
- 2025: Niacka Carty, Academic Department Lab Coordinator, Department of Anthropology
- 2024: Tiara Jenkins, Academic Department Lab Coordinator, Department of Anthropology
Additional Accolades
Getting Press
CCAS faculty and alumni are frequently featured in major press outlets through expert interviews, authored articles and op-eds, and other media citations.
Noteworthy
Noteworthy is a monthly compilation of accolades, awards and other noteworthy achievements by the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences community.
Faculty Books
From academic texts to award-winning popular titles, CCAS faculty members publish dozens of thought-provoking and timely books every year.
GW Faculty Honors
GW's Office of Faculty Affairs annually recognizes faculty with awards for excellence in teaching, research and service.