Employees receive Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

Three faculty members and one staff member at Alfred State College were honored recently with Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Classified Service, Teaching, and Faculty Service.

Two professors, William Dean and Dr. Matthew Lawrence, each received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, while Debra Burch was honored with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, and Beth Weber was presented with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.

Dean, a professor in the Architecture and Design Department, carries his enthusiasm well beyond the boundaries of the classroom and studio. He led the successful Solar Decathlon Competition team in 2015.

Dean also serves as faculty adviser to the Alfred State Design-Build Institute of America team and involves his students in a number of exciting experiences both within the college and across the region. He is an active member of the American Institute of Architects, the Building Technology Educators Society, the Design-Build Institute of America, and the Community Design Center of Rochester.

In addition to his responsibilities as a professor and chair of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology Department, Lawrence serves as faculty adviser to the student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the Alfred State College Innovation Award for his work with students on an innovative electric vehicle project, and has been recognized by his peers through conference participation and publications.

Lawrence’s strong connections within the industry and his achievements in obtaining grant support for projects directly benefit his students. Also, his service as department chair gives him the opportunity to share his vision and best practices to accelerate the teaching effectiveness of new faculty.

Burch, an associate professor and chair of the Culinary Arts Department, involves many of her students with service experiences where they learn valuable skills related to the culinary arts program, while also participating in once-in-a-lifetime civic engagement activities. These experiences include volunteer work for the area RidgeWalk for Cancer, the SPCA, and other not-for-profit organizations.

Additionally, Burch’s relationship with New York and Pennsylvania veterans’ organizations provides hands-on experience that cannot be duplicated in a classroom. Her tenure as department chair has emphasized increased outreach to secondary schools and directing cutting-edge changes in curriculum.

Weber, a secretary in the Admissions Office, consistently demonstrates excellence within her position, routinely displays creativity and flexibility in handling various situations, and provides excellent customer service to potential students, family members, school counselors, and on-campus individuals.

Weber serves as application processing secretary, supervises work-study students, provides training to new admissions counselors and office secretaries, and is flexible in temporarily taking on additional responsibility during times of staff turnover. Also worth noting is the major role Weber played in the office implementing a paperless application processing system, ImageNow, which she now manages.