The San José State University School of Information has recognized the exceptional instruction and contributions made by faculty and staff members at the 2019 awards reception.

Dr. Michelle Chen was named Outstanding Professor for her laudable teaching, publication and presentation record, according iSchool Director Dr. Sandra Hirsh.

“She has an impressive publication record and is sought out as a speaker about big data and information visualization. In addition, Dr. Chen has greatly expanded our scholarly reputation on campus through her interactions with the SJSU Big Data research group,” she said.

For the first time since the award’s inception, the Distinguished Service Award (Faculty) was given to two instructors: Drs. Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca and Lisa Daulby, who’ve been with the iSchool since 2013 and 2009, respectively. They were found to have contributed significantly through their outstanding support for students and the differences they’re making in their disciplines.

San Nicolas-Rocca has helped develop the specialization in cybersecurity for the Master of Science in Informatics degree. She also supports women and minorities for the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education.

“She inspires women and girls to pursue careers in cybersecurity and other high-tech careers such as through the CyberGirlz Summit,” Hirsh noted.

Daulby has been an “invaluable contributor” to both the iSchool and the Master of Archives and Records Administration program by creating and teaching two “highly regarded” courses: MARA 284 Information Assurance and MARA 284 Health Information Management.

“She also served as part of an ARMA [International] membership committee to negotiate student membership fees. Lisa has also worked tirelessly as a key member of the iSchool Student Scholarships and Student and Alumni Networking Committee,” Hirsh said.

Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Purviance and Web Technologist Derek Christiansen were given the Distinguished Service Award (Staff). This marks the third time Purviance received the award. Dr. Hirsh said one nominator wrote: “Nicole is a very talented and dedicated professional. We are so lucky she works for us and not the competition!”

“Nicole is indispensable to the school as she helps us reach out to the information professional community to share important information about our school and attract new students to our programs,” Hirsh said.

2019 Faculty and Staff Awards were also given to:

• Dr. Sue Alman – Distinguished Scholar
• Dr. Mary Bolin – Outstanding Lecturer
• Debbie Faires – Outstanding Teacher
• Dr. Debra Hansen – Distinguished Service (Other/Special)
• Cynthia Nanquil (Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations) – Special Recognition
• Dr. Mary Ann Harlan – Outreach and Collaboration

Candidates are nominated by fellow faculty and staff members and by self-nomination. The 2019 faculty and staff awards reception was held February 25, 2019 at the SJSU Student Union. More information on the award criteria and past winners is available on the awards web page. Congratulations to all the faculty and staff award winners!