Each spring, except in 2022, the San José State University School of Information recognizes its faculty and staff members with special awards for their achievements in several different areas. During the quarterly faculty retreat held in May, iSchool Director Anthony Chow announced the 2023 award recipients.

Dr. Kristen Rebmann has been named iSchool Outstanding Professor. This award is given to a professor that demonstrates “overall excellence in her or his academic assignment.” Rebmann joined the iSchool in 2007 after completing a Ph.D. in Communication from University of California, San Diego.

The iSchool Outstanding Lecturer Award is given to a lecturer who demonstrates “teaching excellence, commitment to students, scholarship, and contribution to the iSchool mission.” This year’s recipient is Alison Johnson, who teaches courses in the ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science program.

Dr. Norm Mooradian, assistant professor, is the recipient of the iSchool Outstanding Teacher Award. The award is given to “recognize a full-time or part-time faculty member who consistently receives high recognition from students based on the quality of excellence in teaching.” Mooradian’s research and teaching interests connect concepts from applied ethics, epistemology and ontology to the information sciences.

The award for iSchool Outreach and Collaboration is given to a faculty member who provides “outstanding contributions to developing external relationships that benefit the iSchool’s teaching, learning, and research community.” Dr. Ulia Gosart was chosen as this year’s recipient. Gosart joined the iSchool in 2022 as an assistant professor and has organized two online symposia on Ukraine libraries during the Russia/Ukraine war.

The iSchool Research Excellence Award went to Dr. Souvick Ghosh. He is an assistant professor and the director of the ICAAN Lab, which examines “areas of information and data sciences from a socio-technical viewpoint.” Ghosh also previously served as coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Data Analytics program.

Dr. Darra Hofman is the winner of the iSchool Distinguished Scholar Award. Hofman serves as the coordinator of the Master of Archives and Records Administration program, as well as teaches courses in the MLIS program.

Two Distinguished Service awards were given this year: one for a faculty member and one for a staff member. The iSchool Distinguished Service Award for faculty went to Dr. Sue Alman. Alman is a lecturer whose areas of specialization include blockchain, asynchronous learning, and strategic planning. She also is the coordinator for the Gateway PhD program. The iSchool Distinguished Service award for staff is given to a staff member who “must have a consistent record of service and have had a significant effect on the iSchool or broader communities.” Kristina Luna is this year’s winner. Luna is a repeat winner, previously receiving the award in 2021 and 2014.

Chow presented two new awards this year. The Teaching Excellence Award and the Staff Excellence Award, whose winners were nominated by students. This year’s iSchool Teaching Excellence Award went to Dr. Michael Stephens. Well-known for his The Hyperlinked Library: Emerging Trends, Emerging Technologies course, Stephens has been with the iSchool since 2017. Taryn Reiner, student support specialist, received the Staff Excellence Award. Reiner joined the Student Services Team in 2021. Reiner advises graduate students enrolled in the fully online master’s degree and certificate programs and supports students who are experiencing academic difficulties.