Distinguished Faculty Awards

Campus News

Campus News

Distinguished
Faculty Awards

Each year, Framingham State University honors outstanding faculty accomplishment in areas that are central to the mission of the University — Excellence in Teaching, in Scholarship, in Advising and in Service. In addition, we also recognize the important work of a visiting faculty member from each college. Below are the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Award Honorees.

Distinguished Faculty

Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Dawn
Vreven

Psychology and Philosophy

Dr. Dawn Vreven has broad research interests in visual perception, cognition and neuropsychology. At FSU, she is the faculty advisor to the Psi Chi International Honor Society, teaches several undergraduate courses and serves as the coordinator and advisor to the Continuing Education Psychology Program. Dr. Vreven believes that one of the most important contributions she makes to students is her emphasis on experimental research and her supervision of semester-long projects in all of her upper-level courses.

Excellence in Scholarship

Dr. Folashadé
Solomon

Education

Dr. Folashadé Solomon’s teaching and research focus on learning, identity and exploring the connections between the arts and STEM. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a multi-site, interdisciplinary, National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project exploring the Embodied Physics Learning Lab model and its implications for the learning, engagement and identity development of Black and Latinx youth.

Excellence in Advising

Dr. Michael
Harrison

Marketing

Dr. Michael Harrison is the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) for Framingham State University and the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), where he works closely with Athletics to ensure academic success and the health and well-being of student athletes. Students and faculty alike appreciate Dr. Harrison’s open-door policy in his office, which goes hand-in-hand with his diligence in following up with students who may need extra assistance in creating a suitable course plan.

Excellence in Service

Dr. Cara Pina

Biology

Dr. Cara Pina has worked tirelessly to uphold the University’s commitment to anti-racism. In her courses, she implements alternative grading methods and flexible deadlines to achieve more equitable outcomes that increase academic success for students of marginalized identities, such as BIPOC students and/or first-generation college students. Despite these methods being more time consuming and labor intensive for the instructor, Dr. Pina is happy to do this given her dedication to student success.

Distinguished Visiting Faculty

College of Arts & Humanities

Ms. Elizabeth
Banks

English

Ms. Elizabeth (Liz) Banks has been a Visiting Lecturer at Framingham State University since 1998 and is a retired journalist with 30 years of experience as a reporter and editor. Since 2015, she has served as the assistant faculty advisor to The Gatepost, Framingham State’s award-winning student newspaper. She willingly dedicates up to four hours each week to advising the students on sound journalistic practices, and is available to offer feedback early each Thursday layout night as well as during the weekly staff and editorial board meetings.

College of Business

Mr. Peter
Moynihan

Management and Business IT

Mr. Peter Moynihan has been teaching within the Department of Management and Business IT for nearly a decade, establishing himself over those years as an outstanding professor dedicated to student success. He brings his rich corporate experience into the classroom, providing exceptional guidance that prepares students for real-world challenges. His exceptional ability to connect with students is reflected in the consistently outstanding feedback he receives.

College of Education and
Social & Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Anne Roberti

Education and DGCE

Dr. Anne Roberti is the Executive Director of the English Language Programs and Community Education at FSU, which provides classes for beginning to advanced learners to help students improve their English language skills and prepare for further university study in the United States. She also oversees the Lifelong Learning Lecture Series, and is the Program Coordinator of the MEd in Teaching English as a Second Language. Dr. Roberti also is a part-time Visiting Lecturer and teaches the TESL 910 Sheltered English Immersion course at the PBTL/graduate level.

College of STEM

Dr. Santosha
Adhibhatta

Environment, Society
and Sustainability

Dr. Santosha Adhibhatta has taught in the Department of the Environment, Society and Sustainability for two years. She is particularly interested in adopting novel methods of teaching both in the lecture and the laboratory, which makes Physics and Engineering fun and informative. Dr. Adhibhatta’s pedagogy shows strategic planning, an operational plan consistent with actualizing that plan and thoughtful tactical use of appropriate technologies and assignments to help all students learn.