{"id":280134,"date":"2026-09-06T06:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T06:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/280134\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T06:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T06:28:11","slug":"people-on-the-move-sept-6-2026-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/280134\/","title":{"rendered":"People on the Move, Sept. 6, 2026 \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Scranton
\n\"Cocieru,Cocieru, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"KateKate Cummings, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"AnnAnn Cummings, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"Fetherman,Fetherman, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"Galen,Galen, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"Larsen,Larsen, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"Venezia,Venezia, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)
\n\"Wardach,Wardach, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED)<\/p>\n

The university presented nine Provost\u2019s Faculty Enhancement Awards at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, honoring the efforts of faculty who strive for and achieve distinction and excellence in their work.<\/p>\n

Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., associate professor of management, received the Award for Transformative Teaching and Learning. Cocieru\u2019s Classroom-as-Organization (CAO) approach is a research-based model in which students live organizational life rather than simulating it. For instance, his students in MGT 430 plan and execute Scranton SoccerFest every spring. Cocieru\u2019s instruction strengthens student engagement and awards real authority to students. He has authored six peer-reviewed publications on CAO pedagogy, establishing him as a national authority on the subject.<\/p>\n

Kate Cummings, assistant professor and research and instruction librarian for the university\u2019s Weinberg Memorial Library, received the Beloved Community Faculty Enhancement Award. Cummings\u2019 leadership in promoting intellectual freedom and equitable access to knowledge has earned widespread recognition. In 2025, she was elected as the Pennsylvania Library Association\u2019s vice president and president-elect, a three-year commitment that will culminate in her leading the state\u2019s library association.<\/p>\n

Ann \u201cNancy\u201d Cummings, management and marketing faculty specialist, received the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award. The award recognizes a faculty member\u2019s dedication to teaching graduate students in an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. Last year\u2019s award winner, Wesam Alramadeen, assistant professor of operations and analytics, presented the award to Cummings.<\/p>\n

Debra Fetherman, Ph.D., professor and chair of health and human performance, received the Magis Award. Fetherman\u2019s leadership as Community-Based Learning\u2019s (CBL) faculty coordinator has exemplified Ignatian values and prepared students to lead lives of purpose and service. She has led faculty workshops, supported colleagues in integrating CBL into their courses and secured grant funding. She also plays a central role in the Leahy College of Health Sciences\u2019 Tapestry program, which introduces first-year students to Jesuit values to guide seniors to discern how those values will shape their professional lives.<\/p>\n

Spencer Galen, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, and Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor and chair of theology and religious studies, received the Award for Research and Scholarly Practice. Galen\u2019s prolific research record includes 14 articles and a book chapter in an open-source textbook. He has also generated significant external funding and his work has been cited hundreds of times. Shapiro\u2019s decades of leadership in Judaic Studies at Scranton has elevated the university\u2019s international reputation and connections within worldwide Jewish communities. He is the author of nine books \u2014 with Nos. 10 and 11 in progress \u2014 and his most recent book about Rav Kook was a finalist for the prestigious Rabbi Sacks Book Prize.<\/p>\n

Rich Larsen, professor of English and theater, received the Laudato Si\u2019 Award. Larsen has demonstrated decades of sustainable theater practices, including innovative material reuse and eco-conscious design, long before sustainability became an institutional priority. His scenic design for a recent musical production used an estimated just $400 in new materials, with the rest assembled entirely from stock and donated and reclaimed items, demonstrating how the arts can model creative stewardship of the natural world.<\/p>\n

Andrew Venezia, Ph.D., associate professor of health and human performance, earned the Award for Academic Leadership and Institutional Stewardship. Venezia\u2019s extensive service across more than 10 committees, including key chair roles, fosters collaboration, transparency and institutional strength while advancing faculty engagement and academic excellence throughout the university. As Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee chair alone, he convenes weekly meetings and works daily with various dean\u2019s offices, the registrar, the provost and faculty from all three colleges.<\/p>\n

The Department of Counseling and Human Services received the Award for Assessment and Educational Effectiveness. Across their five degree programs, CHS faculty members commit themselves to helping their graduates become competent practitioners who are genuinely prepared to care for those they serve. The department assesses its students through transparent and rigorous practices and while using a continuous feedback model that drives student and programmatic success, building a culture of assessment that benefits the entire university and its people.<\/p>\n

The Department of Crime, Justice and Security received the Award for Mission-Driven Innovation and Partnerships. The department\u2019s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime engages students with community partners to address real-world challenges while advancing justice, public safety and transformative student learning. Partner organizations include the Scranton Police Department, the Lackawanna County district attorney\u2019s office and the Office of Youth and Family Services, among others. The department also runs an annual cyber camp in the summer, providing training to high school students.<\/p>\n

The National Association of Scientific Materials Managers (NAOSMM) recently awarded one of its highest honors to Deborah Wardach, laboratory supervisor in the university\u2019s Department of Biology.<\/p>\n

Wardach received the 2026 Lamar Houston Service Award at the 53rd annual NAOSMM Conference and Trade Show in Wichita, Kansas.<\/p>\n

The award, named for the organization\u2019s founder, recognizes exceptional dedication, leadership, volunteerism and long-term commitment that contributes to the NAOSMM\u2019s success and growth.<\/p>\n

Wardach has been an NAOSMM member since 2008. She contributed extensively on the awards, finance, hospitality and technology committees and spent six years on the organization\u2019s board. She served as treasurer beginning in 2019 before continuing in the organization\u2019s newly established past treasurer role.<\/p>\n

Throughout her varied service, Wardach has strengthened the NAOSMM\u2019s financial operations while also playing a key role in documenting institutional knowledge and creating a framework for continuity at the leadership level.<\/p>\n

Wardach was hired at the University of Scranton in 2022. In her role, she supports teaching and research activities in the Biology Department while advancing the scientific materials management profession.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University of Scranton Cocieru, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED) Kate Cummings, University of Scranton (SUBMITTED) Ann Cummings, University of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280135,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[60,201,182,803,28,231,178,180,179],"class_list":["post-280134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-business","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-pennsylvania","tag-schuylkill-county","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}