From BGSU OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
The Bowling Green State University trustees honored three of BGSU’s most accomplished faculty members who are making important contributions in the realms of water quality, democratic citizenship and preparing the next generation of teachers. The title of Distinguished Research Professor was conferred upon Dr. George Bullerjahn, professor of research excellence in biological sciences, and Dr. Albert Dzur, professor of political science. Named Distinguished Teaching Professor was Dr. Rachel Vannatta, a professor in the School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy and co-director of the Center of Assessment and Evaluation Service. Each will be recognized again at the annual Faculty Excellence Awards April 16.
“Our faculty continue to stand out in their commitment to serving the public good in their respective fields,” said President Rodney Rogers. “Their scholarship creates important new knowledge, and they are tremendous teachers and role models for our students.”
Rachel Vannatta
Vannatta joined the School of Educational Foundations and Inquiry (EDFI) in 1998, with a passion for the integration of technology in teaching at all levels of education. Now in EFLP, she teaches graduate courses in statistics, research and assessment — courses that can prove daunting to students, especially those who have not worked with those topics in some time. She teaches face-to-face, blended and online courses, bringing the same commitment to all, said her supporters.
“What is clear when you engage with her about teaching is that her top priority is for her students to engage with her content in a meaningful way, not an easy task when teaching research methods and statistics that easily intimidate some students,” wrote nominator Dr. Chris Willis, program coordinator for the Leadership Studies doctoral program. But, he said, “she knows there is a doorway that each student can enter to access and engage with her content, and she is willing to try every way imaginable to help students find the door that works for them.”
She has been a member and leader of the College of Education and Human Development’s Faculty Innovation Committee, and also serves as program coordinator for EDFI as well as and co-director of the Center of Assessment and Evaluation Service.
Vannatta is “professional, efficient, caring, sincere and ultimately successful,” wrote Dr. Patrick Pauken, professor and director of EFLP, in his letter of support. “Expert methodologists and dissertation advisors are, literally, interested in everything. Dr. Vannatta takes the students’ ideas and helps to put research frames around them without ever restraining the passion and joy the students have.”
In addition to her teaching excellence, Vannatta has published 18 peer-reviewed articles, five peer-reviewed book chapters and 38 peer-reviewed proceedings, primarily on the topic of teacher integration and use of technology. She has been a participant in over $4 million in externally funded grants during her time at BGSU.
George Bullerjahn
Bullerjahn, Bowling Green State University professor of research excellence in biological sciences, has been a pioneer in exploring the causes of toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and beyond. In recognition of his stature as a scientist and as a faculty member, the BGSU Board of Trustees awarded him the title of Distinguished Research Professor at the Feb. 22 meeting.
Bullerjahn, who midway through his 30-year career transitioned from microbial biology to aquatic biology, applies his considerable expertise and collaborative skills to addressing the international water quality crisis. He recently became the director of the new Lake Erie Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, a $5.2 million project funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Working with colleagues from nine other universities, Bullerjahn is leading the effort to discover the causes of and methods for predicting and deterring dangerous cyanobacterial algae outbreaks.
He has advised various government agencies on how to lessen the effects of human-caused sources of that pollution, wrote Dr. Verner Bingman, Distinguished Research Professor of psychology, in his letter of support.
Bullerjahn is “not a cloistered scientist that sits secluded in his lab. He is a high-profile researcher who actively engages governments and communities in an active discussion on how to fix Lake Erie,” Bingman said. “As an example, he and his colleague Dr. Robert M. McKay assisted Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) in drafting H.R. 212, The Drinking Water Protection Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2016.”
Albert Dzur
Through his writing and teaching, Dzur, a professor of political science and philosophy at Bowling Green State University, has shared his vision for democracy. Internationally recognized as a thought leader for his focus on deliberative democracy, democratic professionalism and criminal justice reform, Dzur’s contributions have had a global impact.
He has been honored for his work both nationally and internationally, and at its Feb. 22 meeting the BGSU Board of Trustees recognized his extraordinary record of achievement by bestowing on him the title of Distinguished Research Professor.
Dzur’s publication record is striking, wrote supporter Dr. Neil Englehart, chair of the Department of Political Science. He has published in prestigious journals, and a university press book each year over the past three years, “an astonishing record in our field,” Englehart said.
His complete catalogue includes 29 substantive publications in leading journals, five books and numerous invited presentations. Among his books that have received critical praise are “Democratic Professionalism: Citizen Participation and the Reconstruction of Professional Ethics, Identity, and Practice” (2008), “Punishment, Participatory Democracy, and the Jury” (2012), and his co-edited, with Ian Loader and Richard Sparks, “Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration” (2016). Remarkably, said Dr. Raymond Craig, dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Dzur’s publication pace has only increased since his promotion to full professor in 2012.
