At the 38th annual Academic Awards celebration held on March 25 as part of the “Week of Excellence,” Eastern honored four faculty members with the Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Award.
The award is the highest honor bestowed to faculty members from the university. Winners receive a plaque and a $3,500 honorarium.
The winners this year were Marilyn Cosianos, Linda Burilovich, Steven Francoeur and James VandenBosch.
Cosianos, part of the department of sociology, anthropology and criminology since 2002, received the award for her research and contributions to her field. One of her accomplishments is winning the CHOICE award for Outstanding Academic Title with one of her three books. She also often leads seminars at police centers and mentors students in their research.
Burilovich, an accounting professor, received the award in part for her involvement in guiding the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which also landed her the IRS Spirit of America award and a letter of commendation. She helped develop the Master of Science in Taxation degree. She has been published in multiple magazines, journals and Web pages.
Francoeur, a professor in the biology department, received the award for his research focused on how pollution, invasive species, flood disturbance and other environmental conditions affect algae and the aquatic ecosystem. He is an expert for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's “Nutrient Enrichment Indicators in Streams” workshop. As a result, he gets to help improve stream and ecosystem management, develop water-related strategic project recommendations and identify management scenarios for reducing litter on beaches.
VandenBosch, another biology professor, received the award for serving students, the university and the community. He established the Molecular Biology Research Facility and set a new standard for interdepartmental cooperation. Another of VandenBosch’s achievements is reconstructing and restoring governing body of EMU's American Association of University Professors.
Several other faculty members were awarded during the ceremony, and more faculty, staff and students were recognized during the “Week of Excellence.”
