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The annual ����Ӱ�� Celebration of Faculty Excellence recognized more than two dozen faculty members, researchers and scholars Tuesday. The event honors faculty members in the university's colleges for outstanding research, teaching and service.

Before the evening banquet, Todd Letcher delivered the David Fee Memorial Lecture, “From South Dakota to the Moon: SDSU’s Emerging Role in Lunar Technology.” Letcher is an associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. Fee taught philosophy and religion at SDSU for more than 20 years. Annual presenters of the named lecture are selected based on their topics and contributions to Fee’s example of cross-disciplinary learning, inquiry and collegiality.

Six faculty scholars delivered Sewrey lectures to raise awareness and show scholarship in the categories of creative and fine arts, research and scholarship, teaching and learning, and service.

SDSU School of Performing Arts students Jacob Stevens and CJ Richards presented “My Glasses/Lay Low,” a duet from “Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story,” with accompaniment from Anna DeGraff, instructor of music.


Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension awards were awarded to these faculty members:

• Dr. Sherwood and Elizabeth Berg Research Young Faculty Award to Ryan Hanson, assistant professor and coordinator in the Department of Biology and Microbiology.
• Dr. Harold and Barbara Bailey Award for Excellence in Academic Department Leadership to Joshua Westwick, academic director and professor in the School of Communication and Journalism.
• F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in ����Ӱ��/Professional Service to Rachel Busmann, Child and Family Resource Network outreach coordinator in the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development.
• F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Extension/Outreach to Jeremiah Bergstrom, lecturer in the School of Design.
• F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Research to Tong Wang, associate professor and SDSU Extension specialist in the Ness School of Management and Economics.
• F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Teaching to Tadd Hellwig, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.
• Edward Patrick Hogan Award for Teaching Excellence to Carmen Paulson, lecturer in the Department of Animal Science.
• Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award to Srinivas Janaswamy, associate professor in the Department of Dairy and Food Science.
• Excellence in Online Teaching Award to Ellie Arndt, lecturer in the School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies.
• Excellence in Outreach and Engagement Award to Ananda Nanjundaswamy, Richard and Janice Vetter Endowed Associate Professor of Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in the Department of Biology and Microbiology.
• International Engagement Awards to Tyler Miller, associate academic director and professor in the School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies; and Julie Walker, professor and SDSU Extension specialist in the Department of Animal Science.
• Timothy J. Nichols Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Student Advising to Randi Anderson, lecturer in the School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies.
• Distinguished Professor designation to Sanjeev Anand, professor in the Department of Dairy and Food Science.

The 2026 Outstanding Researchers, Scholars, Performers and Artists from the university’s colleges include:

• College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Researcher to Srinivas Janaswamy, associate professor in the Department of Dairy and Food Science.
• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Outstanding Researcher to Karla Hunter, professor in the School of Communication and Journalism.
• College of Education and Human Sciences Outstanding Researcher to Dakota Witzel, assistant professor in the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development.
• Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Outstanding Researcher to Michael Puthawala, CAPITAL Services Scholar in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
• College of Natural Sciences Outstanding Researcher to Hankui Zhang, associate professor in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences.
• College of Nursing Outstanding Researcher to Danielle Schievelbein, assistant professor in the College of Nursing.
• College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Outstanding Researcher to Shanna O’Connor, department head and associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Delivering the Sewrey lectures were:

• Creative and Fine Arts: Anna DeGraff, instructor of music; Bradley Snyder, instructor of low brass; and Mark Stevens, assistant professor, in the School of Performing Arts.
• Research and Scholarship: Nicholas Butzin, associate professor in the Department of Biology and Microbiology.
• Teaching and Learning: Hayden Barber, assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism.
• Service: Shola Aromona, assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism.