Professor Cassidy recognized with President’s Council Worlds Ahead Award

Beloved wine professor Patrick “Chip” Cassidy ’75 is the recipient of the 2014 President’s Council Worlds Ahead Award. Cassidy was recognized by his peers Oct. 2 at the annual Faculty Convocation and Awards Ceremony at Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

“I’ve been at FIU for a long time and to win this award is a great honor,” Cassidy said. “Becoming a teacher was the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. I ask students if we gave them a good education all the time and they always say ‘yes.’ People always tell me that this hospitality school is one of the best, and I’m proud to say that.”

For 40 years, Cassidy has taught FIU students and customers everything there is to know about wine. His classes include wine technology and the business of wine. Recently he developed a wine certificate program offered to professionals already working in the wine industry or related fields. A noted speaker and fundraiser, he was instrumental in developing the concept to build the Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center, a state of the art wine teaching laboratory at Biscayne Bay Campus.

Cassidy is the former wine buyer for Crown Wine and Spirits, a large chain of wine stores. The Miami Herald wine critic Fred Tasker has dubbed him, “the universally acknowledged wine guru of South Florida (the nation’s third biggest wine market after California and New York).”

“Chip Cassidy is an exceptional individual, with a palette for wine that is the envy of many in the business,” said Dean Mike Hampton of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “His passion for wine, combined with his enthusiastic teaching style, has inspired many students to pursue careers in this sector of the industry.”

Cassidy’ has led FIU’s wine program at the Chaplin School of Hospitality Management since he began teaching in 1984. Since then, he has mentored students who have gone on to Napa Valley as experts in the field. Former students call for advice and current students rave about his passion.

“The best professor ever!!! Very passionate, very knowledgeable, and helps all his students – even after graduation. Must take class!,” said one student on Rateyourprofessor.com.

In 1997, Cassidy helped launch an FIU food and wine festival with Southern Wine & Spirits. The event is now the internationally renown Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE.

During the convocation ceremony, 24 faculty members were recognized for achieving excellence in the areas of teaching, research, service, engagement, librarianship, mentoring and advising. As the President’s Council Worlds Ahead Award recipient, Cassidy will receive $12,500. Finalists Thomas Breslin and Ediberto Roman will each receive $2,000.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL WORLDS AHEAD FACULTY AWARD

Winner:
Patrick “Chip” Cassidy
Instructor, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Finalists
Thomas Breslin
Professor, Politics and International Relations, College of Arts & Sciences

Ediberto Roman
Professor, Law, College of Law

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

Mahadev Bhat
Professor, Earth and the Environment, College of Arts & Sciences

Brice Dupoyet
Associate Professor, Finance, College of Business Administration

Peter Machonis
Professor, Modern Languages, College of Arts & Sciences

Lynne Miller
Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning, College of Education

Ju Sun
Senior Instructor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing

Herman Watson
Lecturer, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE

Elizabeth Cramer
Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning, College of Education

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

David Bray
Professor, Earth and the Environment, College of Arts & Sciences

Chenzhong Li
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing

Juliet Pinto
Associate Professor, Journalism and Broadcasting, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Bianca Premo
Associate Professor, History, College of Arts & Sciences

Jean Rahier
Professor, Global and Sociocultural Studies, College of Arts & Sciences

Mary Jo Trepka
Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGEMENT

Moses Shumow
Assistant Professor, Journalism and Broadcasting, School of Journalism and Mass Communications

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LIBRARIANSHIP

Sarah Hammill
Librarian, Library Operations, FIU Libraries

FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MENTORSHIP AND ADVISING

Eva Frank
Instructor, Teaching and Learning, College of Education

Marianne S. Johnson
Professor, History, College of Arts & Sciences

Jinlin Zhao
Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

ADJUNCT FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

Michaela Moura-Koçoglu
Lecturer, Women’s Studies Center, College of Arts & Sciences

Larry Purnell
Lecturer, Nursing FEP, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Kathleen Sparrow
Lecturer, Teaching and Learning, College of Education