Brilliant faculty recognized for leading impact

Faculty members are the fuel driving FIU’s excellence. 

They prepare FIU students to become leaders in their fields, mentoring them and often working closely with them on research and creative projects. Faculty produce globally recognized research, and they are at the center of many of the university’s leading community engagement and service initiatives.

To honor the outstanding contributions of faculty, FIU hosted its second annual “Celebrating Impact: Faculty Excellence” event. The ceremony recognized more than 120 faculty members from all across the university, ranging from engineering and public health to medicine, English, theater and more.

Among those honored were faculty who have earned acclaimed awards, including Conference USA Professor of the Year; Miami-Dade County's National Association of Social Work's Educator of the Year; an NSF Career award and more. Honorees also included inductees of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida; a Fulbright Scholar and a Charles Babbage Institute Research Fellow.

"I'm so proud to celebrate alongside each and every one of you, to recognize the work you do each and every day," said President Jeanette M. Nuñez during the ceremony. "Tonight is about celebrating you, your impact, your motivation, your unwavering commitment to excellence. Our students are so fortunate to be exposed to the importance of what you do each and every day."

Nuñez added, "At FIU, we want to shine in everything we do. Excellence is who we are. It's part of our DNA. It's driven specifically by our faculty...your impact is clear." 

Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Béjar discussed just a few of the key research areas faculty are leading at a national level, including environmental resilience and public health — and how these areas of focus are proof positive of FIU's commitment to public impact research.

"Today's honorees represent the very best of FIU and the collective impact of our academic community," Béjar said. "FIU's remarkable research progress is often measured in numbers, grants, rankings, awards. What truly matters is the impact our faculty are making. What truly matters is the lives that are being transformed, the lives being saved, the communities that are being supported, and the individuals that thrive as a result of our work. I want to congratulate each and every one of you. Know that we celebrate you with great pride as the embodiment of our Panther spirit."

“This is a great event to recognize all the amazing things happening at FIU,” said Glenn Hutchinson, the director of the Center for Excellence in Writing and an associate professor of English.

He was recognized for editing a bilingual book written in both English and Spanish that explores how writing centers advance multilingualism in academic writing. The book won the Outstanding Book Award at the 2025 International Writing Center Association conference and features chapters written by scholars across Mexico, Colombia and the United States, including a chapter written by FIU writing tutors and two chapters co-authored by Hutchinson.

Angela Salmon, an associate professor of teaching and learning, said the ceremony helps highlight the impact of faculty members’ work on the community — both locally and globally. “It’s an honor to be recognized,” she said. “It’s nice to see the work you do is worth it.”

Salmon was recognized for being a Fulbright Global Scholar with research engagement in Colombia, Poland and Greece. Her research explores the interplay of thinking and learning, global competencies and storytelling in early education.

John Noble Masi, assistant teaching professor and culinary lead at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, was honored for receiving a Presidential Medallion from the American Culinary Federation. “It’s a very humbling moment to be recognized here,” he said of the ceremony.

Like many faculty members, he noted that the recognition not only highlighted his own work but the support of FIU and his collagues, which continually propels him to achieve more. “It’s the Chaplin School, the leadership, my colleagues and the students that allow me to offer really great experiential learning opportunities and bring in guest speakers and do professional development. The Chaplin School is great at creating those kinds of experiences for students and for faculty. Having those opportunities at FIU allows us to shine.”

Faculty excellence is the cornerstone of FIU's success. With such distinguished faculty members, the future of FIU is bright. 

See the full photo album of the event here, and see the event program here.