2025 Faculty and Staff Awards
The 2025 Stamps faculty and staff awards honor six instructors for their excellence in teaching, scholarship, and creativity, as well as one staff member for their service, leadership, and steadfast dedication to student success during the past academic year.
Recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by the Executive Committee. Two honorees for each faculty award were selected this cycle, since the awards process was not conducted last year.
The following faculty and staff awards were presented at the School’s commencement brunch on May 2, 2025.
Rogers Edge Award
Assistant Professor Pedram Baldari and Associate Professor John Marshall are recognized with the 2025 Rogers Edge Award.
The Rogers Edge Award recognizes a Stamps faculty member whose creative practice moves beyond disciplinary boundaries and brings together different kinds of people and ideas. The award was established in honor of Bryan Rogers (1941−2013), former dean of the Stamps School, whose curricular vision encompassed a new model for educating thinkers and makers and whose own creative work navigated across and above disciplinary divides. The endowment that funds the award was created through the generous contributions of Stamps faculty and staff, Dean Rogers’ colleagues across campus, and many Stamps alumni. The recipient is selected by the Executive Committee through its annual review of faculty activity reports in which a rigorous review of faculty creative work is conducted.
Richards Memorial Award
Professor and Director of MFA Program David Y Chung and Professor Joseph Trumpey are recognized with the 2025 Richards Memorial Award.
The Richards Memorial Award recognizes a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the Stamps School during the past year in the areas of teaching, creative work, and service. The award was established by alum Betsy Richards Horning in memory of her late husband, Dr. Robert D. Richards, a graduate of the School of Dentistry. The recipient is selected by the Executive Committee through its annual review of faculty activity reports and teaching evaluations in which a rigorous review of faculty teaching, creative work, and service is conducted.
Lecturer Excellence Award
Lecturer II Adrian Deva and Lecturer IV and Writing Coordinator Jennifer Metsker are recognized with the 2025 Lecturer Excellence Award.
Faculty Lecturers are an integral part of the Stamps School of Art & Design. Their significant contributions to teaching, mentoring, community, and creativity are greatly appreciated. The Stamps Award for Lecturer Excellence is for Stamps School faculty who hold the title of Lecturer I, II, III, or Lecturer IV and must have successfully completed an interim review and not be on full layoff at the time they are nominated. The Selection Criteria for the award include evidence of:
Energetic and Sustained commitment to teaching and mentoring
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Positive impact on students’ creative and personal growth
for Lec III and IV, providing significant service contributions
Brian Banks Staff Excellence Award
The Brian Banks Staff Excellence Award is awarded annually to a current staff member who embodies the characteristics that Brian exemplified during his tenure, and in recognition of their significant contributions to creating community at the Stamps School. Past recipients of the award include Sarah Weiss, Grace Guevara, and John Luther. A committee consisting of members of the Dean’s Office and past award recipients reviewed the nominees and determined the selection.
Romy Hill-Cronin is recognized with the 2025 Brian Banks Staff Excellence Award for her leadership and steadfast dedication to individual student success.
Stamps also recognizes the other individuals who received multiple nominations for this award:
Elise Frankish — Graduate Programs Manager
Monique Green — Front Desk Associate
Joel R. — Time-based Media Studio Coordinator