[ Distinguished Faculty Award ]
Amy Camardese A
true Westminster leader, Dr. Amy Camardese— this year’s Distinguished Faculty Award recipient—is known for her visionary and collaborative efforts, as well as being a careful and caring mentor to her students and an inspiration to her colleagues. Presented with the 2019 prestigious Westminster honor, the professor of education and chair of the School of Education is often noted for her diligent approach to developing new partnerships and her commitment to research and technology in the classroom. Her students often remark on her nurturing nature as an educator. Camardese, who joined the faculty in 2001, has spearheaded many educational initiatives at Westminster, perhaps most notably the partnership created with Western Galilee College in Akko, Israel, 10 years ago. Through this effort, Westminster administrators, faculty and students have traveled to Israel to collaborate on research, teaching and institutional advancement. This effort also led to the College hosting its first Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Yehuda Peled, who spent a year at Westminster enriching the experiences of our students, faculty and community and bringing a global perspective to the campus. In 2014, Camardese and colleague Dr. Karen Resendes secured a $1 million grant to establish the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. Through this IQ STEM project, Westminster STEM faculty and students receive support. She is also the director of the Marion G. Resch Foundation Bright Futures Program, which brings Campbell (Ohio) High School students to campus during the summer to enhance their academic skills through performing and fine arts experiences. Camardese earned an undergraduate degree at Ohio University, a master’s at the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. at Kent State University. The Distinguished Faculty Award is Westminster’s highest teaching award. It is presented to a tenured faculty member who has, over a sustained period of time, demonstrated characteristics of the most outstanding faculty—intellectual vitality, effective communication skills, the ability to motivate or inspire compassion and concern for student success, collegiality and leadership. W e s t m i n s t e r C o ll e g e M a g a z i n e 7
