2016 Faculty Award Winners honored March 15

More than 140 San Jose State University faculty members will be recognized for service milestones of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 65 years at the annual Faculty Service Recognition and Awards Luncheon on March 15. See the full list of honorees.

The event will also honor the 2016 Faculty Award winners, who have shown exceptional commitment to teaching, service, and research, scholarship and creative activity during their tenure at San Jose State.

2016 President’s Scholar: Gwendolyn Mok, School of Music and Dance, College of Humanities and the Arts

Gwendolyn Mok was destined to be a piano prodigy. As is custom in Chinese-American families, her parents gave her a Chinese name before she was born. Her name Ko-Chin translates to “Can Play Piano.” Her parents discovered that she had perfect pitch as a toddler and she began playing the piano at the age of two. Read more about Mok.

2016 Distinguished Service Award: Maria Luisa Alaniz, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Social Sciences

When Maria Luisa Alaniz talks about her former students, she talks about them by name. She recalls the challenges they face in attaining their SJSU degrees, the doubts they express when she encourages them to apply to graduate programs and the potential she sees in them that keeps her inspired semester after semester. Read more about Alaniz.

2016 Outstanding Professor Award: Kenneth Peter, Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences, and the Humanities Honors Program, College of Humanities and the Arts

Kenneth Peter has a knack for making connections—from teaching cross-disciplinary courses to personally ensuring the success of students in the Humanities Honors Program or in his political theory courses. Read more about Peter.

2016 Outstanding Lecturer Award: Stephanie Trewhitt, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science

When Stephanie Trewhitt completed her graduate degree, she imagined she would be starting a career as a field researcher. After a faculty mentor invited her to teach a course in her program at San Jose State, she says, “I found a passion to teach.” Read more about Trewhitt.

Tickets for the Faculty Service Recognition and Awards Luncheon are on sale through March 4, or until tickets sell out.