SC&I Celebrates Faculty and Staff at Honor's Day Awards Ceremony

Interim Dean Mark Aakhus

The Rutgers School of Communication and Information (SC&I) recognized exceptional faculty, students, and staff at its Honor's Day Awards ceremony held May 1, 2026. Honorees were celebrated for their achievements during the 2025-2026 academic year in research and teaching; academic excellence; and professional service.

SC&I congratulates these awardees, whose impactful work continues to strengthen the school community and extend its reach across Rutgers University and beyond.

2026 Honorees

Communication Department

·      Distinguished Achievement in Teaching:  Assistant Professor of Communication Sarah Shugars

·      Distinguished Achievement in Research: Assistant Professor of Communication Jianing Li

·      Distinguished Achievement in Service:  Professor of Communication Matthew Weber

·      Distinguished Achievement as a Lecturer: Lecturer Denise Anderson

·      Distinguished Achievement in Instructional Support: Doctoral Student Jenny Mai

 Journalism and Media Studies Department

·      Distinguished Achievement in Teaching:  Assistant Teaching Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Alyse Shorland

·      Distinguished Achievement in Research:  Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Khadijah Costley White

·      Distinguished Achievement in Service With the Barbara Reed Faculty Award:   Director of the Ph.D. Program and Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Melissa Aronczyk

·      Distinguished Achievement as a Lecturer With the Roger Hernandez/Karyn Collins Part-Time Faculty Award: Lecturer Sheena Raja  

·      Distinguished Achievement as a Teaching Assistant: Doctoral Student Luis Contreras

 Library and Information Science Department

·      Distinguished Achievement in Teaching: Assistant Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science Brendan Mahoney

·      Distinguished Achievement in Research: Assistant Professors Alex Lu and Robert Wolfe

·      Distinguished Achievement in Service: Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science E. E. Lawrence

·      Distinguished Achievement as a Lecturer: Lecturer Lauren Bell

·      Distinguished Achievement as a Teaching Assistant: Doctoral Students Saubhagya Joshi and Juliana Mestre

 Continuing and Professional Studies

·      Distinguished Achievement in Teaching: Lecturer, Continuing and Professional Studies Christina Gibbs

 Awards Given by Academic Programs to Students:

 Master of Communication and Media Program

 Outstanding Student of the Year Award:

·      Frank Okeke

·      Ali Mansour

·      Vidhi Raval

·      Diane Malloy

 The Angela DiMartini Service Award:  

·      Truc Le

Master of Information Program

Outstanding Academic Achievement:

·      Emily Lenett-Caparros

·      Micaela Hegarty

·      Emilie Puja

·      Joseph Jenkins

 Excellence in Service to the Master’s Program:

·      Kelan Amme 

·      Kayla Ponturo

·      Lauren Popp

Master of Health Communication and Information (MHCI)

·      Outstanding Student of the Year: Lauren Seo

Chandu Dondeti and Brenda Sheridan

Ph.D. Program in Communication, Information, and Media

·      Outstanding Continuing Doctoral Student in the Area of Communication: Katherine Scrivani

·      Outstanding Graduating Ph.D. Student in the Area of Communication: Liesl Broadbridge

·      Outstanding Continuing Doctoral Student in the Area of Information Science: Nayana Kirasur and Christopher Walsh

·      Outstanding Graduating Ph.D. Student in the Area of Information Science:  Emma May

·      Outstanding Continuing Doctoral Student in the Area of Media Studies: Nikaytaa Malhotra

·      Outstanding Graduating Ph.D. Student in the Area of Media Studies: Nikhila Natarajan

·      Outstanding Doctoral Student in Interdisciplinary Studies: Chaeyeong (Margo) Lee

Awards Given by Student Groups to Faculty or Staff

Doctoral Student Association (DSA) Award for Outstanding Faculty Support: 

·      Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Britt Paris

Master of Communication and Media Graduate Student Association (GSA) Outstanding Faculty Honor Award:

·      Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Communication Mark Beal

(Award presented by MCM student Kayla Gonzales)

 Master of Information Graduate Student Association MI Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year: 

·      Professor of Library and Information Science Denise Agosto

(Award presented by MI student Kayla Ponturo)

Awards Given to Staff

Staff Service Excellence Award:  

·      Administrative Assistant Artemis Karlsons

·      Web Team:  IT Application/Web Developer John Bowen

·      Web Team:  Assistant Dean for Information Technology Chandu Dondeti

·      Web Team:  Strategic Communications Assistant Lorraine Seabrook

·      Web Team:  Director of Marketing and Communications Brenda Sheridan

Learn more about the School of Communication and Information.