June 25, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Terry J. San Filippo
Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts
805-756-1216; tsanfili@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts Recognizes
Outstanding Faculty, Staff and Students
SAN LUIS OBISPO - Cal Poly's College of Liberal Arts recognized outstanding faculty, staff and students at its annual reception held at the Dallidet Adobe in San Luis Obispo on June 4.
The college presented three Richard K. Simon Faculty Awards: Psychology and Child Development Professor Shawn Burn (San Luis Obispo) won for Outstanding Teaching; Philosophy Professor Patrick Lin (Los Osos) received the Outstanding Scholarship award; and Music Professor Alyson McLamore (Arroyo Grande) was given the award for Outstanding Service.
Burn joined the Psychology and Child Development Department in 1990. She is known campus-wide for incorporating community service into her psychology courses, raising more than $120,000 for local nonprofit organizations over the past five years. Burn earned her bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1982. She then attended Claremont Graduate University, earning her master’s degree in 1984 and doctorate in 1988. Burn is recognized for consistently receiving the highest teaching ratings in her department, and her students credit her with being “exceptional, approachable, organized and dynamic.” She also teaches in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department.
Lin came to Cal Poly in 2007 as director of the Philosophy Department’s Ethics and Emerging Technologies Working Group. He developed a guest lecture series, increased access through the development of new Web sites, and enhanced Cal Poly’s image in local and national media, from guest articles in New Times, a San Luis Obispo news weekly, to having his work on robotic ethics featured on the Science Channel television show “Brink.” Lin also published three books and presented numerous conference papers and public lectures, collaborating with scholars from institutions such as Yale, Dartmouth, Rutgers and the Australian National University. His most recent project was a grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to study ethical and social issues related to advanced robotics in military applications. Lin received a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 1990 and a master’s degree and doctorate from UC Santa Barbara in 1995 and 1997, respectively.
McLamore joined the Music Department in 1991. She produced curriculum packages that are viewed across the CSU as models of clarity and consistency and assisted the provost as special assistant for campus program review. At the department level, McLamore modified the admission examination, a juried performance, to include a “blind” review of recorded performances to generate meaningful assessment statistics for evaluation before acceptance into the department’s programs. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles.
The College Council, comprised of the 16 liberal arts department chairs, selects the faculty award recipients from nominations made by the faculty.
The College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Staff Awards were presented to Terry J. San Filippo (San Luis Obispo), public affairs coordinator, honored for Continuing Excellence, and Melissa Bodin (Morro Bay) administrative analyst, recognized for Outstanding Achievement.
San Filippo has been at Cal Poly in various roles for 23 years, joining the College of Liberal Arts in 1991. She coordinates and plans special events and projects, including Open House and Homecoming. San Filippo also oversees production of the college magazine, brochures and Web articles.
Bodin has a positive attitude and consistently takes the initiative to improve and streamline workflow and procedures, according to her co-workers. Bodin has been on campus since 2007 and is responsible for the college’s RPT (Retention, Promotion and Tenure) process for faculty candidates.
Cal Poly Arts presented Achievement in the Arts Awards to two students: Kyle Wilhelm (Mill Valley), who is majoring in art with a history minor; and Brittany McKinney (San Diego), who is majoring in journalism with minors in both art and German.
The College of Liberal Arts also recognized several faculty members who will be retiring: Basil Fiorito, a professor of psychology and child development since 1977; George Ramos, a journalism professor and department chair since 2003; Victor Valle, an ethnic studies professor who has taught since 1992 and served as department chair; Chuck Hagen, a philosophy professor since 1980; and Mary Kay Harrington, a writing skills and English professor since 1981.
-###-
Note to editors: Photos are available upon request. Contact Terry J. San Filippo, College of Liberal Arts, (805) 756-1216 or tsanfili@calpoly.edu.