College of Arts and Sciences

The 2025 faculty award for outstanding teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Ronda Scantlin in the Department of Communication.

Ronda holds a Ph.D. in child development and family relationships from the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2002 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2008.

Ronda is recognized in the Department of Communication for her commitment to improving her already exceptional teaching performance. She continues to evolve her pedagogy and content to better facilitate student learning, with a particular emphasis on vocation.

Ronda's scholarship focuses on understanding how children, adolescents and families use media in their daily lives and how that use influences child development and family functioning. That focus is reflected in many of the courses she teaches, including Family Communication, Children and Media and Communication and Digital Literacy. During her 2024 spring sabbatical, she shifted her focus to questions surrounding the impact of supportive classroom climates on student learning outcomes.

Ronda also teaches courses outside of the communication curriculum, including Human Growth and Development for the Department of Psychology. She previously taught the ASI 160 first-year seminar. She also served as an ASI 160 advisor from 2018 to 2024; for this work, she earned the Department of Communication's Ellen M. Murphy Award for Outstanding Advisor in 2021.

In addition, Ronda is an active faculty participant in the Common Academic Program, consistently teaching four courses that she shepherded through the CAP approval and review process. She worked closely with Heather Parsons to redesign Communication 491, the communication department's capstone course, to better explore vocation. This continued work started with a 2020 vocation mini-grant.

Her teaching performance, as measured by SFT, typically exceeds the high level achieved by communication department faculty. Fall 2024 qualitative comments focused on Ronda being a kind, helpful and engaging professor who facilitated a collaborative learning environment that encouraged student involvement.

In the words of one of her students, "Dr. Scantlin's classroom is not just a place for academic learning — it is a safe space for personal growth, open dialogue and mutual respect. Her warm smile and welcoming demeanor make a profound difference in the lives of her students. She is more than an instructor; she is a mentor, a guide and a source of inspiration."

For her successful ability to connect scholarship and teaching, and her student-centered approach in the classroom and beyond, the College is pleased to recognize Ronda Scantlin with the Outstanding Teaching Award for 2025.

The 2025 faculty award for outstanding scholarship and creative activity in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Suki Kwon in the Department of Art and Design.

Suki holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in design from the University of Iowa and a Master of Arts degree in theological studies from the University of Dayton. She joined the UD faculty in 2004 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2012. She was promoted to full professor in 2020.

Currently, Suki serves as the Graul Endowed Chair in Arts and Languages. She is the first woman of color to hold an endowed chair position at UD.

Her research includes creative practice as well as a literary examination of megachurch visuals in Protestant Christianity. Together, her research illuminates the ways in which faith and culture are visually communicated and how these visual forms shape thought within both religious and societal contexts.

Suki's achievements include more than a dozen grants, commissions and awards, including an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award; a collaboration with Darden Bradshaw to produce four sets of liturgical banners for the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception; a Hanley Sustainability Institute scholarship for her documentary film project, Fire, Rain, Wind, Snow and Fire: The Story of a Prairie; and an institutional grant from China's Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

One of her significant undertakings was Matter + Spirit: A Chinese/American Seminar. The initiative fostered cross-cultural dialogue and culminated in an exhibition featuring more than 50 works from Chinese and American artists that toured 13 U.S. university galleries from 2020 to 2023.

In recent years, Suki has expanded her focus to include community-engaged art projects. During her 2023 Art for Change residency in India, she created a mandala-like textile installation inspired by Tibetan prayer flags that she hung in the Himalayan forest, symbolizing her wish to spread goodwill on the winds to people around the world.

Last summer, she worked with Marianist sisters in Ranchi, India, on the Mother Mary, Mother Ganga community art project, blending Marian and various Indian traditions in her textile art. More recently, she worked with children at the Flow Open School in Nepal to create an outdoor art installation aimed at spreading hopes and wishes for the children. This built on her work in Darjeeling, India, where she led workshops and created Tibetan prayer flag-inspired installation artwork with girls at the Edith Wilkins Street Children Trust Fund, a shelter and school for those rescued from trafficking and abuse.

Suki truly believes in art as healing and empowering, in its power to transform a person, and that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with it.

As Graul Chair, Suki promotes global arts, languages and culture to the UD and Dayton communities by creating partnerships and engaging people through programming and events that have explored themes such as Arts and Languages for Healing, the Silk Roads, and the harmony between art and science in the natural world.

For her scholarly and creative work that crosses boundaries between art and interfaith dialogue, and her sustained commitment to cultural exchange and community impact, the College is pleased to recognize Suki Kwon with the Outstanding Scholarship Award for 2025.

The 2025 faculty award for outstanding service in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Said Elhamri in the Department of Physics.

With this award, Said has now received all three College awards for tenured faculty, having previously been honored with the Outstanding Scholarship Award in 2007 and the Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009.

Said holds a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from the University of Cincinnati. He joined the UD faculty in 1997 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2003. He was promoted to full professor in 2008.

In his 28 years at UD, Said has served on more than 70 committees, working groups and advisory panels at the University, College and department levels — dedicating vast amounts of his time and energy in service to our faculty and students. Currently, he serves on 10 committees, including the College Academic Affairs Committee, where he volunteered to chair the Natural Science subcommittee during his first year serving on the AAC.

When the College called for revisions of department tenure and promotion policies in 2023 to comply with new University policy, Said took the lead in drafting a completely new policy for the Department of Physics to better serve candidates and evaluators. He was one of the original members of the College Tenure and Promotion Committee tasked with reviewing the T&P policies of 17 departments, a time-consuming task that took more than two years to complete.

However, it is Said's service to students that truly stands out. For more than two decades, Said has mentored physics majors conducting research on campus and at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Thaddeus Asel, Ph.D., a former student who is now a research physicist at AFRL, credits Said's support for his first student internship at AFRL, which in turn led to his current position. In Asel's words, "His mentorship played a pivotal role in shaping me into the scientist and person I am today."

Said also helped develop the Department of Physics' Review Leader program, which pairs physics and education students to support the instruction of physics to non-science majors. The program has helped thousands of students over the years.

Former student Gretchen Obergefell, now a physics teacher at Archbishop Carroll High School, said her time as a review leader helped build her confidence as an aspiring educator and taught her how to convey physics concepts in an engaging way.

To quote Gretchen, "Dr. Elhamri often uses memorable analogies — such as comparing gravitational fields to the stench of a goat — to make complex ideas stick. To this day, I use his analogies in my own teaching, helping my high school students understand abstract concepts in a tangible way."

For his impactful and time-intensive service, and his dedication to student mentorship and experiential learning, the College is pleased to recognize Said Elhamri with the Outstanding Service Award for 2025.

The 2025 faculty award for outstanding contribution by a full-time professional faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Patrick Ahern, senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy.

Patrick is a co-recipient of the award with Cassandra Secrease in the Department of Communication.

Patrick holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. He joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2017 as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer during the 2023-24 academic year.

Department of Philosophy Chair Trip Glazer said Patrick has "far exceeded expectations" in teaching, research and service. Not only does he teach a wide range of important courses for the Department of Philosophy and the Human Rights Studies and Pre-Law programs, but he has also maintained an impressive record of scholarship alongside his heavy teaching load.

Patrick has taught nine different courses in his seven-plus years at UD, including two that are required for the philosophy major. The fact that every other requirement for the major is taught exclusively by tenure-line faculty shows the department's high degree of trust in his teaching.

This semester, Patrick stepped up to address a faculty shortage by volunteering to teach a human rights studies course on short notice — on top of his other four courses, despite having never taught it before.

He developed special sections of Introduction of Philosophy for international students to give them a greater sense of belonging in the classroom.

Patrick has sustained an active research program, publishing four peer-reviewed articles and a book review, with five more publications under review or in preparation for submission. In addition, he has given 12 conference presentations.

Patrick's service to his department includes participating in searches and serving on committees. Most recently, he chaired the new Curricular Options Committee, which developed a new minor aimed at attracting new students to philosophy.

He serves as a faculty representative on the Pre-Law and Human Rights Studies advisory committees and was a key member of the working group that developed a new human rights minor for engineering students.

Patrick also served as an "expert scholar" for the PREVENTS-OH project, helping to identify funding sources and write the grant proposal that resulted in $352,000 for the Human Rights Center from the Department of Homeland Security.

He helped develop and execute the inaugural human rights and sustainability summer program in Chile and was invited by the West African Transitional Justice Centre to give a lecture as part of its Distinguished Personality Lecture Series.

For the impressive breadth and range of his activities and contributions to the philosophy department and our interdisciplinary programs and students, the College is pleased to recognize Patrick Ahern with the Outstanding Contribution by a Professional Faculty Member Award for 2025.

The 2025 faculty award for outstanding contribution by a full-time professional faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Cassandra Secrease, senior lecturer in the Department of Communication.

Cassie is a co-recipient of the award with Patrick Ahern in the Department of Philosophy.

Cassie holds a Ph.D. in performance, ethnography, rhetoric and popular culture from Indiana University. She joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2013 as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2020.

Cassie's major contribution to the University is her service as the Department of Communication's basic course director for Principles of Oral Communication, a vital component of every UD student's first-year experience. In this role, which she has held since 2019, Cassie trains and facilitates full-time faculty, adjuncts and graduate teaching assistants to plan and deliver 40 to 45 sections of the course each spring and fall, impacting more than 1,000 students each semester.

For this work, she received the Department of Communication's Ellen M. Murphy Award for Outstanding Faculty Mentor in 2024.

Cassie is dedicated to continuously improving COM 100, as the course is commonly known, leading the effort to move the Principles of Oral Communication textbook to an online, interactive format that increases student participation and learning. She works with the publisher to update the common digital coursebook every academic year. This effort requires significant content updates, the inclusion of contemporary examples and changes to assignments.

As part of her duties, Cassie creates the course shell for each COM 100 section. She volunteered for the 2024 spring and summer Canvas pilot program to better facilitate the course's move to the new learning management system.

Department of Communication Chair Chad Painter said Cassie's work to transform COM 100 to an online course to meet the demands of remote and hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic was “especially extraordinary.” She worked closely with the Center for Online Learning to thoughtfully redesign the course into a dynamic and effective experience for both students and instructors.

In addition to serving as course coordinator, Cassie has taught a variety of communication courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has pursued extensive professional development opportunities and served as professor and site coordinator for study abroad programs in Prague, Madrid and Ireland. She also taught at the UD China Institute for a summer and semester.

In the communication department, Cassie co-created a monthly social gathering that has helped build personal and professional bonds among faculty, staff and graduate students while helping relieve stress and burnout. She also co-created a bi-annual “craft day” during finals week where faculty can take a break from grading to unwind with their peers.

For her unwavering commitment to faculty development and dedication to continuously improving the COM 100 course, the College is pleased to recognize Cassandra Secrease with the Outstanding Contribution by a Professional Faculty Member Award for 2025.

A Distinguished Teaching Award is awarded posthumously to Jaro Bilocerkowycz, who passed away in September 2024 while in service to the University. This award recognizes Jaro's nearly 40-year career of outstanding teaching for the Department of Political Science and College of Arts and Sciences.

Affectionately called "Dr. Bilo" by his students, he is remembered as a passionate teacher, generous colleague and invaluable scholar. His passion and care for students was evident by the popularity of his courses and the number of students who chose his class not because of the topic but because Jaro was teaching it.

Jaro held a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Washington. He joined the UD faculty in 1985 and regularly taught courses on international relations; European politics and society; U.S. national security; and Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. He worked closely with the honors and international studies programs.

A distinguished scholar on Russia, Ukraine and Poland, Jaro wrote a book, numerous Encyclopedia entries and scholarly journal articles. He was frequently sought out by news media, especially to explain the war in Ukraine.

Jaro viewed helping students better understand the world through his courses as his primary goal. He took a genuine interest in his students, reaching out to wish them luck and connecting them with other students on similar paths.

In her remarks at Jaro's memorial service in October, alumna Katie Hoener recalled Dr. Bilo as an "old soul" whose lecture notes were written on the board in cursive. You had to go to class to learn what the next reading assignment was.

Katie, a 2024 graduate, was a political science major and worked in the Department of Political Science office. Jaro was her honors thesis advisor. She said that thesis was the proudest moment of her undergraduate experience.

To quote Katie, "Dr. Bilo believed in us and we believed in him. Because of that, we learned to believe in ourselves. That is something that cannot be taken away."

In addition to his reputation as a compassionate and supportive instructor, Jaro was known by his colleagues for being reliable, thoughtful and hardworking.

Natalie Hudson, political science professor and executive director of the UD Human Rights Center, said Jaro loved the Department of Political Science and never missed a social opportunity to share a meal, not just as colleagues but as friends. She said his presence in St. Joe's will be deeply missed by many.

For his inspirational teaching, impactful scholarship and strong support for his students, the College is proud to recognize the late Jaro Bilocerkowycz with a Distinguished Teaching Award.

Verb Washington began his career at the University of Dayton from 2003 to 2007, when he served as professor of military science and the chair of the Department of Military Science. This time at UD was part of his 30 years of service in the United States Army, from which he retired with the rank of colonel in the Corps of Engineers.

During his military career, Verb had two combat tours, serving as an engineer company commander in the Persian Gulf War and as the senior liaison officer to the Iraqi Prime Minister's National Operation Center during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal and also received the Legion of Merit.

Verb holds master's and doctoral degrees in history from Ohio State University. He returned to the UD faculty in 2010. His primary research focuses on the African American military experience.

During his time at UD, Verb has served as a lecturer in the Department of History, and as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from June 2016 to the present.

Washington has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the University of Dayton through his research, teaching and service to both the College and our nation. And, in recognition of his many contributions to UD's Catholic and Marianist character, Verb is this year's recipient of the Lackner Award.