College of Arts and Sciences

The 2026 faculty award for outstanding teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Dr. Elizabeth Ann Mackay in the Department of English.

Liz holds a Ph.D. in early modern English literature and rhetoric from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2008 as an adjunct instructor and was hired into a professional faculty position in 2010. She taught numerous writing-intensive English courses through 2016, when she was selected for a tenure-line position as an assistant professor. She was promoted to associate professor in 2020.

Currently, Liz serves as director of the Core Integrated Studies program, as well as the Humanities Seminar implementation coordinator.

Liz said her teaching is grounded and guided by three things: listening, loving and learning. She said listening to students ensures their knowledge, learning and voices are the heart of the classroom. She related love to the compassion modeled by first-year Core students who entered UD during the COVID pandemic, who helped her embrace new and uncertain circumstances. And she described learning as her primary vocation, her particular talent and her calling.

Peer reviews of Liz’s teaching noted her pedagogical creativity and inclusiveness as an instructor. One faculty colleague said she actively cultivates a nurturing educational environment in which interpersonal relationships are rooted in openness, respect and integrity. Another called her a dedicated educator who will do whatever it takes to help a course, student or assignment succeed.

In the words of Department of English Chair John McCombe: “Dr. Mackay is equally at home teaching Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and touchstone works in classical rhetoric as she is engaging students in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in courses focused on faith and popular culture.”

Her impact as a teacher has led to nearly a dozen invited presentations for teaching conferences and colloquia since 2021 alone.

Liz’s students said she is not just a teacher, but a mentor and role model. In her consistently positive evaluations, students called her an extremely helpful and compassionate professor who cares deeply about her students. They also praised her for allowing them to express their thoughts about what they learned in class.

Serena LaBello, a student who worked with Liz during a summer writing internship, said: “Through her teaching methods, she has taught me how to be a more effective writer, researcher and English student.”

Alumnus Jamel Gross-Cassel ’20,  who was installed onto UD’s Board of Trustees in 2025, first met Liz as a student in the Core program. As he recalled, “While listening to Dr. Mackay’s seminars one thing stood out to me the most: It was abundantly clear that she cared. She taught with high expectations for her students but left no voice unheard and no student unseen.”

Liz became Jamel’s mentor, a relationship that carried into Jamel’s time in law school and continues even now in his role as a judicial law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City.

Beyond the classroom, Liz was one of the few non-chairs to be invited by the Provost’s Office to participate in the time-sensitive and impactful curricular work to redesign the Humanities seminars in 2024-25. She also was nominated by the Humanities chairs to assume the leadership role as Humanities Seminar implementation leader in 2025-26.

For her sustained commitment to teaching excellence and her transformative impact on student learning, the College is pleased to recognize Dr. Elizabeth Ann Mackay with the Outstanding Teaching Award for 2026.

The 2026 faculty award for outstanding scholarship and research in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Dr. Steve Bein in the Department of Philosophy.

Steve is a co-recipient of the award with Christopher Devine in the Department of Political Science.

Steve holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. He joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2015 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2018.

Steve is a leading expert in the field of Asian philosophy, and an impressive public philosopher who brings deep philosophical ideas to a general reading audience.

As an academic, Steve publishes in the fields of Japanese philosophy, Buddhism, environmental ethics and the ethics of compassion. As a public philosopher, he works in the overlap of philosophy and popular culture, making philosophy accessible to a lay audience and empowering that audience to wrestle with concepts and principles that might otherwise be intangible.

Steve’s first book, Purifying Zen, is a translation with commentary of modern Japanese philosopher Watsuji Tetsurō’s landmark study of the 13th-century Zen master Dōgen Kigen. His translation required linguistic command of both modern and medieval Japanese and is considered the definitive English version.

After Purifying Zen, six editors — all eminent scholars — invited Steve to contribute chapters to their volumes on Watsuji, Dōgen and Japanese philosophy on a larger scale, along with a who’s who of contemporary Japanese philosophy scholars. As Roger Ames, Humanities Chair Professor at Peking University, put it: “If he can be judged by the company he keeps, he is in that same league.”

Three flagship journals in Asian philosophy also recognize Steve’s expertise by sending him articles for peer review.

Steve’s second book, Compassion and Moral Guidance, examined the virtue of compassion in Eastern and Western moral discourses, and argued persuasively that contemporary ethics would do well to pay more attention to compassion.

Since arriving at UD, Steve has published seven scholarly articles and book chapters; 20 articles in books on philosophy and popular culture; a book review; and an encyclopedia article. He has two more scholarly articles or book chapters under review, and he is working on a third book titled The Buddha’s Bicycle.

In addition to his prolific rate of publications, Steve has given 16 conference talks since 2015, as well as multiple invited talks at universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Steve’s contributions on pop culture and philosophy touch on topics ranging from Star Wars and LEGO blocks to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Steve’s Disney-inspired chapter, Zen and the Art of Imagineering, has now appeared in three different volumes, each with a readership a thousand times larger than that of an average academic article.

In the words of Graham Parkes, professorial research fellow and professor emeritus at the University of Hawai’i: “These writings for a readership beyond the academy perform the valuable service of getting people not only to think about philosophy but also to think philosophically about ‘real-world’ issues.”

For the scope, reach and quality of his research, which places him among the top scholars in his field, the College is pleased to recognize Dr. Steve Bein with the Outstanding Scholarship Award for 2026.

The 2026 faculty award for outstanding scholarship and research in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Dr. Christopher Devine in the Department of Political Science.

Chris is a co-recipient of the award with Steve Bein in the Department of Philosophy.

Chris holds a Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University. He joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2016 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2022.

Chris is recognized by academic peers and journalists alike as a leading expert on vice-presidential candidates and electoral campaigns. He consistently asks questions that matter not only to scholars, but to citizens seeking to understand how American democracy actually functions.

A prolific scholar, Chris has published seven books with leading academic presses, as well as nine book chapters, 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 30 articles for general audiences.

His work is methodologically sophisticated, theoretically grounded and consistently focused on questions of genuine importance to the study of American politics. As a result, his work is widely read, frequently cited and influential in shaping how scholars conceptualize campaign behavior and electoral dynamics.

Andrew Reeves, professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis, said Chris’ 2020 book Do Running Mates Matter? The Influence of Vice-Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections, co-written with Kyle Kopko, has become a central reference point in the literature on vice-presidential politics and has reshaped both scholarly and public discussions on the topic.

Dr. Reeves said Chris’ 2024 monograph, I’m Here to Ask for Your Vote: How Presidential Campaign Visits Influence Voters, is “well on its way to becoming the definitive book on campaign appearances and stands as one of the most important recent contributions to the study of campaign strategy.”

As of February 2026, Chris’ research has been cited 525 times according to Google Scholar, which UD Department of Political Science Chair Nancy Martorano Miller said is an impressive record for a scholar at this stage of his career and clear evidence of sustained impact within the discipline.

Chris’ books are regularly adopted in undergraduate courses, which is a testament to their clarity and pedagogical value. In addition, his peers recently chose him to serve as the 2026 Division Chair of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents and Executive Politics section.

Journalists rely heavily on Chris’ expertise. In 2024 alone, he conducted more than 200 print, television and radio interviews for major media outlets including The Atlantic, The Guardian, USA Today, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, C-SPAN, NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and BBC News. The PBS series American Experience invited him to serve on a panel alongside celebrated historian Michael Kazin for the release of its documentary on the American vice presidency.

In the words of Meagan Pant, associate director of UD News and Communications: “Chris sees these appearances as a public service, using his research to help regular people separate fact from fiction and understand what actually matters in an election.”

For his sustained scholarly excellence, extraordinary productivity and clear commitment to advancing knowledge in ways that meaningfully serve both the academic community and the broader public, the College is pleased to recognize Dr. Christopher Devine with the Outstanding Scholarship Award for 2026.

The 2026 faculty award for outstanding service in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Dr. Art Busch in the Department of Mathematics.

Art holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado at Denver. He joined the University of Dayton faculty in 2006 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2012.

Art’s sustained, high-impact service during his 20 years at UD has touched nearly every aspect of student and faculty life. His contributions have improved curricula, expanded student support, strengthened faculty governance and enhanced the academic environment across the University.

One of Art’s most significant contributions was leading the development and implementation of online skills tests for mathematics, physical science and engineering majors. These tests measure students’ mastery of essential calculus skills to ensure that they are enrolled in courses aligned with their preparation and positioned for success. The tests are now a standard and highly effective component of the calculus curriculum.

In addition, Art spearheaded the Department of Mathematics’ adoption of free and open-source textbooks for the calculus sequence. This initiative saves students and the University several thousands of dollars each year while maintaining academic quality. He also created Canvas course templates that integrate these zero-cost materials with a robust set of homework exercises delivered through a no-cost online system, reducing barriers to student access.

Art was instrumental in establishing the Math Help Center, which supports students in most of the department’s 100- and 200-level courses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Art and several colleagues launched an online support system for students that later evolved into a permanent, in-person resource center staffed by student employees and faculty volunteers.

Art co-directed the center on a volunteer basis for several years, until funding was secured for a permanent director. The Math Help Center is now a cornerstone of student academic support in mathematics.

As a member of the College’s Science Center Renovation Steering Committee, Art played a key role in the renovation and redesign of the third floor of Sherman Hall to create informal study spaces with whiteboards that are now heavily used by science and mathematics students.

Art’s contributions to the College and University include serving on the Academic Senate for four years and taking on the demanding role of Chair of the Faculty Affairs Subcommittee, where he led a comprehensive review and update of the University workload policy. He also served on, and chaired, the University Tenure and Promotion Committee; contributed to the Implementation Committee for the assessment of academic administrators; and served on the Common Academic Program Committee.

At the departmental level, Art has served on the Executive Committee on three occasions, including as Chair, where he led the effort resulting in the department policy on research-active faculty. He also played a key role in revising and rewriting the department’s Tenure and Promotion policy to align with newly adopted University and College standards.

For his innovative and impactful service, particularly in strengthening the learning environment and support structures for STEM students, the College is pleased to recognize Dr. Art Busch with the Outstanding Service Award for 2026.

The 2026 faculty award for outstanding contribution by a full-time professional faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences is awarded to Gregory Kennedy, senior lecturer and media specialist-in-residence in the Department of Communication.

Greg holds a Master of Arts degree in communication from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and creative writing from the University of Tennessee. He joined the UD faculty in fall 2014 as an adjunct instructor and was hired into a professional faculty position in spring 2015 as media specialist-in-residence. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 2021.

Department of Communication Chair Chad Painter said Greg exemplifies the integrations of the three pillars of academic life, demonstrating how exceptional teaching, meaningful creative production and dedicated service reinforce one another to create transformative experiences for students and significant contributions to our institution and the broader community.

Greg teaches a wide variety of media production and communication courses, from introductory survey courses through advanced production classes, illustrating his versatility and creative expertise. He developed nine of these courses, helping to build and expand the media production concentration’s curriculum and creating pathways for students to develop sophisticated technical and creative skills.

His leadership of UD’s undergraduate documentary filmmaking program has yielded exceptional outcomes. Students in the yearlong experiential learning course have produced 10 short documentaries about Dayton-area issues and history, all of which have been nominated for regional student Emmy Awards. Four of those films won first-place Emmys, with another taking the award for best editing.

As media-specialist-in-residence, Greg produces promotional videos highlighting College programs and initiatives, including the Human Rights Center, Statehouse Civic Scholars and the Discover program. In 2024, Greg proposed turning these video projects into a new media production course, which now provides students with real-world experience in the development, production and delivery of professional corporate video content.

Greg also maintains an active professional creative practice through the Trinity Film Group and Flyer Media. He played a key role as editor of the documentary Legacy of Success: The History of University of Dayton Football. He also has produced videos for community organizations such as the Junior League of Cincinnati, Longfellow Commons Community and United Church Homes.

His University service includes numerous search and advisory committees, as well as dedicating a week every spring to accompanying senior media production students on the annual Flyers in Hollywood trip, which connects students with alumni and professionals in the entertainment industry.

Greg’s passion for teaching and dedication to his students earned him the 2018 Ellen M. Murphy Award for Outstanding Faculty Advisor in the Department of Communication.

Media production alumna and current graduate student Hayden Parsons called Greg one of the most influential professors in her academic career at UD.

In Hayden’s words, “Greg ignited my passion for storytelling and guided me toward a future in media. He has an extraordinary ability to recognize potential in his students, even when they do not yet see it in themselves. His commitment, compassion and belief in his students make him truly deserving of this recognition.”

For his deep commitment to experiential learning, collaborative leadership and sustained engagement in service to the UD community, the College is pleased to recognize Greg Kennedy with the Outstanding Contribution by a Professional Faculty Member Award for 2026.