The awards, given annually since 2007, highlight exceptional faculty accomplishments. The honorees (listed below) receive a $4,000 stipend for Excellence in Teaching awards, the Excellence in Service award, and the Excellence in Professional Achievement award.
Christopher Moffatt - moffatt@sfsu.edu
Excellence in Teaching Award (Tenured Faculty):
Dr. Chris Moffatt grew up in Toronto, Canada, and received his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology at the University of Toronto, then earned his PhD in Psychology at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore. At Johns Hopkins, he received a graduate-student distinguished teaching award, and in turn, was given the opportunity to design and teach a psychology class. The class he developed, Nature versus Nurture, explored how biology and experience interact in the development of behavior. He also taught Physiology and Behavior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, before being hired at SF State in 1998. Since then, he has taught nine different Biology classes – most often BIOL 330: Human Sexuality (a course developed by Bernie Goldstein, a former Biology professor at SF State and former Sonoma State University Provost). The course’s goal is to dispel misconceptions about sexuality, and provide students with a solid grounding in the biology of sexuality.
The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee is pleased to recognize Professor Moffatt with SF State’s Excellence in Teaching (Tenured) award.
Mark Sigmon - msigmon@sfsu.edu
Excellence in Teaching Award (Lecturer):
Dr. Mark Sigmon, a Lecturer in the Department of History, was hired in 1995 to teach just one course – typical of the lecturers’ path. A few years later, in own words, he was “teaching five classes at State and enjoying myself immensely.” Most often, he teaches History of the U.S. since Reconstruction; History of California; and History of Baseball: a class developed by Dr. Jules Tygiel, a long-time professor of the Department of History.
Professor Sigmon is dedicated not only to teaching, but to helping students in crisis. He consistently goes to great lengths to keep them from abandoning their studies. With his patient guidance, they continue their academic pursuits. In that same spirit of dedication, he served three years as an Academic Senator, and as a member of the Academic Senate’s Faculty Affairs Committee.
The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee is pleased to recognize Professor Sigmon with SF State’s Excellence in Teaching (Lecturer) award.
Zheng-Hui He - zhe@sfsu.edu
Excellence in Professional Achievement Award:
Dr. Zheng-Hui He, a professor of Biology, joined our campus in 1998. Having come from a background of impoverishment, and with the goal of reducing hunger, Dr. He discovered two gene families essential to plant growth and development, and co-discovered a way to potentially increase rice yield by 27%.
He has also been working with colleagues in the Department of Chemistry, to help decontaminate waters with harmful algae. Moreover, he has procured $3.2 million in external funding, including through a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
He has served, too, as a regular reviewer for various granting agencies (the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, among others), as well as for scientific journals. Similarly, he is currently the editor of the journal Molecular Plant, which he helped found, and which is one of the leading Plant Science journals. Along with these duties, He continues to publish impactful peer-reviewed papers in his field.
The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee is pleased to recognize Professor He with SF State’s Excellence in Professional Achievement award.
Marcia Raggio - mraggio@sfsu.edu
Excellence in Service Award:
Dr. Marcia Raggio received her Bachelor’s and Masters of Science degrees in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University, and her PhD in Auditory Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Raggio is a Professor of Audiology, and the Audiology Clinic Coordinator in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program at SF State, where she has been a faculty member since 1995.
In addition, Dr. Raggio is the past President of the California Academy of Audiology, and currently serves as Chair of the Academic and Professional Standards Council of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Raggio also serves as the Vice-Chair of the California licensing board for the professions of Speech Pathology, Audiology, and Hearing Aid Dispensers. She was first appointed to the licensing board by Governor Gray Davis, and later by Governor Jerry Brown. She has also served under the administrations of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and currently under that of Governor Gavin Newsom. Moreover, Dr. Raggio has received the American Academy of Audiology President’s Award, and the California Academy of Audiology Leadership Award for Outstanding Service to the California Audiology Community.
Dr. Raggio, along with her collaborators at UCSF, has published a number of research articles regarding the representation of peripheral electrical stimulation (cochlear implants) on the organization of primary auditory cortex. She has given many research and policy presentations at state, national, and international venues. Her primary focus, for the last several years, was helping to develop and shepherd the passage of AB 2317, a bill that now allows the CSU to offer stand-alone Audiology Doctoral programs (AuD).
This is work done selflessly, wholly on behalf of others. The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee is pleased to recognize Professor Raggio with an Excellence in Service award.