Provost's Office

Each year the University awards the Lawrence A. Stessin Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication. This prize was established in the 1984/85 academic year to reward the scholarly efforts of junior faculty.

Dr. Stessin joined the Hofstra University faculty as a Professor of Management in 1958 and served continuously until his retirement in 1973. After graduation from the Columbia University School of Journalism, he worked at the New York Times and as a columnist and associate editor of Forbes Magazine. Dr. Stessin also published in a wide range of scholarly and academic media. During his lifetime and as part of his will, Dr. Stessin made substantial contributions to our University. His contribution to the endowment fund, which led to the establishment of the Stessin Prize, came with the expressed wish that the earnings from that gift be used as an incentive and reward for junior faculty who publish the results of their scholarly work.

For the timetable for the current academic year, please e-mail provostawards@hofstra.edu

Eligibility of Individuals

All full-time tenure-track Instructors, all full-time tenure-track Assistant Professors, all full-time tenure-track Associate Professors, and all Law School contract faculty and Physician Assistant clinical faculty in their first five years of employment at the time the work is published are eligible. Tenure designates are considered tenure track. Tenured faculty are ineligible. An individual must be employed by the University during the selection process and the work must indicate that the author is affiliated with Hofstra University.

Types of Publication

Books, monographs, journal articles and similar publications that appeared in print in calendar year prior to the award (e.g., 2020 for those awarded in the 2020/2021 academic year) are eligible. Reprints of oral presentations are excluded. The published work must identify the author as a Hofstra faculty member.

Selection Process

Each school, college, and the Library will establish a review committee of three tenured faculty members, not eligible for the award, who will review all submissions from their constituency. Each committee will rank their recommendations, recommend up to two publications, and forward those submissions to their respective Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Offices will submit their recommendation packets electronically to the Provost’s Office at provostawards@hofstra.edu for review by the Provost's Advisory Council, which will select the recipients of the awards.

Each spring, members of Hofstra’s current academic graduating classes help select the faculty members from each school and college who will receive the annual Teacher of the Year awards.  The faculty members selected receive an engraved plaque, recognition in the commencement program, and a monetary award.

In March, graduating students are invited to vote online for the faculty they feel are most deserving of recognition as distinguished teachers.  All faculty members who have taught a minimum of three (3) full years at Hofstra are eligible for the Teacher of the Year award.  A faculty member who receives the award will be removed from the ballot for the following four (4) years (i.e., excluded for one four-year academic cycle).  Once back on the ballot, the faculty member would be eligible for the Teacher of the Year Award after three (3) additional years.  Following this procedure, both potential first time and past Teacher of the Year recipients are treated equally.

2021-2022 Teacher of the Year Award Recipients

Syed Ahmad, MD (Second 100 Weeks)
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Acting Internship Director, Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Ann M. Burlein, PhD
Professor of Religion
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Susan M. DeMetropolis, PhD
Assistant Professor of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
School of Health Professions and Human Services

Carol T. Fletcher, MA
Associate Professor of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication

Kara L. Jaremko, PhD
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Mary C. Lemp, DNP
Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

Yi-Chin Lin, PhD
Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics
Frank G. Zarb School of Business

Kelly McMasters, MFA
Assistant Professor of English
School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Mark C. Niles, JD
Professor of Law
Maurice A. Deane School of Law

Gretchen Ostheimer, PhD
Professor of Computer Science
Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Amy Roberts, PhD, PA-C
Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

Joel Stern, PhD (First 100 Weeks)
Professor of Science Education, Molecular Medicine, Neurology, and Urology
Co-Course Director, Interacting with the Environment
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Eustace G. Thompson, PhD
Professor of Specialized Programs in Education
School of Education
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences