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Michele Cascardi, professor of psychology, Betty Kollia, professor of communication disorders, and Bruce Diamond, professor of psychology, were honored as the recipients of the 2018 Faculty Excellence Awards, which were presented during the University’s 2018 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on May 18 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The three honorees were recognized by Provost Warren Sandmann, who read their citations and presented the awards. Michele Cascardi, professor of psychology, received the 2018 Faculty Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Expression Award; Betty Kollia, professor of communication disorders, received the 2018 Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and Bruce Diamond, professor of psychology, received the 2018 Faculty Excellence Award for Service. The awards were instituted in 2004 to recognize faculty achievement and contributions as the University celebrates the success of students at their graduation.Cascardi is a researcher and scholar whose work in clinical psychology focuses on adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault on college campuses and contributes to finding solutions to these pressing social problems. Topics have ranged from understanding the link between child maltreatment and intimate partner violence to designing instruments that accurately measure aggression in romantic relationships. A prolific scholar who has published 56 peer-review articles and book chapters and delivered 92 academic presentations across her career, Cascardi has received more than $2 million in grant support for her work and most recently secured five grants, including a National Institute of Justice grant and a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development award. These grants support graduate research assistantships for doctoral students in clinical psychology. A consultant in her field, an academic reviewer, and a spokesperson in the media on issues of teen anxiety and violence, Cascardi serves on various committees at William Paterson, mentors student research, and is graduate director of the PsyD program in clinical psychology. She is a graduate of Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and election to Phi Beta Kappa, and holds a master’s degree in psychology and PhD in clinical psychology, both from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. She was a pre-doctoral clinical psychology intern at Medical College of Pennsylvania at Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and a National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) post-doctoral fellow at the University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
Kollia is a speech language pathologist with expertise in speech and language sciences and disorders. Her research is interdisciplinary, ranging from autism spectrum disorders to bilingualism to stroke and dementia. Much of her teaching is also interdisciplinary and extends from the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences to others, such as the linguistics minor and the Honors College Cognitive Science Track. PKollia’s interdisciplinary teaching and research have led to the development of an inter-professional education component of three clinical disciplines (nursing, exercise physiology, and communication disorders) and to a successful Special Topics Honors Course in Psychology. She mentors student research across the disciplines, and has worked with students from fields such as psychology and music, in addition to her own students in communication disorders. She has guided over 60 master’s theses and research studies, and many have been presented in conferences nationwide. Her service for more than 15 years on her department’s curriculum committee further underscores her dedication to developing and teaching a sound curriculum for the nationally accredited program in communication disorders and sciences. She holds dual bachelor of arts degrees in art history and psychology as well as a bachelor of science in speech and hearing sciences from the University of Minnesota; a master of arts in speech language pathology from Hunter College, City University of New York; and a master of philosophy and PhD in speech science from The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.
Diamond is a psychology professor with expertise in the study of brain-behavior relationships. He serves the program and college in his commitment to developing curriculum and policy. He helped build the Honors College’s Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology Track, contributed to the early growth of the master’s program in clinical psychology and counseling, and helped conceptualize and usher the University’s doctoral program in clinical psychology through the approval process. He has chaired the Faculty Senate Graduate Policy Council since 2014 and served on and chaired the Technology Across the Curriculum Committee. Significantly, Diamond serves students, having mentored more than 80 students in the Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Lab and 30 thesis students in the Honors College, and currently mentors three doctoral students. His research students have won awards for their work, co-authored chapters, manuscripts, and numerous conference presentations, and many have gone on to graduate programs and successful careers. Diamond earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and sociology from The Ohio State University, a master’s in education and child development from Smith College, and a PhD in neuropsychology and psychophysiology from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Each honoree received a plaque, a citation, and a $1,000 award for professional development activities such as research assistance, conference attendance, training and travel.
