Ten From UB Receive 1999 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Three faculty members, four professional staff members and three librarians at UB have received 1999 State University of New York Chancellor's Awards for Excellence from SUNY Chancellor John W. Ryan.

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching honors those who consistently have demonstrated superb teaching at the undergraduate, graduate or professional level. Recipients are Carrie Tirado Bramen, assistant professor of English; John Ringland, associate professor of mathematics, and Vijay C. Swamy, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biochemical Pharmacology.

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship recognizes "skill in librarianship; service to the campus, the university and to the field; scholarship and professional growth, and major professional achievements." Recipients are Ellen M. Gibson, associate dean for legal information services and director of the Charles B. Sears Law Library; Sharon A. Gray, associate librarian and head of reference and educational services in the Health Sciences Library, and Susan M. Neumeister, associate librarian and head of bibliographic control in University Libraries Central Technical Services.

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service honors performance excellence, "both within and beyond the position." Recipients are Judith C. Applebaum, associate director of the Office of Career Planning and Placement; Madison L. Boyce, director of student judiciary and ombudsman; Elias G. Eldayrie, assistant vice provost for enrollment management, and Pamela C. Jones, senior staff assistant in the School of Dental Medicine.

Carrie Tirado Bramen joined the UB Department of English faculty in 1994. She teaches courses on American pluralism and American literature, and has taught courses on U.S. Latino literature, Latino cultural theory and multicultural literature.

She was named an honorary member of the Golden Key National Honor Society in 1997 and received The Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Award from the Student Association in 1996.

Her publications include several journal articles and two forthcoming books: "The Uses Of Variety: Modern Americanism and the Quest for National Distinctiveness" and "Meat Culture: Dietetics and National Identity in the U.S., 1865-present."

Bramen lives in Buffalo.

John Ringland joined the UB Department of Mathematics in 1990. The author of several publications in refereed physics and mathematics journals, he has developed two computer software programs, including one that allows for the graphical exploration of mathematical relationships called "Dynamic Diagram" and one that acts as an experimental tool for topological surface dynamics.

Ringland was inducted into the Golden Key National Honor Society as an honorary member in 1997.

He lives in Buffalo.

Vijay C. Swamy has been teaching at UB since 1969. He has served as chair of the Department of Biochemical Pharmacology since 1993 and as director of undergraduate studies in the department since 1976.

His research interests include the analysis of receptor mechanisms, the sources and the role of calcium in smooth muscle responses, and drug action and vascular reactivity in normotensive and hypertensive states. He has authored numerous articles in scientific journals and has received several grants to pursue his research interests.

Swamy lives in Amherst.

Ellen M. Gibson, who holds the rank of associate librarian, has been a UB librarian since 1983. She has received the Anthony P. Grech Memorial Award from the Association of Law Libraries of Upstate New York and the Joseph L. Andrews Bibliographic Award from the American Association of Law Libraries for best reference book of 1988 for the first edition of her "New York Legal Research Guide" (William S. Hein & Co., Inc., Buffalo).

She recently published "New York Legal Research Guide 2d," a complete revision of the book's first edition and the first comprehensive legal-research guide on New York State, New York City and Indian law in New York State.

Gibson, who also is a professor of law, teaches "Environmental Legal Research" in the UB Law School. She was named Environmentalist of the Year by the Buffalo Audubon Society in 1996.

She resides in Buffalo.

Sharon A. Gray began her UB career at the Health Science Library in 1992. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and a book, "Health of Native People of North America: A Guide to Resources" (Scarecrow Press, 1996).

She was named a distinguished member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals by the Medical Library Association and received the Bright Idea Award for diversity initiatives in the University Libraries Peer Recognition Program in 1994.

Gray lives in Orchard Park.

Susan M. Neumeister began her UB career as a graduate assistant in the Health Sciences Library while pursuing her master's degree in library studies at UB. Now head of bibliographic control and receipts in the acquisitions department, she coordinates all activities related to the pre-order and order process for materials in all formats for the University Libraries.

She is the author of numerous journal articles and received an award from OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers in 1997.

Neumeister is a resident of Williamsville.

Judith C. Applebaum, who came to UB in 1986, has managed placement services connecting thousands of students, alumni and employers through campus recruitment, resume referral and vacancy-listing services. She has received numerous awards for excellence in career planning and placement, including two for innovative programs from the American Association for Employment in Education.

She pioneered the comprehensive, award-winning, UB Career Service Home Page that made UB among the first institutions in New York State to initiate and implement a state-of-the-art, Internet-based, career office system. She also founded the UB Alumni Mentor Program with the Office of Alumni Relations, which aids hundreds of students and graduates with career exploration and has been expanded to include faculty, staff and employers.

Applebaum is a resident of Williamsville.

Madison L. Boyce joined UB in 1968 as head of the residence-life office and held that position until 1990, when he assumed his current position as director of judicial affairs/ombudsman. In this capacity, he helps students and other members of the university community with judicial problems using a mediation-based system.

Some of his accomplishments are the successful restructuring of UB's judicial system and the creation of UB's community-service program in which 550 students participate annually.

He is a former president of the College Student Personnel Association's New York State Division and received outstanding service and leadership awards from the organization in 1984 and 1985.

Boyce lives in East Aurora.

Elias G. Eldayrie, who joined the UB professional staff in 1993, currently oversees the entire operation of Student Finances and Records, which includes the offices of Records and Registration, Financial Aid, Student Services Center, Student Accounts and Information Technology.

He also teaches courses in organizational behavior and administration in the UB School of Management, where he received his master's degree in business administration in 1997.

Eldayrie lives in Kenmore.

Pamela C. Jones, who has been a UB staff member since 1979, currently works as assistant to Dean Louis J. Goldberg of the School of Dental Medicine, where she serves in the capacities of personnel administrator, budget manager, office manager and liaison to the university and to professional associations.

Jones, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in microbiology from UB, has focused much of her research on the immunopathology of psoriasis.

She lives in Tonawanda.