Kettering University celebrated its faculty and staff members during the annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony Dec. 5.

University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan; Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts Dr. Babak Elahi; Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Scott Grasman; Director of Human Resources Rob Blosser; and Vice President for Kettering Global Dr. Christine Wallace presented the awards. The ceremony also celebrated faculty and staff members for their years of service to the University. 

“Today, we are proud to recognize and thank you, our colleagues, for the excellent work you do to contribute to our deep commitment to shared growth,” McMahan said.

Recipients earned awards for service, teaching, research and fellowship as well as the highly anticipated True Kettering Staff Awards and the Bulldog Award.

McMahan selects the Bulldog Award to recognize a staff member who brings excellence to their work, goes beyond what is asked of them, volunteers their time and talents, and takes on extra projects to ensure the University achieves its goals.

Enza Sleva, Director of Co-op Operations, earned the Bulldog Award this year. 

Her colleagues called her “a consummate professional and a force of nature,” McMahan said. 

“She coaches and uplifts people to perform at their best,” he said. “She is highly collaborative and always willing to help a colleague.”

McMahan added Sleva is a savvy leader and an outstanding educator.

“She embodies our Kettering values and is a great example of excellence and integrity in practice,” he said.

Sleva joined the University in 2022. With more than 30 years of industry experience, her career spans the globe in marketing, operations, and client and employee experiences.

“I was so thrilled and humbled to be recognized for this wonderful award,” Sleva said. “It’s an amazing feeling!”

Her favorite things about working at Kettering, she said, are shaping the future of students’ lives and the Kettering community.

“There is such a great sense of pride and passion for the work of creating tomorrow’s leaders,” Sleva said. “I am thrilled to be a part of this mission and to play a part in making a positive impact on such a special place.”

This year’s True Kettering winners are:

• Susan Davis-Lafeldt, Academic Advisor in the Academic Success Center
• Sam Klaskow, Director of the Academic Success Center
• Chris Nelson, Administrative Specialist in the Computer Science Department

Faculty Fellowship Awards worth $6,000 each went to five faculty members in support of specific research activities. The following faculty members received Fellowship Awards:

• Dr. Chen Duan, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for his proposal, “Research on Electric Vehicle Secondary Traction Motor with Switching DC Bus for Battery Module SOC and SOH Balancing”
• Dr. Wen-Chiao Lin, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for his proposal, “Resilient Control of Autonomous Ground Vehicles: A Case Study on Degradation in Brake Systems”
• Dr. Ping Ren, Assistant Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, for her proposal, “4D Printing of Shape Memory Polymers with Bioinspired Structures”
• Dr. Chinwe Tait, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for her proposal, “Investigation of Metal-oxide Nanosensors for Early Detection of Electric Vehicle Battery Failure”
• Dr. Rui Zhu, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, for his proposal, “Interpretable and Robust AI-based Misbehavior Detection in V2X Wireless Network”

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) sponsored three faculty awards related to outstanding teaching, educational sponsorship, innovative teaching and distinguished service. Nominations are solicited all year, and a committee of faculty and staff members selects the winners. This year’s winners are:

• Educational Scholar Award
  • Dr. Lihua Wang, Professor of Chemistry, who is part of a teaching module development program organized by the American Chemical Society-Green Chemistry Institute. The goal of the project is to include eco-friendly and sustainable chemistry and systems thinking in the core chemistry curriculum. Wang is working on two modules for General Chemistry: The Periodic Table and Chemical Kinetics.
• Outstanding Teaching Award
  • Dr. Javad Baqersad, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
  • Dr. David Foster, Associate Professor of Practice of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Dr. Christopher George, Assistant Teaching Professor of Mechanical Engineering
• Terrell Teaching Innovation Grant
  • Dr. Ron Kumon, Associate Professor of Physics, to develop a version of an introductory electricity and magnetism course and its associate lab that places the course material in the general context of wireless technology with an emphasis on amateur radio.

When faculty members receive their fourth award, a plaque featuring their photo is added to the faculty honor wall in the Great Court of the Campus Center. This year, a plaque will be added of Baqersad.

Dr. Gary Vance received the Kettering University Online Faculty of the Year award. Kettering University Online students, mentors and staff members submitted nominations for the honor.

“This instructor is able to seamlessly bridge the gap between the academic environment and the professional world,” one nomination stated.

Another nomination stated Vance’s method of teaching should “be the standard for all KUO courses.”

“On every paper, post or assignment, he provides two layers of feedback,” the student said. “The first layer is focused on what, if anything, needs to be improved from an academic perspective; the second, more important layer is what improvements could be made if this was being judged in a business setting.”

Special for this year, McMahan took a few minutes to recognize Betsy Homsher, Special Assistant to the President. Homsher has been with the University since 2002. During that time, she served as Dean of Students, Interim Vice President of University Marketing and Communications, and Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Accreditation Liaison. 

“Betsy’s unwavering commitment to education, her compassionate leadership and her tireless efforts to foster a positive and inclusive learning environment have left an indelible mark on the Kettering community,” McMahan said.  

In addition, Homsher founded the Lives Improve Through Engineering and Science (LITES) program, a two-week residential program for female students entering their senior year of high school. The program introduces students to what engineers and scientists do and how they improve people’s lives and find solutions to human problems using math, science and technology.

“As we reflect on Betsy’s many contributions to our University, it is clear that her impact on Kettering will continue to be felt far into the future,” McMahan said. “Betsy, I want to take this moment to express publicly my deepest thanks to you for your unwavering commitment to excellence in everything you did here, large or small.”