2018 President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service

Portrait of Harald Vaessin

Harald Vaessin

Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics
College of Arts and Sciences


Harald Vaessin has had an impressive array of teaching and research accomplishments at The Ohio State University, and his standout commitment to service at the departmental, college and university levels exemplifies the university’s mission.

Vaessin has contributed immensely to undergraduate education and recruitment in his department, advising molecular genetics undergraduate students and serving as chair of the undergraduate student recruitment committee. He has played a central role in curriculum development through his service on the curriculum committee, and in the past participated in graduate student recruitment. Writes a colleague, “[Harald has] become a trusted source of information and guidance for many. In the department we refer to him as the ‘oracle’ for university policies and procedures.”

The College of Arts and Sciences has benefitted from Vaessin’s longtime service on a number of committees involved with the curriculum review process. Another colleague shares, “Harald consistently pursues the delicate balance between academic program integrity and fairness to the students; he is truly a champion for both, but at the same time he is an artist at finding the proper balance between them. The educational experience for students across the College of Arts and Sciences is better as a result of Harald’s efforts.”

Vaessin has earned the respect of his colleagues across campus through his service on University Senate, where he is currently serving his fourth term. In addition to the many leadership positions he has held as a senator, he has also served on the Committee for Academic Misconduct, the Committee for Academic Freedom and Responsibility, the Presidential Search Committee and other service roles.

Vaessin holds a PhD from the University of Cologne, Germany. His research focuses on how cell proliferation and terminal differentiation is regulated during neurogenesis and later in adult life.

Portrait of Susan Hadley

Susan Hadley

Professor and Chair, Department of Dance
College of Arts and Sciences


Since joining Ohio State’s faculty in 1990, Susan Hadley has dedicated herself to the mission of the university, including committing herself to numerous service opportunities that advance excellence in the Department of Dance and beyond.

Hadley has served as chair of the department since 2015, and before that, chaired the undergraduate studies program and served on the semester conversion committee. Other service includes the faculty search committee, promotion and tenure committee and more.

She steps up when needed, such as when she served as pro tem director for the School of Music’s promotion and tenure meetings during the 2016-17 academic year. Writes her colleague, “To my mind, Susan is exactly the type of professor for whom this award was created. She always goes several steps above and beyond whatever is asked of her, is unfailingly friendly in her interactions with other faculty and staff, and continues to provide distinguished service to this university whenever she is called upon.”

Hadley has built a reputation for thoughtful contributions that advance new ways of thinking. Says another colleague, “Her contributions are always thoughtful and respectful in her appeal to be inclusive of all modes of academic inquiry. In particular, she guided conversation and made available to the full committee a set of very useful documents to expand knowledge and understanding of ‘design thinking.’”

While maintaining her service obligations at the university, Hadley has continued to be a strong arts collaborator in the community as well; for example, she choreographed the award-winning Drums Downtown production for several years.

Hadley received her MA in dance from Ohio State after earning a BS in physical education from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Portrait of Jim Cogdell

Jim Cogdell

Professor, Department of Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences


Jim Cogdell’s contributions to the Department of Mathematics and the university overall span almost every aspect of faculty responsibility, from serving on budget, promotion and tenure, and external review committees to promoting diversity by mentoring underrepresented minorities enrolled in the department’s summer program. But it is Cogdell’s personal commitment to strengthening the departmental atmosphere that sets his service apart.

Writes a colleague: “Several years ago, Jim helped protect a junior faculty member who felt bullied by a senior faculty member at a research seminar. We worked out a strategy which required Jim to attend and oversee this seminar regularly, although the seminar is not directly in his field of research. What Jim did is courageous.”

Cogdell’s dedication has also contributed to the betterment of the university. He is currently chair of the Senate Fiscal Committee and serves on the Faculty Cabinet and University Research Committee. He has chaired the Arts and Sciences College Oversight Committee, served on the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, the Provost’s Ad-hoc Committee on Faculty Rewards and more. He has, says a colleague, “an unfailing commitment to the principles of peer review and shared governance, with an admirable ability to keep meetings and initiatives on track and with a genuine sense of curiosity about and commitment to the advancement of the university as a whole.”

Cogdell is a first-rate scholar in the field of number theory. He received his PhD and BS from Yale University.

Nominations                    Previous Winners