Faculty and Staff Notes

Dr. Richard Felder is an advocate for more effective teaching in engineering and science.

Felder To Be Honored

Dr. Richard M. Felder, the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will receive an honorary doctorate of engineering in May from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for his contributions to engineering and science education.

Felder has lobbied for more effective teaching methods in engineering and science, publishing more than 200 articles in the field. He co-directs the American Society for Engineering Education National Effective Teaching Institute and regularly conducts teaching effectiveness workshops at universities around the world.

His textbook, Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, co-written with former NC State professor Ronald Rousseau, was named in 2008 to the list of Groundbreaking Chemical Engineering Books by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at its centennial celebration. Felder holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University.

Roise Wins Service Award

Dr. Joseph P. Roise, professor of forestry in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, received the Appalachian Society of American Foresters’ 2009 Distinguished Service to Forestry award at the society's annual meeting in Greenville, N.C.

Kaltofen Named Computing Machinery Fellow

Dr. Erich Kaltofen, professor of mathematics, has been selected as a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society. He was selected for contributions to symbolic and algebraic computation, algebraic algorithms and complexity theory.

Kaltofen earned a B.S. in technical mathematics from Austria's Johannes Kepler Universithis and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined the NC State faculty in 1995 as a full professor.

University Awards for Excellence Open

Nominations are open for the 2010 University Awards for Excellence. Each year, units and colleges honor up to 48 employees who do not hold faculty rank. A committee selects five university-level winners from that group to be considered for the Governor’s Awards for Excellence.

College and unit award winners receive eight hours of time off and a $250 check. University-level winners are granted an additional eight hours of time off and an additional $250.To find out how to nominate an outstanding colleague, read the awards guidelines. Contact the coordinator for your unit for deadline information.

Check Your Paycheck

Please take time to review and verify your benefits deductions in your first paycheck of the year. You can review your payroll deductions online through MyPack Portal. Log in with your unity ID and password, then click on Employee Self Service.Under Payroll and Compensation, click on View Paycheck. If you find errors, omissions or issues with your benefits deductions, contact your assigned benefits consultant.

Brashear Leads Cooperative Education Group

Elizabeth Brashear, coordinator of Cooperative Education, is serving as president of the North Carolina Cooperative Education Association. The association includes members from industry, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.

Crossley Elected to Honor Society

Michelle Crossley, academic adviser in First Year College, has been elected to Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society for professional counselors, counselor educators and counseling students. Crossley is the 2009-10 treasurer for the Nu Sigma Chi chapter at NC State.

First Year College’s Student Publication Wins Award

The Brick, a student publication of First Year College, won a merit award from the Charlotte chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. Designers Alberto Rigau and Marty Maxwell Lane, graduate students in the College of Design, partnered with First Year College on the publication, which was distributed during convocation. First Year College students served as writers for the guide to NC State history, traditions and opportunities.

Take Part in Flex Account Survey

The Office of State Personnel wants to know what you think about the NCFlex benefit program. NCFlex provides coverage for dental, vision, cancer, critical illness, accidental death, term life and flexible spending accounts. You can access the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BSCLXRC or by visiting the NCFlex Web site, http://www.ncflex.org.