Chancellor’s Distinguished Faculty Award Lectures Celebrate Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
UMass Boston showcased three faculty members for their outstanding contributions to teaching, scholarship, and service at the 14th annual Chancellor’s Distinguished Faculty Award Lectures in November.
The event featured presentations by Professor of Nursing Suha Ballout, Professor and Director of the Asian American Studies Program Peter Kiang, and Professor and Chair of Nursing Laura Hayman, who were originally honored during the 2024 commencement ceremony in May. Each honoree gave a talk highlighting the significance of the award and their work.
“The lectures showcase our singular ability to bring together people or perspectives around innovative research endeavors and exceptional educational programs to serve the common good,” said Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco.
Provost Joseph Berger emphasized the importance of leveraging faculty expertise to drive meaningful change.
“In the face of very real challenges, we do have a responsibility to use our talents as a platform for continuous improvement, but for it to be constructive agents of change,” Berger said.
Watch the distinguished faculty lectures.
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching
Nursing professor Dr. Suha Ballout earned the award for distinguished teaching for her work promoting accessibility and innovative learning in the classroom. In her lecture, Ballout spoke of using teaching as a force for social justice, drawing on her experience growing up in war-torn Beirut.
“My dad made education non-negotiable even during the darkest times of war,” Ballout shared. “Education was not merely about acquiring knowledge, but building our spirits and fortifying our minds.”
This notion influenced Ballout’s own approach toward teaching. She emphasized the value of creating an inclusive learning environment for students to not only gain knowledge but also develop their multicultural sensitivity and empathy, promoting equity in healthcare. “Learning is an act of resistance and resilience, and in many ways that's the way to go,” Ballout said.
“My teaching philosophy centers on creating classrooms that are as inclusive as they are rigorous,” Ballout explained. “I strive to ensure that every student, regardless of background, feels seen, valued and empowered.”
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Scholarship
Peter Kiang, professor and director of the Asian American Studies Program, has been teaching at UMass Boston since 1987. In his lecture, Kiang highlighted the importance of connecting scholarship with community engagement.
“Our Asian American studies program participates directly in local community history-making while we also continually document, preserve and teach these histories intergenerationally with students and alumni, who contextually connect in their own ways to make meaning and new histories themselves,” Kiang said.
Kiang shared how the program actively contributes to local activism while integrating these contributions into the curriculum as a way to empower students while honoring the past.
“We ground our program not only in the complex realities of war, trauma, and loss, but also with urgent visions of education for rebuilding, healing, transforming our core pedagogies of life and death with refugees and veterans,” Kiang explained.
This year, Kiang became the first person to receive the high honor of being the recipient of the chancellor’s awards in all three categories of faculty achievement: distinguished teaching in 2007, service in 2010 and scholarship in 2024.
Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service
Dr. Laura Hayman, professor at the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, reflected on her lifelong commitment to service, emphasizing the power of empathy, continued learning and resilience.
“We have to focus on hope and a sense of optimism as well as action,” Hayman said. “We must commit ourselves to solving problems and resolving conflicts.”
She highlighted the important role of service when addressing global challenges.
“We must counter the policies and actions that will be adverse and affect populations, particularly our vulnerable populations," Hayman said, emphasizing the responsibility of healthcare workers to advocate for equity in their work.
Hayman underscored the need for adaptability in addressing emerging challenges in healthcare. Her reflections included insights from her career in nursing and health leadership.
“Service is rewarding,” Hayman said. “We learn from those experiences, and we're delighted to see the consumers of those services being fulfilled and rewarded.”