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The Honors College congratulates Dr. Blake Silver, Rabbi Bruce Aft, and Professor Maoria Kirker on receiving awards this year. These faculty members were recognized for their service to the University, their innovative courses, and the support they provide to students. Each of these faculty members reflects core Honors College: challenging students to consider other perspectives, and integrating explorations of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion in classrooms.
Professor Maoria Kirker, Dr. Blake Silver, and Rabbi Bruce Aft (left to right)
The George Mason Faculty Alumni Awards are given every year to a faculty member who graduated from Mason. Dr. Blake Silver received his Bachelor’s degree from Mason and his PhD from the University of Virginia. The Faculty Alumni Award is given to someone who has contributed to a culture of scholarship or community at Mason. According to Dr. John Woolsey, the Director of Faculty and Curriculum Development for the Honors College, Dr. Silver is particularly dedicated to his students. “From his first couple years as a faculty member, he took on quite a few students who did the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.” Whether in the classroom or through his support of co-curricular research opportunities, Dr. Silver works to increase student access to research and professional development experiences. Dr. Woolsey says, “It’s an award that is meant to recognize that many of our best faculty were also Mason students.”
The Honors College often invites independent scholars, professionals from a range of fields, and others with advanced expertise to instruct courses as adjunct faculty. These adjunct faculty, Dr. Woolsey notes, “want to connect with students, hear about their experiences, and to build relationships where they may mentor and work closely with them.” The Mason Adjunct Faculty Award recognizes that type of professor. “Our adjuncts bring a lot of diverse perspectives and opportunities for our students.”
Bruce Aft is a retired Rabbi and winner of this year’s Adjunct Faculty Award. When the Mason Hillel Community asked the Honors College to create a Judaic Studies course, Rabbi Aft took the lead. Connecting students with speakers from the Religious Studies Department and the Greater Washington area, Rabbi Aft's class broadens students’ understanding by introducing them to a variety of perspectives, covering a range of topics.
Maoria Kirker is this year’s Stearns Center Adjunct Award winner and the winner of Mason’s Distinguished Librarian Award. She has partnered with the Honors College for ten years, instructing Honors College for six of them. She teaches Honors 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry and also Honors 260: Access to Higher Education. Dr. Woolsey notes that both faculty and students who have worked with Professor Kirker consistently have positive experiences, noting also her leadership in the Honors College curriculum: “a lot of the best stuff that goes on in Principles of Research and Inquiry, she created.” This is the second time that Professor Kirker has won the Stearns Center Adjunct Award. Dr. Woolsey said, “Adjuncts in particular are bringing a lot of perspective and experiences to our students that [tenure track] faculty can’t necessarily bring all the time.”
Congratulations to Dr. Silver, Rabbi Aft, and Professor Kirker on receiving these awards.