DANBURY, Connecticut — Three faculty members of Western Connecticut State University recently received 2022-23 Faculty Awards from the Connecticut Board of Regents (BOR).
Dr. Jeanette Lupinacci, a Danbury native who now resides in Brookfield, received one of three campus-based BOR Teaching Awards; Dr. Anna Malavisi, who lives in Ridgefield, received one of four campus-based BOR Research Awards; and Adjunct Professor Jean K. Robinson, who resides in Bridgewater, received the system-wide BOR Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award and was a campus-based BOR Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award nominee.
“These prestigious awards reflect the highest acknowledgment of our faculty’s work,” said WCSU’s Interim President, Dr. Paul B. Beran. “Dr. Lupinacci, in addition to her recognized teaching skills, is also chair of Nursing and can claim much of the credit for that strong and thriving department. Dr. Malavisi reaches our students with imaginative and energetic teaching of Philosophy, based largely on her research. And Professor Robinson’s work demonstrates the value of attracting as teachers those people who have been extremely successful in private enterprise and wish to bring their experience and knowledge to our students,” he noted.
In total, 15 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) faculty members earned awards from the Board of Regents. These teaching awards are presented to faculty from each of the four state universities, Charter Oak and the 12 community colleges. Awards focus on exemplary teaching, research and scholarly excellence. The Board of Regents is responsible for the governance of the public college and university system, and holds broad responsibilities for development and coordination of statewide higher education policy.
Lupinacci, chair of the Department of Nursing since 2018 and also undergraduate coordinator and faculty member, was formerly a visiting assistant professor and adjunct professor in the department. She also teaches courses in the graduate and Ed.D. in Nursing Education programs. Lupinacci is a graduate of WCSU, earning her Master’s in Nursing – Clinical Nurse Specialist Track in 2004, and her two children attend WCSU. “I am humbled to be nominated by my peers and accepted by WCSU and the Board of Regents for this award. I absolutely love working at Western Connecticut State University!” said Lupinacci. “I am proud to be an educator for nursing at the university, and I love working with my colleagues in the Nursing Department. We love to help our students learn, use technology to practice their skills, and we set the bar high so that they are safe practitioners when they graduate. We have an excellent pass rate for our undergraduates that we are all proud of, and since I have been here, we have never had a NCLEX pass rate below 92 %. I also love working with our undergraduate and graduate students in our nursing programs because they are all so diverse, work hard and are able to adjust quickly when transitioning to practice,” she noted.
Malavisi has taught courses in Philosophy on social and political thought, environment and climate change, feminist philosophy and peace and justice for six years at WCSU. She is also a member of several committees, including the General Education Committee, the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum and Standards (CUCAS) and the Jane Goodall Center at WCSU, as well as the e-board of the UndocuAlly Task Force and the Racial Justice Coalition. Her research comprises the analysis and critique of ideas and putting forward new ideas. Malavisi recently published the book “Global Development, Ethics, Epistemic Injustice: Rethinking Theory and Practice.” Of her award, Malavisi said, “I’m thankful to my colleagues Stuart Dalton and Carina Bandhauer for believing in what I do and supporting my nomination. Working at WCSU has given me the opportunity to continue with my research, which has been driven by my teaching which, of course, includes the students. So, I’m also thankful to WCSU and students in my classes.”
Robinson, an adjunct faculty member since 2016, teaches Corporate Finance and Personal Finance in WCSU’s Ancell School of Business. She is also the Chair for the Finance Department Advisory Board. “I am honored to have received this recognition from the Board of Regents,” Robinson said, adding that, “Teaching at WCSU has given me the opportunity to share what I have learned over the course of my Finance career. Those ‘light bulb moments’ I see in students’ eyes have been very gratifying, and I continue to learn from students as well.” Robinson, a former corporate banker, has served as CFO, COO and President at various companies during her 39 year career in finance and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.