Two Westchester Community College Faculty Members Among First to Receive SUNY Awards 

Two faculty members from Westchester Community College recently received distinguished teacher and distinguished service awards from the State University of New York. This is the first time that such awards have been bestowed upon community college faculty members.

Dr. Iris Cook (Ridgefield, Connecticut) of the college’s Biology Department was appointed a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor while Dr. Frank Madden (Brewster, New York) of the English Department was appointed a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor.

The new designation represents the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a faculty member in the SUNY system. The recognition for the faculty members is in recognition of a level of “consistently extraordinary accomplishment” in service or teaching.

Cook was recognized for her service not only to the Westchester campus and the SUNY system, but also to the community, through “sustained effort in the application of intellectual skills drawing from the candidate’s scholarship and research interests to issues of public concern.” A graduate of Westchester Community College, she earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Bridgeport, and went on to earn a Ph. D. at Fordham University (Biological Sciences). She has taught in the Biology Department at Westchester Community College since 1971. She now serves as chair of that department. Cook has received a number of awards including a National Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Madden is Professor and Chair of the English Department of Westchester Community College and holds the Endowed Chair for English. He has a Ph. D. from New York University, has taught in graduate programs at CCNY, Iona College, and the New School for Social Research, and is a former chair of the National Council of Teachers of English College Section Institute on the Teaching of Literature. His articles, chapters, and commentary about the teaching of literature have appeared in a variety of books and journals. He is a recipient of both the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship.

December, 2006