On Tuesday, May 12, John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost at the University of Notre Dame, announced the winners of the 2026 University faculty awards.
“This year’s faculty award recipients represent the very best of Notre Dame through their outstanding achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service,” McGreevy said. “Their work strengthens our academic community and furthers the University’s mission as a leading global Catholic research institution.”
Ernest Davis Morrell, the Coyle Professor of Literacy Education and professor of English and Africana studies, was posthumously awarded the 2026 President's Award. The award recognizes pioneering and visionary achievements in research, public impact, and/or creative endeavors that advance University goals.
Throughout his career, Morrell led intellectually ambitious, socially consequential work centered on a humanistic vision of education. He was a titan in the fields of literacy education, critical media literacy, and youth participatory action research. His work offered a liberatory vision of literacy, one rooted in the dignity of the human person and committed to reimagining the relationship between students and texts. Professor Morrell consistently situated literacy as a vehicle for expanded agency and quality of life. In his scholarship, literacy was a matter of social justice, essential to individuals’ ability to access information, exercise informed citizenship, and participate fully in civic and cultural life; and as a means through which young people’s voices are made powerful.
He was recognized at the highest levels of scholarly distinction, including as a member of the National Academy of Education, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and as past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. His impact was also powerfully witnessed by the “family tree” of scholars he cultivated. Embracing the fundamental responsibility that lies at the heart of all scholarship–advancing knowledge in the search for truth–his work transformed the classroom into a site of profound formation, preparing the next generation to lead with both intellectual rigor and a steadfast commitment to the common good.
Morrell died Feb. 4 after a long battle with cancer. He was 54.
Karen Richman, professor of the practice and director of undergraduate studies at the Institute for Latino Studies, was awarded the Dockweiler Award for Excellence in Advising.
The Dockweiler Awards recognize excellence in academic advising as a vital component of the Notre Dame student experience. Richman was honored for her outstanding mentorship of students and colleagues, her contributions to Latino studies, and her leadership in building academic programs that advance the University’s mission and enrich students’ education.
Since becoming director of undergraduate studies in 2010, Richman has expanded the Institute for Latino Studies’ programs from 17 students to more than 100, including the institute’s largest graduating class to date in 2025. She has directed 28 senior theses and helped establish an annual senior thesis presentation event for students and faculty. She has also been a faculty fellow with the Kellogg Institute for International Studies since 2002.
Students praised Richman as “an invaluable mentor” whose teaching and advising inspire them “to pursue my passions and fascinations.” She also serves as faculty advisor to student organizations including the Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy and the Caribbean Student Association.
Notre Dame recognized Richman as a scholar whose teaching, mentorship, and research “mutually enrich one another” and whose work exemplifies “the power of real-world application from academic knowledge.”
Other 2026 University faculty award winners are:
- Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Badih Assaf (Department of Physics and Astronomy), Juan Del Valle (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry), and Roya Ghiaseddin (Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics)
- Research Achievement Award: Peter Garnavich (Department of Physics and Astronomy), Eric Jumper (Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering), and Jennifer Tank (Department of Biological Sciences)
- Hesburgh Legacy Award: Gerard F. Powers (Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies)
- Dockweiler Awards for Excellence in Advising: Maria Holland (Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering), and Gina V. Shropshire (Mendoza College of Business)
- Faculty Award: Christopher Kolda (Department of Physics and Astronomy)
- Rev. Paul J. Foik, C.S.C., Award: Mark Robison (Hesburgh Libraries)
- Thomas P. Madden Award: Giuseppe Mazzone (School of Architecture)
Coordinated by the Office of the Provost, the annual University faculty awards recognize excellence in research, teaching, and service to the University; signal milestone accomplishments and contributions across the disciplines; and celebrate outstanding members of the Notre Dame community.
Learn more about the awards and read the citations for this year's winners at provost.nd.edu/awards.
Originally published by at provost.nd.edu on May 12, 2026.