Skip to content

Class of 2024

Honorary awards

The University of Rochester recognizes the outstanding contributions of several distinguished individuals and educators by presenting the institution’s highest honors for achievement and service as well as awards for scholarship and teaching during Commencement Weekend 2024.

University Honorary Degrees, Medals, and Awards

Honorary degrees

E. Michael Campbell: Honorary Doctor of Science

Michael Campbell directed the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics from 2017 to 2021, overseeing a period of record funding for the lab and a 20 percent increase in the number of staff at the facility, which is a national resource for research and education in science and technology. Over the course of a 40-plus-year career, Campbell has become an internationally known expert in inertial confinement fusion, high-energy-density physics, and high-powered lasers. As a scientific leader, he initiated the world’s largest laser, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Princeton University.

Laura L. Carstensen ’78: Honorary Doctor of Science

Laura Carstensen is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor in Public Policy at Stanford University, where she is the founder and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. An internationally recognized psychologist, she has led research to help dispel misconceptions about the well-being of older adults by focusing on the rich psychological lives of people as they age. She is the author of several books, including A Long Bright Future: Happiness, Health, and Financial Security in an Age of Increased Longevity. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Rochester, she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from West Virginia University.

Maria Schneider ’85E (MM): Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts

A Grammy Award–winning composer, Maria Schneider has earned accolades for the artistry of her music and for her leadership in helping protect the intellectual property of creative artists. The recipient of seven Grammys, Schneider is one of only a few recording artists to receive the award in multiple genres. Her 2004 album Concert in the Garden, produced through the crowd-funding company ArtistShare, was the first recording to receive a Grammy with internet-only sales. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree from the University’s Eastman School of Music.

Medals

Robert A. Montgomery ’87M (MD): Charles Force Hutchison and Marjorie Smith Hutchison Medal

A nationally recognized physician, educator, and administrator, Robert Montgomery is the H. Leon Pachter, MD Professor and the chair of surgery at New York University’s Langone Health, where he is the inaugural director of Langone’s Transplant Institute. Under his leadership, the transplant program has been regularly ranked as the top program across several types of transplants. Among his contributions to clinical medicine, Montgomery helped develop a procedure for kidney donation that has become the standard throughout the world. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University, an MD from the University’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a doctorate from the University of Oxford.

Francis Price ’74, ’75S (MBA): Charles Force Hutchison and Marjorie Smith Hutchison Medal

A noted entrepreneur and business leader, Francis Price is the CEO and president of PHG Engineering LLC and of Interact Performance Systems. Throughout his career, Price has been recognized for his leadership in helping ensure that members of underrepresented communities have opportunities to succeed in their educational and professional lives. A member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2020, when he was appointed a life trustee, Price has been a leading supporter and advocate for the University’s programs for underrepresented, first-generation, and international students. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University’s School of Arts & Sciences and an MBA from the University’s Simon Business School. He is the parent of a member of the Class of 2014.

Diane M. Hartmann ’87M (MD) ’91M (Res): George Eastman Medal

Diane Hartmann has earned recognition as a national leader in efforts to improve medical residency and fellowship education at the University’s Medical Center, where she also oversaw a near doubling in the number of programs and trainees during the past 30 years. As the senior associate dean of Graduate Medical Education and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Rochester, she has been honored by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and other national organizations. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Canisius College, a master’s degree from SUNY Buffalo, and an MD from the School of Medicine and Dentistry, where she also completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. She is the parent of a member of the Class of 2020.

Awards

Glenn Mackin: Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Glenn Mackin has served as chair of the Department of Humanities at the University’s Eastman School of Music since 2016. He teaches courses on political theory, thought, and aesthetics as well as on democratic theory, concepts of equality, and other areas. He joined the University as an assistant professor in 2007 and was named an associate professor in 2013. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio University before receiving his PhD from the University of Washington.

Karen Berger: Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

An associate professor of instruction in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the University’s School of Arts & Sciences, Karen Berger joined the faculty in 2010. She teaches introductory and advanced courses, technical electives, and capstone courses on environmental sciences, energy, hydrology, and sustainability. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also is the parent of a member of the Class of 2027.

Lisabeth (Liz) Tinelli ’16W (PhD): Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Lisabeth (Liz) Tinelli ’16 (PhD) is an associate professor and the coordinator of the Graduate Writing Project in the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program in the University’s undergraduate College. She has taught at Rochester since 2007, holding positions at the University’s Warner School of Education and Human Development before joining the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program in 2011. She has taught both first-year and upper-level courses on writing and communication across a wide range of topics. Tinelli earned her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo and her PhD from the Warner School.

Hesam Askari: G. Graydon ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching

Hesam Askari joined the University’s Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences in 2016. He currently is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he teaches courses on dynamics, heat transfer, and the mechanics of materials. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iran University of Science and Technology and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Yoojin Jang: G. Graydon ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching

Yoojin Jang is an assistant professor of violin at the University’s Eastman School of Music, where she has been a member of the Department of Strings, Harp, and Guitar since 2020. A teacher of studio violin and chamber music, Jang tours internationally as a violin soloist and is a founding member of the Kallici String Quartet. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Korea National University of Arts and a master’s degree, artist’s diploma, and doctorate from the New England Conservatory.

Harry Reis: Lifetime Achievement Award in Graduate Education

Harry Reis completes his 50th year as a member of the University’s faculty this spring. Currently a Dean’s Professor in the Department of Psychology in the University’s School of Arts & Sciences, Reis joined the faculty in 1974. A past recipient of a Goergen Award for Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching, he teaches courses in social psychology and leads research programs on social interaction, social context and its influence, and the effects of stereotypes in gender roles. He has won several career contribution awards for his research from scientific societies. Reis holds a bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York and master’s and doctoral degrees from New York University.

Jiebo Luo ’96 (PhD): William H. Riker University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching

Jiebo Luo holds the title of Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering and Professor of Computer Science in the University’s Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Before joining the faculty in 2011, he was a senior principal scientist with Kodak Research Laboratories in Rochester. At the University, he teaches and conducts research on signal and image processing, computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning, data mining, multimedia, computational social science, and digital health. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Science and Technology of China before earning his PhD from the Hajim School.