Welcome to our monthly compilation of good news, gathered from the college's faculty and staff! Would you like to include your own news or a colleague's? Send us your details on the CHSS Brag Points form (which also collects information we can share with Mason's Office of University Branding).
Kudos to eight CHSS faculty members who completed the Mason Core Certified Instructor credential through their participation in the Mason Core Instructor Certification Program (MC-ICP), offered collaboratively by the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning and Mason Core. Congrats to Lynn Miller (English), Xiaoyu Gao (English), Amanda Girard (English), Lijun Zhang (English), Johanna Bockman (Global Affairs), Laura Sauls (Global Affairs), Dominic Pigneri (Religious Studies), and Kevin (Gil) Gilbert (Religious Studies). This certification reflects their commitment to enhancing teaching practices and supporting student learning in alignment with Mason Core’s educational goals.
Shoutout to Cynthia Lum, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, and Christopher Koper, professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, who were awarded prestigious awards from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Experimental Criminology/Academy of Experimental Criminology. Lum won the Joan McCord Award recognizing, “a scholar who has made distinguished experimental contributions to criminology and criminal justice over the course of their career. Award recipients must have conducted significant experimental research that is in the tradition of Joan McCord and has important implications for policy and practice.” Koper received the Jerry Lee Lifetime Achievement Award. This is awarded “to a scholar who has demonstrated a lifetime of achievement in the field of experimental methods. This award is dedicated to a scholar’s body of research and accomplishments throughout their career.” Congratulations, Cynthia and Christopher!
A shout out to Tawnya Azar, an associate professor of English, has recently published a new edited collection titled Community Engagement and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Affordances and Challenges of Service Learning in Crisis (Vernon Press 2025). The book speaks about how community transformed its ways of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations, Tawnya!
Chevi Chung, a graduate student in interdisciplinary studies, has been accepted into a 2025-2026 year-long workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. She will attend “Shakespeare and Black Performing Women” convened by the Folger Institute and Folger Theatre. Congratulations, Chevi!
Congrats to two associate professors in the School of Integrative Studies on recently publishing books! Cher Weixia Chen published her latest book, Prohibiting Workplace Sexual Harassment - A Cross-Cultural Analysis, with Edward Elgar Publishing. This book provides a cross-cultural analysis of how legislatures, judiciaries, NGOs, and corporations worldwide address workplace sexual harassment. In addition, Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron and alum Steven Zhou, PhD Psychology '24, co-authored From First Job to Career, which has been published by Cambridge University Press. The anthology weaves together inspiring first-job stories from people across diverse industries and backgrounds, offering career seekers of all ages the chance to connect with relatable experiences and hard-earned wisdom. Congrats, Cher, Graziella, and Steven!
September 15, 2025