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).
Awards
Shout out to Larrie D. Ferreiro, Department of History and Art History, on being awarded Spain's Order of Isabel la Católica on September 17, 2026. Presented by the Spanish Ambassador Angeles Moreno Bau, the award is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order of Civil Merit (established in 1926). It recognizes extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations and cooperation with other nations, with a particular focus on the territories of the former Spanish Empire. Congrats, Larrie!
Kudos to Matthew Kelley, Department of English, for receiving a Best Reviewer Award for the Interspeech 2026 conference. This is the premier international conference for speech science and technology, and the award is in recognition of the quality of the reviews he performed for the conference. Only 127 out of 2,275 reviewers were selected for this award. Way to go, Matthew!
Congrats to Jin Lee, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, for being selected as the recipient of the 2027 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)—Cybercrime, Terrorism, and Security Studies Section (CTSS) Early Career Award. The award will be presented during the ACJS-CTSS annual meeting and awards presentation to be held in Orlando in March next year. The Early Career Award “recognizes the achievement of scholars who show outstanding merit at the beginning of their careers." Congrats, Jin!
Appointments
Congratulations to Xiaoquan Zhao, Department of Communication, for receiving the highest honor of a Distinguished University Professor at George Mason University over the summer! The Distinguished University Professor recognition honors "current members of the faculty of great national or international reputation whose substantial research, scholarship, or arts credentials have set them apart." Kudos, Xiaoquan!
Kudos to Communication instructor and PhD student, Balkisa M. Sissy, on becoming MC-ICP certified. As a graduate teaching assistant, Balkisa has gone above and beyond to find additional certifications through the Sterns Center to continue to evolve as a teacher for her students. Congrats, Balkisa!
Research
Shout to communication doctoral student, Philip Wilkerson, on representing the Department of Communication at the 111th Annual Meeting and Conference of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Norfolk. Wilkerson presented on a collaborative panel discussion exploring artificial intelligence, mental health, and environmental justice in Black and Brown communities alongside scholars and practitioners from across the country. He also contributed to a presentation of "The Power of Belonging," a documentary examining the recruitment, retention, and resilience of Black male faculty and staff in higher education. Congrats, Philip!