Robert W. Kasling Lecture Award

Award

The annual Kasling Memorial Lecture is named for Robert W. Kasling, professor of geography at State University of New York at Fredonia from 1946 to 1966, who, by his own fine example, fostered in others that unflinching personal integrity and high standard of scholarship for which he is especially remembered. In honor of the contribution which he made to the institution he served so well, the State University of New York at Fredonia each year invites a distinguished member of its faculty, one whose scholarly excellence has enhanced the reputation of the university, to share with the entire Fredonia community an insight into the nature and significance of research or creative activity in his or her field. These lectures, focused on explaining the methods, purposes, and results of a particular area of scholarship, are intended to broaden the understanding of research being undertaken at Fredonia.

Kasling Award is a significant campus honor that has now been a tradition at Fredonia for over thirty years. The winner of the award is invited to present a lecture to a campus audience in October.

This lectureship permits members of the university faculty to present to a general audience aspects of their scholarly and/or creative interests. The lectures, which explain and examine the purposes, methods, and results of a particular area of scholarship or creativity, are intended to broaden the understanding of research being undertaken at Fredonia. The Kasling Award is also accompanied by an increase of $1000 to the recipient's base salary.

All faculty members are eligible to apply, however applicants may not apply concurrently for the Hagan Award. The selection committee's judgment will be based on scholarly and/or creative excellence.

Nomination Procedure

The nomination letters should refer to the criteria used to establish the scholarly and/or creative qualities of the nominees' work. All applications should include the following:

  1. A Curriculum Vitae
  2. A letter of nomination or self-nomination. In either case the letter should include a description of the nominees' accomplishments, the major areas in which they have worked, and what they believe is significant and valuable in their scholarly work.
  3. Documentation of the quality and impact of nominees’ research or creative activities, preferably in the form of a narrative written for reviewers who might be outside their disciplines. Applicants should consider including information on the following, as appropriate. Research: impact or demonstrable quality of journals or presses; impact of nominees’ work itself: number of citations, recent citations, H-index, other measures of impact; reviews of nominees’ work; presentations at national or international conferences; awards and other forms of recognition; grants or fellowships received. Creative activity: quality of venues for nominees’ work; juried or invited exhibitions or performances, especially at the national or international level; one-person exhibitions, compositions, etc.; inclusion of work in permanent collections or the like; grants or fellowships received.
  4. Copies of published reviews of nominees' publications, performances, or creative endeavors. This may not be applicable to all disciplines.
  5. In addition to the letter of nomination, three letters of professional recommendation, at least two of which are outside letters. Letters that include an assessment of the quality of the venues of the nominees’ work are preferred. (Please note: It is not required that the department chair be one of the letter writers. Moreover, no special significance will be placed on letters written by department chairs.)
  6. Two or three examples of scholarly and/or creative work, or one body/series of work, including, preferably, the most outstanding work and most recent work. 

To apply contact Dawn Eckenrode in the PDC to set up an e-dossier using Google Sites/Drive.  This allows you to link to and submit your documents electronically. If applicable, separate recommendation letters should be sent to: Kasling Committee, c/o Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The deadline varies, but it is usually in March every year.

Kasling Memorial Lectures

2023

  • Dr. Christina Jarvis, Department of English
  • "Peculiar Travel Suggestions: Discovering the Story of Kurt Vonnegut's Planetary Citizenship"

2021

  • Dr. Natasha Farny, School of Music
  • "Stepping off the Pedestal: The Metamorphosis from Feminine Muse to Woman Composer."

2020

2019

  • Dr. Junaid Zubairi, Department of Computer and Information Sciences
  • "A Celebration of Student-Centered Research"

2018

  • Dr. Sherri A. Mason, Department of Geology & Environmental Sciences
  • "Transformations: A Scientific Journey"

2017

2016

  • Dr. Jonathan Titus, Department of Biology
  • “The Forest, not just the Trees”

2015

  • Dr. Ziya Arnavut, Department of Computer and Information Sciences 
  • "How do you compress data, such as text and images?"

2013

2012

  • Dr. Gary Lash,  Department of Geosciences
  • “Boring old shale - how simple questions can take one on a submicroscopic to global tectonic journey”

2011

  • Dr. Neil Feit,  Department of Philosophy
  • "Consequences of Narrow Mindedness"

2010

  • Dr. Harris Kwong, Department of Mathematical Sciences
  • "The Magical World of Graph Labeling"

2008

  • Dr. Stephen Kershnar, Department of Philosophy
  • "Counterintuitive Morality"

2007

  • Dr. Gurmukh Singh, Department of Computer and Information Sciences (on Scholarly work done in Physics)
  • "The Birth and Death of a Star"

2006

2005

  • Dr. Reneta P. Barneva, Department of Computer and Information Sciences
  • "The Beauty of Computer Graphics"

2003

  • Drs. Efrain J. Ferrer and Vivian Incera, Department of Physics
  • "From Havana to Fredonia: Our Long and Winding Road of Scientific Collaboration"

2001

  • Alberto Rey, Department of Visual Arts
  • "Portrait of the Artist as a Middle-Aged Man"

2000

  • Dr. John J. Stinson, Department of English
  • "Modern British Authors: Often Appealing, Sometimes Appalling"

1999

  • Dr. Thomas A. Regelski, School of Music
  • "On Music and the Good Life"

1998

  • Dr. Khalid J. Siddiqui,
  • Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (now Department of Computer and Information Sciences) "Knowledge Engineering: Concepts and Practices"

1997

  • Dr. George C. Browder, Department of History
  • "The Nazis and Me: An Historian and the Problem of Objectivity"

1996

  • Robert Jordan, School of Music
  • "The Art of the Transcription"

1995

  • Dr. Raymond A. Belliotti, Department of Philosophy
  • "Good Sex"

1994

  • Dr. Randall R. Dipert, Department of Philosophy
  • "Reason and Passion: Mischievous Myths Exposed"

1993

  • Dr. Jon Kraut, Department of Sociology
  • "Aging in the Country: Myths and Realities"

1992

  • Dr. Clark M. Zlotchew, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (now Department of World Languages and Cultures)
  • "The Large Grain of Salt: Conversing with the Writers"

1991

  • Dr. Morton L. Schagrin, Department of Philosophy
  • "The Structure of Scientific Revelations"

1990

  • Dr. Elizabeth Scarborough, Department of Psychology
  • "Telling Women's Lives: Exclusion, Contributions, Experiences"

1989

  • Dr. Kenneth E. Mantai, Department of Biology
  • "A Fredonia Odyssey: From Molecular Excited States to Water Plants"

1988

  • Dr. Marvin Lunenfeld, Department of History
  • "Leonardo and Machiavelli: Stalking an Elusive Collaboration"

1987

  • Dr. Jon P. Kraus, Department of Political Science
  • "Workers, Capital, and the State: Conflicts in Economic Development and Democracy in Africa"

1986

  • Dr. Walter S. Hartley, Department of Music (now School of Music)
  • "Composing and Teaching: A Special View"

1985

  • Dr. Maureen Fries, Department of English
  • "Female Heroes, Heroines, and Counter-Heroes: Images of Women in Arthurian Tradition"

1983

  • Dr. W. Dirk Raat, Department of History
  • "Mexican Maize: An Historical Labyrinth"

1982

  • Dr. Richard M. Weist, Department of Psychology
  • "Children's Time Talk: Temporal Systems in Child Language"

1981

  • Dr. William Graebner, Department of History
  • "A History of Retirement: The View from Middle Age"

1980 Fall

  • Dr. Lee Braude, Department of Sociology
  • "Image of the City: Substance in Style"

1980 Spring

  • Dr. Robert C. Schweik, Department of English
  • "The Poet and the Sniperscope"

1978

  • Dr. William T. Hagan, Department of History
  • "Writing Indian History"

1977

  • Dr. Allen H. Benton, Department of Biology
  • "The Happy Bounding Flea"

1976

  • Dr. Alexander Chabe, Department of Education (now School of Education)
  • "Cross-Cultural Research and Writing: Case Studies of Society and Education in England, France and the U.S.S.R."

1975

  • Dr. Daniel Reiff, Department of Art (now Department of Visual Arts and New Media)
  • "A Future for the Past: Historical Preservation"

1974

  • Dr. Marvin Kohl, Department of Philosophy
  • "The Morality of Killing"

1973

  • Dr. William Chazanof, Department of History
  • "The Autobiography of a Book"

Take the next step

Request InfoVisitApply