Gettysburg College is committed to supporting a first-class faculty and recognizing our professors who embrace innovation and ignite students’ intellectual potential inside and outside the classroom.
Economics Prof. Brendan Cushing-Daniels was honored with The Dr. Ralph Cavaliere Endowed Teaching Award during Fall Honors Day on Friday, Oct. 25. This award is presented each year to a full-time Gettysburg College faculty member who exhibits excellence in teaching. The Student Senate selects the recipient of the award, named in honor of Biology Prof. Emeritus Ralph Cavaliere, who taught at Gettysburg for nearly 45 years.
“I have known Ralph and his wife, Shirlee, since I moved to Gettysburg nearly 30 years ago, so I know what an excellent teacher-scholar Ralph was for so many years,” said Cushing-Daniels. “To be mentioned in connection with an award that bears his name is truly high praise.”
Cushing-Daniels has spent three decades of his teaching career at Gettysburg and has advised and mentored countless students during his time here. He teaches all levels of microeconomics, public economics, labor economics, and a First-Year Seminar on poverty and inequality. He has also taught courses on the history of economic thought and macroeconomics.
In his scholarly work, Cushing-Daniels has conducted and presented research on social insurance programs, criminal recidivism, wage penalties in the labor market, and welfare migration. He has also collaborated on research with Gettysburg faculty and students, including investigating Marsy’s Law with Public Policy Chair Anne S. Douds and the Family and Medical Leave Act with Savannah (Morrissey Martin) Liu ’17.
In addition to his teaching and research, Cushing-Daniels has served as the Harold G. Evans Chair of Eisenhower Leadership Studies at the Eisenhower Institute (EI), overseeing the EI Undergraduate Fellows. He is also the faculty advisor to the Pennsylvania Beta chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Cushing-Daniels believes that the opportunity to teach at Gettysburg is an honor.
“I tell people regularly that I have the best job in the world. From the theater and recital hall to the playing field or court, I’m an unabashed fan of the Orange and Blue. The job isn’t always easy, and I’m not always at my best, but every day, I look forward to working with our students, and I couldn’t do it without my colleagues,” he said.
He acknowledges the support from Sue Holz, administrative assistant for the Department of Economics, and Kathy Lightner, housekeeper for Africana studies, Economics, and many other departments on campus, “who help me start each day with a smile,” he added.
By Michael Vyskocil
Photo by Shawna Sherrell
Posted: 11/15/24