Gettysburg College faculty members are recognized for their commitment to supporting students through advising, mentorship, and excellence in teaching.
Championing, encouraging, and helping students pursue meaningful work are only some of the many acts of service Gettysburg College faculty undertake in support of their students. During the Spring 2025 semester, six faculty members were recognized for mentorship and teaching excellence.
Learn more about these recipients.
Gettysburg College Distinguished Teaching Award
Political Science Prof. Bruce Larson
Political Science Prof. Bruce Larson is a scholar of American political institutions and processes. His teaching and research focus on several areas, including the U.S. Congress, political parties and elections, and the politics of public policy.
Larson was named a Fulbright Scholar at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing during the fall 2013 semester. His book “Congressional Parties, Institutional Ambition, and the Financing of Majority Control,” co-authored with Prof. Eric Heberlig of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, won the 26th DB Hardeman Prize for the best book on the U.S. Congress, a prize awarded by the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
In a letter of nomination for the Gettysburg College Distinguished Teaching Award, a colleague highlighted Larson’s “incredible talent for building human connections with his students, a skill that not only makes all students feel welcome in his classes but also deepens their willingness to engage with course material.”
“Honestly, this award could have gone to so many faculty members at Gettysburg College,” Larson said. “I’m truly humbled to receive it. The real reward in this job is getting to teach our terrific students and to work alongside such fantastic colleagues.”
About the Gettysburg College Distinguished Teaching Award
The Distinguished Teaching Award is the highest honor that members of Gettysburg College’s faculty can bestow on a colleague. The winner of this award is selected annually by the Faculty Development Committee.
The Luther W. and Bernice L. Thompson Distinguished Teaching Award
Environmental Studies Prof. Tasha Gownaris ’09
Environmental Studies Prof. Tasha Gownaris ’09 is a passionate teacher who focuses her scholarly research on the foraging ecology of seabirds.
For several years, Gownaris and her students have spent their summers working alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff on Petit Manan Island, a small seabird breeding island in the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This work has been supported by Gettysburg College and by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation. On Petit Manan, Gownaris and her student collaborators study how seabirds adapt their foraging and breeding behavior in response to rapid shifts in climate and food availability, also known as behavioral plasticity. The students involved have presented their research at national and international conferences.
Gownaris is also committed to open science and to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia and science. She has chaired several international working groups on open science and led development of an open textbook for intermediate-level ecology courses—“Ecology for All!”—reducing financial barriers to learning for students at Gettysburg College and beyond.
She received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies and biology from Gettysburg, a Ph.D. in marine sciences from Stony Brook University, and a post-doctoral degree in biology from the University of Washington.
Colleagues who nominated Gownaris for the award described her as “an outstanding teacher who demonstrates an intellectual and empathetic commitment to her students” and her teaching to possess “intellectual vigor coupled with compassion and a deep care for our students.”
“I am so honored—and genuinely surprised!—to have received this award, particularly because of how highly I regard my faculty peers,” Gownaris said. “Building community in the classroom and working closely with students outside of the classroom are both incredibly fulfilling, and I am continually learning from and alongside my students.”
About The Luther W. and Bernice L. Thompson Distinguished Teaching Award
The Luther W. and Bernice L. Thompson Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member whose teaching is recognized as outstanding by faculty colleagues. Each year, after a careful review of the teaching of all recent candidates for tenure, the Faculty Personnel Committee recommends one faculty member to receive The Luther W. and Bernice L. Thompson Distinguished Teaching Award. This award is presented during the final faculty meeting of the academic year.
Dr. Robert E. Dutton, Class of 1946 Memorial Mentorship Award
Art and Art History Chair Yan Sun
Art and Art History Chair Yan Sun has taught courses on art history methods and exhibition curation, material culture studies, Asian art, the arts of China, and early Chinese art and culture. Her research focuses primarily on the emergence of regional bronze cultures in northern China and the dynamic interplay between material culture, social identities, and power during the late Shang and Western Zhou periods (c. 1300–771 B.C.E.).
Sun has published widely in both English and Chinese, and has co-authored books, book chapters, and journal articles on early Chinese art and material culture. Her recent publications include “Many Worlds Under One Heaven: Material Culture, Identity, and Power in the Northern Frontiers of the Western Zhou, 1045–771 BCE,” “Memory and Agency in Ancient China: Shaping the Life History of Objects,” and “Ancient China and Its Eurasian Neighbors.”
She received her doctoral degree in Chinese art history and archeology from the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh.
Yan’s nominator for the Dr. Robert E. Dutton, Class of 1946 Memorial Mentorship Award described her mentoring and advising efforts as “tireless and generous.” Yan “has made a significant impact on students well beyond their time at Gettysburg and has been a worthy ambassador for how the College seeks to engage global communities in the pursuit of excellence.”
Her mentorship has helped students to attain Kolbe Fellowships, successfully gain admission to graduate schools, and enter careers in fields such as project management and curation.
“Our College has an exceptionally dedicated faculty, and I feel truly honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” Sun said. “I was fortunate to be mentored by an incredible teacher, Prof. Katheryn M. Linduff, during my Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. Her wisdom and kindness have profoundly shaped who I am. This award is a meaningful reminder of the lasting impact a mentor can have. I hope to carry forward her legacy by supporting my students with the same care and dedication.”
About the Dr. Robert E. Dutton, Class of 1946 Memorial Mentorship Award
The Dr. Robert E. Dutton, Class of 1946 Memorial Mentorship Award is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in advising and mentoring students. This award is presented during the final faculty meeting of the academic year.
Bruce S. Gordon ’68 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teaching Excellence Prize
Africana Studies and History Prof. Scott Hancock
Africana Studies and History Prof. Scott Hancock has taught at Gettysburg College since 2001. His scholarly interests focus on the African American experience from the mid-17th century through the Civil War. His research considers African Americans’ engagement with the law, while incorporating other disciplinary perspectives, such as law and society and geography. He is particularly interested in how Black interaction with the law in various ways, from small disputes in lower courts to escaping via the Underground Railroad, shaped U.S. society.
Some of his work has appeared in the anthologies “Paths to Freedom”; “We Shall Independent “Be”; “Slavery, Resistance, Freedom”; “The Civil War and the Summer of 2020”; and the journal Civil War History.
In nominating Hancock for the Bruce S. Gordon ’68 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teaching Excellence Prize, a colleague wrote that they were “inspired to see how Scott succinctly marshals lessons from his more than two decades of teaching and service at the college to impel us to live up to our ideals, especially those concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“To be frank, when the Gordon award was first created, I had a mixed reaction—thinking it was about time, but also wondering if there should be such an award. DEI, whether here at Gettysburg College or any other institution, is far from perfect. But now, in the current political moment when so much of what DEI has been badly distorted for political gain by increasingly authoritarian right-wing pundits, I’d say yes, definitely, this award has been, is, and will be necessary,” Hancock said.
“I’m only one of many, many people here at the College who are doing the good work that the award represents: This award is really about useful education and building community. So, thank you to my Gettysburg community: I deeply appreciate all who nominated me, wrote letters for me, and have extended congrats.”
About the Bruce S. Gordon ’68 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teaching Excellence Prize
Established by Bruce S. Gordon ’68 along with fellow classmates, friends, and supporters, the Bruce S. Gordon ’68 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teaching Excellence Prize recognizes a Gettysburg College faculty member for transformational excellence in teaching and service through diversity. Each year, a call for nominations is sent to faculty, staff, and students. The provost and academic divisions, in collaboration with the chief diversity officer, select the recipient of the award from the pool of nominations.
The Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning Excellence in Teaching Award
Chemistry Prof. Luke Thompson
Chemistry Prof. Luke Thompson has been a member of Gettysburg College’s Chemistry Department faculty for more than a decade.
Thompson received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of Wooster and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a postdoc in Dr. Cathy Murphy’s research group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before coming to Gettysburg.
At Gettysburg, Thompson’s research group, comprised solely of undergraduate students, explores interfacial chemistry at the nanoscale, including how new chemical and physical properties arise when materials are confined to nanometer dimensions. Thompson’s research group investigates the interfacial chemistry of gold nanoparticles and works to understand how to carefully measure and quantify the surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles.
In recommending Thompson for the JCCTL Excellence in Teaching Award, faculty colleagues called him “exceedingly reflective about classroom instruction, as reflected by his teaching statement and the effort he has put into improving his students’ critical thinking and independence.” Thompson was credited for a commitment to teaching chemistry that was demonstrated through a HIPP Scholar award to implement mastery grading, an approach that allows students to work to correct their mistakes until mastery is reached.
“I am honored to be chosen for this award and want to thank my family and our Gettysburg community for supporting my teaching endeavors over the last 14 years,” Thompson said. “I look forward to continuing to learn from my students and from my colleagues how to best create meaningful classroom experiences and to celebrate the future successes of our graduates.”
About The Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning Excellence in Teaching Award
The Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning (JCCTL) Excellence in Teaching Award is given to an exceptional teacher based on a faculty member’s quadrennial review where excellence in teaching has come to the forefront as so exceptional that it stands apart from the work of many other gifted teachers. It is awarded during the final Faculty meeting in the academic year in which the quadrennial review was submitted.
Center for Public Service’s Faculty Award for Community Engagement
Spanish Prof. María D. Fernández Pérez
Spanish Prof. María D. Fernández Pérez has served as a three-time visiting lecturer of Spanish at Gettysburg College. Previously, she taught in the spring of 2001 and during the 2004-2005 academic term.
In addition to teaching at Gettysburg, Fernández Pérez has also taught in Spain at IUS in Seville. She has served as a volunteer to teach Spanish for immigrants at Sevilla Acoge, a program designed to integrate migrants into the culture and language of Spain. She also held the position of super-administrator at Macmillan English Campus for the Loyola Foundation, a Jesuit institution with four schools in Seville, Malaga, and Palmas de Gran Canaria. There, she trained teachers, coordinated native teacher assistants, and directed the implementation of a new bilingual education.
She has been working with colleagues in the Spanish Department to publish three OER (open educational resources)—“Ventanas Abiertas I,” “Ventanas Abiertas II,” and “Bocacalle”—that make Gettysburg’s Spanish language course materials free for all students taking Spanish.
“I’m deeply touched and grateful for this recognition. But I don’t do what I do for recognition—I do it because I’m an educator who truly believes in equal opportunity for all,” she said. “I want the kids in our community to thrive, and I want Gettysburg College students to engage in meaningful work—an education that helps them see how their daily efforts can create broader, lasting change. I often turn to the words of Eduardo Galeano: ‘Many small people, in small places, doing small things, can change the world.’
“Community work is never done alone. This recognition reflects the passion, collaboration, and resilience of so many people I’ve had the privilege to work with, especially the vision of Spanish Prof. Emerita Paula Olinger, who founded El Centro years ago. And as we say at Gettysburg: This is unfinished work.”
About the Center for Public Service’s Faculty Award for Community Engagement
The Center for Public Service’s Faculty Award for Community Engagement is given to a faculty member who connects Gettysburg students to the greater community and engages with students in the work for social justice in a meaningful, transformative way.
Related Links:
By Michael Vyskocil
Main photo by Miranda Harple
Posted: 05/27/25