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Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Charles F. Dolan School of Business were recently honored for their dedication to teaching and scholarship.

The College of Arts and Sciences selected Dr. Sara Brill , associate professor of philosophy, as the 2014 recipient of the Award for Distinguished Teaching, which was presented to her at the annual faculty meeting on May 1. (She is pictured at right with Dr. Robbin Crabtree, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.)

Noting that Dr. Brill’s popularity among students is well deserved, Dr. Joy Gordon, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, said, “She engages her students profoundly, and does so in creative ways. Her students come to understand that philosophy is fundamentally about examining our lives; but additionally, Dr. Brill teaches that philosophy involves not only living an examined life, but rather an examined life for others.”

Students of Dr. Brill say that she is one of the best professors Fairfield has to offer. “From the minute she began her course on Plato’s Republic, I knew I had made the correct decision on coming to ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp,” said Luke Record ’14, a philosophy major who recently received the top departmental award for 2013-14. “Over the course of a college education…one is bound to encounter one or two professors who profoundly shape the way in which one thinks: Dr. Brill has undoubtedly had such an influence on me.”

Dr. Brill received her doctorate in 2004 from Pennsylvania State University, specializing in ancient philosophy and ethics. She wrote her dissertation on the role of medicine in Plato’s Republic, and her book, Plato: On the Limits of Human Life , was published by Indian University Press in 2013. In the classroom, Dr. Brill teaches Plato, Aristotle, Tragedy, Women in Classical Literature, and Ancient Medicine and Philosophy. In addition to teaching philosophy courses, she team-teaches courses in the Honors Program and is the chair of the Classical Studies Program.

The Charles F. Dolan School of Business gave out two awards to faculty at their end-of-the-year celebration for teachers and students: one for teaching excellence and one for best research paper.

Dr. Michael Coyne (right), associate professor of accounting, received the 2014 Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given based on student nominations. ‌

Dr. Donald Gibson, dean of the Dolan School, said, “Reading the student nomination essays for our faculty is truly a pleasure. Students provide highly detailed remarks, showing the impact our faculty have had on their academic and personal lives.”

One student said, “I am constantly amazed by Professor Coyne’s commitment to his students, his breadth of knowledge of accounting, and his personality inside and out of the classroom. He is approachable, likable, knowledgeable, and qualified. He also is a man of faith, constantly infusing good morals within the classroom. Most of all, he LIVES his faith – by fulfilling God’s vocation for his life, he silently speaks volumes to his students about what the true definition of success is. Michael Coyne makes it clear that we ought to live for something larger than ourselves, and every day I feel invigorated to go out and do great things because of his example.”

Dr. Coyne received his doctorate from the University of Connecticut, an MBA in finance and international business from New York University, and a bachelor's degree in accounting from ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp. Dr. Coyne is a certified public accountan. Prior to entering academia, he worked 12 years in various accounting and finance positions at American Express, Merrill Lynch, and Ernst & Young.

Debra Strauss, JD , associate professor of business law, received the DSB faculty award for Outstanding Research Paper for the article, “An Analysis of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Protection for Consumers and Boon for Business.”

This award recognizes works of academic res earch that have a major impact on their business discipline. The faculty committee selected Professor Strauss’ article, which sets forth the case for a new proactive policy on global food security, because it appeared in the top-ranked journal for food and drug law and has been cited to formulate business and policy in the global food industry.

Professor Strauss teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in legal environment of business, international law, and business law and ethics.

 A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University and Yale Law School, Strauss served as a law clerk for the Honorable Charles L. Brieant, former Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and was a Food and Drug Law Institute Scholar. Professor Strauss is the president of the North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business. She is also a member of the International Law, Ethics, and Environmental Law and Sustainability Sections of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, the Federal Bar Council, and the Biotechnology in Agriculture Group of the Yale University Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. ‌