Faculty/Staff Achievements Roundup: Serure receives Benita Jorkasky Outstanding College Educator Memorial Award

This is part of a monthly series highlighting the honors and achievements of Buffalo State University faculty and staff. The roundup is compiled from the previous months' submissions to the Daily Bulletin and department newsletters.

Dana Faye Serure, associate professor of history and social studies education, was recently honored with the Benita Jorkasky Outstanding College Educator Memorial Award at the New York State Council for the Social Studies (NYSCSS) President's Reception and Awards Ceremony on March 5. This award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the best in professional social studies education at the college level in New York State, has a significant positive impact on social studies education in the state and possibly national level, and is a current member of NYSCSS in good standing.

Serure is a teacher educator and active member of various professional organizations, such as NYSCSS, New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE), National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), and International Society for Educational Planning (ISEP). Serure supports the mantra of dissecting social studies with her teacher candidates and graduate students to inspire purposeful social studies instruction.

"Faculty like Dr. Serure are the reason why aspiring educators choose Buffalo State to realize their career goals," said Wendy Paterson, dean of the School of Education and Applied Professions. "An energetic and dedicated 'teacher of teachers,' Dr. Serure is a role model of excellence in social studies education, but she is also our treasured colleague. Dr. Serure serves as the Secretary of the Teacher Education Council which means she helps set and distribute the agenda and keeps our records. She combines the authenticity of an illustrious career as a social studies and history teacher with her continual contributions as a scholar in educator preparation to the Teacher Education Unit."

In addition to Serure's award, here are some other recent outstanding achievements by Buffalo State faculty and staff members:

Leigh Duffy, associate professor of government, planning, and philosophy, was invited to speak to the community on the topic of Yoga Ethics and Social Justice at Village Yoga and Wellness in Hamburg, New York.

Frances Gage, associate professor of art and design and core faculty in the Global Studies Institute, published the essay "Slave or condottiere? Artists, labour, and occupational health in early modern Italy" in Visual Arts and Medicine in Early Modern Europe and Beyond: A Collection of Essays and Sources (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2026).

Alexander "Sasha" Karatayev and Lyubov Burlakova, senior research scientists at the Great Lakes Center, wrote the paper, "Natural Enemies of Zebra and Quagga Mussels: Predators, Parasites, and Ecological Competitors," which was published in Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture in 2024. The paper ranked #3 on the journal's "Most Downloaded Articles in the Past 12 Months" list, with a total of 4,984 downloads.

Jason Knight, associate professor of government, planning, and philosophy, is leading a research team with Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah, chair of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo (UB), which is conducting an inventory and evaluation of current plans and strategies within the City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning (OSP). The project also includes meeting with OSP staff and leadership to evaluate current staff capacity and expertise. The project team includes Buffalo State urban and regional planning student Melanie Sage and UB graduate student Nini Pandit. A report to be submitted in May will support new Mayor Sean Ryan's administration by making informed recommendations for updating existing plans; developing new plans that currently do not exist; and leveraging and increasing the technical capacity that exists in OSP. The team will identify local, state, and federal grant opportunities to support the report's recommendations for future planning initiatives. A long-term formal partnership is being explored to provide planning support to the City of Buffalo and a formal internship program for Buffalo State and UB students.

David Mawer, assistant professor of art and design, had animated work of his accepted into the Public Shorts film festival in Berlin, which ran from February 27 to March 15. The work was displayed on a 24/7 loop in a public viewing area and screened at a cinema in Berlin on March 5.

Joseph Miller,, associate professor of art and design, had several of his paintings published on the Symbol and Aesthetics website. Miller's painting "The Storm" was also featured in the spring issue of Masque and Spectacle Arts and Literary Journal.

Christopher Pennuto, interim director of the Great Lakes Center, co-authored the paper, "Mass loss and nutrient release of sloughed Cladophora," which was published in Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management in 2025. The paper has been included in BioOne Complete's January 2026 Top & Trending Research collection.

Lorna Perez, associate professor of English has moved into the co-director role with Melissa Birkhofer of Appalachian State University for Label me Latina: Journal of Twentieth & Twenty-First Centuries Latino Literary Production. (Perez had served as special issues editor since summer 2020). Perez and Birkhofer will steer the journal, which was founded in 2011 by Michele Shaul and Kathryn Quinn Sanchez, through its next stage after Shaul's sudden passing last fall.

Tom Reigstad, professor emeritus of English, and Andrew Nicholls, chair and professor of history and social studies education, were published in Western New York Heritage magazine. Reigstad's article was "The Perfect Storm: Mark Twain in Lockport" and Nicholls' was "'Some of you have known me in other scenes...' General Winfield Scott Returns to Western New York."

Deborah Silverman, associate professor and chair of the Communication Department, has published Public Relations: The Basics (2nd edition) with Routledge. The book, her third with Routledge, is designed for Principles of Public Relations classes, high school students, and general readers who are interested in knowing more about the public relations field. Silverman is working on her fourth book with Routledge, the 8th edition of Strategic Planning for Public Relations.

Angela Thering, lecturer in the adult education program, was recognized with a SUNY Online Teaching OSCQR Award - Honorable Mention in the Individual Achievement category in acknowledgment of her contributions to online course quality, faculty collaboration, and continuous improvement. The recognition took place during the SUNY Online Summit 2026 as part of the OSCQR Awards presentation on February 26.

Photo courtesy Serure.