Professor Tauna Sisco, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award presented by the Saint Anselm College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The annual award champions a faculty member’s positive contributions to the Saint Anselm community.
This year’s recipient, Tauna Sisco, currently serves as a Professor and the Department Chair of Carrie Macleod, associate professor of nursing and President of the Saint Anselm AAUP chapter, presented the award to Professor Sisco during the 2022 commencement exercises. Macleod said that Sisco is “the model of mentorship, collegiality, teaching, and academic leadership” and praised the attributes of compassion, honesty, and justice that she brings to each task.
In addition to being admired by her fellow faculty members, Professor Sisco is well-loved by many in the Saint Anselm community and beyond. Her teaching “regularly earns the unofficial award we all dream of receiving: students who excitedly describe how a class changed how they think about the world,” said Macleod. A student quoted in Professor Macleod’s speech praised the humility and courage that Professor Sisco demonstrates as a mentor and advocate both in and out of the classroom.
Also quoted in Macleod’s remarks were Professor Sisco’s parents, who share that her spirit and natural tendencies for humble leadership were present from an early age. Her parents and husband both spoke about the love she has for Saint Anselm College and how she considers the community to be like a family to her.
The Saint Anselm AAUP chapter was founded in 1970 to protect academic freedom, promote shared governance, inform and support faculty, advocate for equitable working conditions, and recognize faculty excellence. Each year, immediate and past officers of the chapter receive nominations from faculty members and select one person to honor with the Distinguished Faculty Award. The award recognizes a faculty member who has excelled in teaching and scholarship. According to the award description, the recipient has made contributions to the academic community through active and positive relations with colleagues and students, and an involved concern for humanity.
During this year’s 129th commencement exercises, 540 members of the class of 2022 celebrated their graduation. In addition, the college’s first graduate school class also received diplomas that day, with 22 students completing their Master of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice.