McDaniel College professors and staff members earn acclaim for their work from the professional stages in Washington, D.C. to villages in Malawi, Africa.

The Maryland/Washington, DC Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) has chosen McDaniel College and the McDaniel Department of Foreign Languages as their 2007 recipients of the Chapter Merit Award.  This award recognizes leaders in the profession for their outstanding contribution to promoting the teaching of German language and culture and for service over a period of many years. Mohamed Esa is the current Chair, and Martine Motard-Noar as the most recent past Chair of the AATG.

Campus Safety officers Detective Sgt. Josh Bronson ’01 and Corporal Jeremy Sherfey ’06 won the Maryland Chief’s Challenge. The competition, sponsored by the Maryland Committee for Safety Belt Use and the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, focuses on improving seat belt use through awareness and education campaigns. McDaniel’s Campus Safety has won the Chief’s Challenge every year since its inception six years ago.

Gretchen McKay, associate dean of Academic Affairs, associate professor of Art and Art History and Honors Program director, has recently completed the HERS Bryn Mawr Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration. The Summer Institute is sponsored jointly by Bryn Mawr College and HERS (Higher Education Resource Services), an educational non-profit based at the University of Denver.  The residential program was held June 23-July18 on the Bryn Mawr College campus.  The 70 selected participants were from 30 states, Guam and South Africa.

Associate Professor of Communication Jasna Meyer translated “Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide,” a multi-media exhibit at the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Bill Pagonis, professor of Physics, became the John Desmond Kopp Professor in the Sciences. Kopp, class of 1922, was a chemist at Scovill Inc. and a lifelong contributor to the annual fund. Following his death in 1992, his testamentary gift of $1.25 million has created the funding for this new position.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Linda Semu presented her paper “The Itinerant Male, Marriage, Family and Gender Relations in Matrilineal Southern Malawi: Lessons & Challenges for HIV/AIDS Programming,” at the University of Illinois’ “Women and HIV/AIDS in Africa Symposium.” The paper outlined the HIV aids situation in Malawi and described why money poured into HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns hasn’t worked.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Elizabeth van den Berg has been working as a vocal coach at Synetic Theatre for its production of “House of Usher.” The show got rave reviews in the Washington Post.