ST. BONAVENTURE — Three St. Bonaventure University faculty members were presented with awards of excellence at the university’s annual Staff & Faculty Excellence Awards celebration on Thursday.
Dr. José Manuel Medrano, assistant professor of Spanish, received the Junior Faculty Award; Dr. James Pientka, professor of physics and department chair, received the Professional Excellence in Teaching Award; and Jeffrey Warner, adjunct instructor of Spanish, received the Adjunct Faculty Award.
Medrano, who joined the SBU faculty in 2019, “excels in every category as a faculty member,” said Dr. David Hilmey, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, one of a number of colleagues to recommend him for the honor. “We often see faculty excel at teaching, research or service; on occasion two of those three categories. Very rarely does a faculty member achieve outstanding performance in all three.”
Hilmey noted that in Medrano’s short time at SBU he has published a book chapter and four peer-reviewed articles. He was the keynote speaker in Colombia at an international conference, and he has presented at 12 different national and international conferences.
Medrano earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from UCLA, as well as a master’s in Spanish and a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from the University of California, Riverside. Before he arrived at SBU, he was a visiting assistant professor of Hispanic studies at Pacific Lutheran University.
While at SBU, he has received the Good Shepherd Award from University Ministries, the Leo E. Keenan Jr. Faculty Appreciation Award, and the 2016-17 Outstanding Teaching Award.
In nominating Pientka for his award, Dr. Maureen P. Cox, associate professor of mathematics, noted Pientka’s love of physics and his “unfailingly enthusiastic” approach to students. “He makes physics fun, while maintaining a high standard for conceptual and mathematical understanding, by creating engaging classroom activities using physical demonstrations and animations,” Cox said.
Pientka earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and adolescence education from Canisius University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University at Buffalo. Before his arrival at SBU in 2014, he taught physics at Canisius, UB, and Erie Community College. He serves on several SBU committees and as the science representative on the Faculty Senate. He is the adviser to the university’s ORION Astronomy Club.
Warner, a retired high school Spanish teacher, “has been sustaining a pattern of excellence his entire career,” said Dr. Leigh Simone, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultural Studies.
“Because of his experience, Jeff knows what works,” Simone said. “He is detailed, organized, precise, and disciplined. His students will tell you he is comical, inventive, and gets the message across even if it means jumping up and down to make a point.”
Warner graduated from St. Bonaventure with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1985, earned a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Gannon University in 2004, and took master’s level Spanish for professional certification courses from Elmira College.
He taught Spanish for 15 years at Andover Central School, and before that taught Spanish at four other schools in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. He has also been an adjunct instructor at Corning Community College.
