ALMA — Adam Matthews and Robert Molina are the 2026 recipients of the Andison Awards for Excellence in Teaching, while Janelle Blazek and Stephany Slaughter have received this year’s Barlow Awards for Faculty Excellence.

In additional faculty recognitions, Zhewei Dai was awarded the Charles A. Dana Professorship and Matthew Cicci was named the Joseph J. Zimmerman ’61 Endowed Chair in English.

The Andison Awards, made possible by a gift from trustee Thomas Andison, recognize excellence in teaching through pedagogical innovation, creative activities with students, and superior teaching. Faculty members nominate their colleagues for the award, and the president selects the recipients, who each receive a grant to support their scholarship.

Matthews is an assistant professor of history whose career at Alma began in 2023. He has a bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University, as well as a master’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. His signature courses include Law in the Premodern West, Age of Vikings and Medieval Worlds.

Molina is a professor of mathematics whose career at Alma began in 1993. He has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Oregon State College, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Colorado State University. Molina’s expertise is in graph theory and combinatorics. His signature courses include Discrete Mathematics and Abstract Algebra.

The Faculty Barlow Awards, made possible by a gift from Joel Barlow, a 1929 Alma graduate, recognize faculty members for excellence in teaching, scholarly or creative work, and college and community service. Recipients are nominated by faculty, administrators, alumni and student Barlow Trophy nominees. The president selects the awardees, who receive grants to support their work.

Blazek is an assistant professor of psychology whose career at Alma began in 2022. She has a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Her expertise includes social identities, puberty, sex and puberty education, disordered eating and eating disorders and biopsychosocial and sociocultural models.

Slaughter is a professor of world languages and cultures whose career at Alma began in 2008. She has a bachelor’s degree from Washington College, a master’s degree from Millersville University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Her expertise includes Latin American film, theater and performance, the Mexican Revolution and immigration.

The Charles A. Dana Professorship was established in 1972. The primary consideration for selection is a record of innovation in teaching, program formulation and engaging students and colleagues in the academic endeavor, along with the potential for continued innovative contributions to the college and its programs. The Dana Professorship is awarded for a six-year term.

Dai is a professor of mathematics whose career at Alma began in 2005. She has a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Dai was initially inspired to pursue academia as a career while studying mathematics as an undergraduate.

The Joseph J. Zimmerman ’61 Endowed Chair in English was established in 2025 to recognize an esteemed faculty member in English who demonstrates a distinguished record of academic excellence and enriches the institution’s history. The chair will help develop innovative educational programs, foster collaborations across the College and academic fields, support the recruitment and mentoring of new faculty members, and outreach to the broader community.

The gift to create the named chair was given by Joseph J. Zimmerman, a member of the Class of 1961 and former assistant attorney general with the state of Michigan.

Cicci is an associate professor of English communication and language whose career at Alma began in 2015. He has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, a master’s degree from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Wayne State University. His expertise includes comic studies, creative writing, digital rhetoric, fan studies, film studies and journalism.