The Neag School of Education honored several faculty, staff, and students on May 3 with its annual awards recognizing research, teaching, and service. In March, the Neag School’s Dean’s Office solicited nominations from current students, faculty, and staff and presented the awards at the end-of-year School Meeting. The 2024 award recipients are:

Dr. Perry A. Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award – Saran Stewart

The Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award is awarded annually to a full-time faculty member in the Neag School. Alumnus Perry A. Zirkel ’68 MA, ’72 Ph.D., ’76 JD is a university professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University, where he formerly was dean of the College of Education and more recently held the Iacocca Chair in Education. The 2024 award recipient is Saran Stewart, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership since 2020.

Stewart, an associate professor of higher education, focuses her scholarly work on issues in comparative education, decolonizing methodologies, critical/inclusive pedagogy, and problems of access and equity in higher education. She also serves as UConn Hartford’s director of academic affairs. In that role, she is the primary faculty partner in the campus director’s office to support and guide academic matters.

In addition to being an excellent scholar who uses meticulous detail and in-depth analysis in her work, Stewart is an outstanding teacher with a fantastic ability to translate complex theoretical principles and concepts into accessible language for diverse groups of individuals and stakeholders. Recognized as a Salzburg Global Fellow and recipient of prestigious awards such as the 2019 Vice Chancellor Award for Excellence and the 2018 African Diaspora Emerging Scholar award, Stewart’s editorial roles and co-editorship in seminal works solidify her influential higher education position.

Distinguished Researcher Award – Del Siegle

This award is given to a full professor in the Neag School who, over at least the last 10-year period (at least five consecutive completed years at UConn), has made significant research contributions to their field of study. This year’s recipient is Del Siegle, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology.

Siegle holds the Lynn and Ray Neag Endowed Chair in Talent Development. He came to UConn in 1999 and currently serves as director of the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development and the National Center for Research on Gifted Education (NCRGE).

In the past 10 years, he has secured over $16.5 million in grant funding as a principal investigator. He is in the second five-year funding cycle directing the NCRGE, the only federally funded national center for research on gifted education. As PI and director of the center, Siegle oversees a consortium of five universities, which includes a team of 16 professors and research scientists.

In addition to his NCRGE work, he also currently oversees two additional grants: Project BUMP UP, which is a research project designed to meet the needs of mathematically talented students, and Project EAGLE, a research project designed to increase the participation of underserved populations in gifted programs. Siegle has made over 700 state, national, and international presentations on gifted and talented education and has published over 100 articles, book chapters, and books on the topic.

Siegle was the founder and co-editor of the Journal of Advanced Academics; has served as co-editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, the top-ranked research journal in the field of gifted education; and authored a technology column for Gifted Child Today. He’s a past president of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the largest organization in the U.S. dedicated to promoting the needs of gifted and talented children. He has also received several service awards from NAGC.

Outstanding Early-Career Scholar Award – Chen Chen

This award is given to a pre-tenured faculty member in the Neag School who has completed at least two consecutive years at UConn. The 2024 recipient is Chen Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership.

Chen conducts research on topics ranging from anti-racism and decolonization to international education and environmental justice and has made significant contributions to sport management. In only his third year on the tenure track, Chen has published 22 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading sport management and sport sociology journals. Chen has also delivered or participated in 14 presentations and panel discussions at international scholarly forums such as the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and North American Society for the Sociology of Sport conferences.

Since joining UConn just 2.5 years ago, Chen has successfully pursued internal and external grants. In addition to being one of only two individuals to win the NASSM Janet Parks Research Grant in 2023 and receive the UConn Scholarship Facilitation Fund in 2022, Chen is a co-investigator on a research project that received $450,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada.

Outstanding Student Researcher Award – Elizabeth Zagata

This award is given to a student whose research during study with the Neag School demonstrates a pattern of excellence and represents the potential to make an impact in their field of study. This year’s recipient is Elizabeth Zagata, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Psychology studying special education.

Although Zagata defended her dissertation this spring, her research profile is more like that of an established early career faculty member at a research-intensive university than that of a newly defended doctoral student. Zagata is already recognized in the field as a policy expert. Her deep understanding of special education and reading policy at the national level and across states is impressive. She has collaborated on research projects with many of the top experts in the field, resulting in publications that have appeared in top-tier journals, and she has disseminated her work through outlets that reach broad communities of policymakers, practitioners, and families.

Zagata is the first author of several publications that have reached broad audiences, including white papers written for national organizations and two research articles published in peer-reviewed journals, including Reading Research Quarterly, one of the top journals in educational research. She has co-authored four additional journal articles in top-tier journals and a book chapter. The quantity and quality of Zagata’s research publications would be impressive for an assistant professor at mid-tenure review, let alone a doctoral student – and her list of co-authors reads like a who’s who of exceptional education policy researchers.

Valerie J. Pichette Outstanding Staff Award – Anna Roberts

Named in honor of the late Valerie J. Pichette, this award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond in their work at the Neag School over the past academic year. Pichette had a 30-year history of service to the state of Connecticut, including having served as executive assistant to the Neag School dean for nearly two decades. This year’s recipient is Anna Roberts.

Roberts, who is a program administrator in the Office of Teacher Education, consistently surpasses expectations by displaying exceptional leadership and initiative in her role. She is crucial in organizing student teaching placements and internships, benefiting over 300 students across 12 districts. Roberts’ adept communication and organizational skills facilitate strong partnerships with district and school administrators, enhancing the Neag School community.

Since joining the Neag School just before the pandemic, Roberts has continually improved operations within the Office of Teacher Education by implementing new procedures. She actively engages with school and district officials, accompanying the director of school-university partnerships on visits to strengthen relationships. Roberts impresses with her thoughtfulness and engagement as an exceptional ambassador for the Neag School.

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