2022 Gordon Clark Ramsey Awards

Adjunct and part-time faculty at the University of Hartford do outstanding and innovative work in the classroom. Each year, the Gordon Clark Ramsey Awards for Creative Excellence are presented to adjunct or part-time faculty for a proposed scholarly or creative project or for prior sustained scholarly or creative work related to classroom teaching.

Recipients of the 2022 Gordon Clark Ramsey Award for Creative Excellence were announced at the Faculty-Staff Kickoff on Aug. 16. They are:

Marion Belanger, adjunct instructor in photography at the Hartford Art School, is an award-winning photographer who students regard as an esteemed role model. She is known for creating in her classroom the constant expectation of both technical expertise and conceptual clarity. She has a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Art, received the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, has published five books, and is represented at many museums and galleries, including Yale’s Beinecke Library. Much of her photographic work is devoted to landscapes. “One strength she brings to the classroom is her ability to challenge her students while also creating a safe space for them to learn,” says Ellen Carey, associate professor of photography at the Hartford Art School. “She explores with her students the difference between pixels on a screen, the photograph itself, the photographic book, and the photographic exhibition.” The study of the photo book is, in fact, a specialty of hers, and a genre that has grown exponentially in recent years. It’s a topic she will continue to explore with help from the Ramsey Award, and one she eagerly shares with her students. Many of them have gone on to top graduate schools based in part on the impressive portfolios they create in  her classes.

Tarra Cemborski, adjunct professor of sports psychology, has distinguished herself through the work she does to highlight the impact made in psychology by a wide demographic of professionals. She regards it as a topic of great significance based on the fact that so many have been overlooked in the past, including those from the Black, indigenous, female, LGBTQ+ and other distinctive communities. Cemborski came to the University of Hartford in 2009 when Associate Professor of Psychology Mala Matacin approached Springfield College seeking a qualified candidate to teach sports psychology. Cemborski had just received her master's degree. “She was enthusiastically recommended, started teaching here that year, and has been with us ever since,” Matacin says. “She is committed to her students and is constantly improving her courses in content and student engagement.” Cemborski plans to use the award to further enhance her course content. She also teaches psychology of gender, human sexual behavior, and history and systems, the latter of which is the specific course for which she is being recognized. Cemborski constantly seeks new ways to engage her students, such as having them do copious research on lesser-known psychologists. She is untiring in her own research to support her teaching endeavors by using every media format available, including books, films, and dozens in between.

Karen V. Duhamel, assistant clinical nursing professor in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, has been influential in improving the ability of students to become proficient learners using digital and computer technology. Having trained at such institutions as Eastern Connecticut State University, Chamberlain University, Touro University, and the University of Hartford, she brings to her role not just a broad canvas of training and substantial experience in behavioral health nursing and case management, but also a strong dedication to her craft that is consistently recognized by colleagues and students alike. As an instructor of advanced nursing theory and theory of nursing education, and as program coordinator for the master's program in nursing, she’s had ample opportunity to assess the consequences of computer learning. “Graduate nursing students come with a variety of competency levels in computer technology,” she notes, “and as a result, they often feel overwhelmed.” So she developed what is been called a “one-stop shop” or a “technology 101” component that vastly helps students focus more on content than on digital issues. “She has been instrumental in designing and implementing better data management systems,” says Susan Eichar, associate professor. “She serves as a mentor, is a natural problem-solver, and is consistent in her ability and willingness to continuously improve our program.”

Jessica Rudman began teaching music and composition at the Hartt School in 2005 as a graduate student. She stayed on after earning her degree and has made enormous strides developing new methods to enhance the educational experience for students. Dr. Rudman has composed for live performances and film, and her works have been included in festivals worldwide. She has a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Virginia, two composition degrees from Hartt, and a PhD from the City University of New York. She is vice president of the Women Composers Festival of Hartford and is currently director of the Hartt Preparatory Academy. Musical creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and theory are her primary topics, and her redesign of class methodology focuses on two elements: fostering critical thinking and creativity through problem-based learning, and diversifying the class repertoire. As one element, she has her students embark on prolonged individually-selected analytical projects in addition to standard curricula work. “I use their love of music and inherent curiosity to motivate them to ask ever more sophisticated questions,” she says, noting that her goal is to get students to think like theorists and create like composers. “Dr. Rudman holds high expectation of her students,” says Ken Steen, professor of composition and music theory at Hartt. “She’s rigorous in her teaching approach, yet flexible and supportive of her students’ desire to create music that is their own.”