The Daily Bulletin Archive

I am pleased to inform you that Jill Singer, professor of earth sciences and science education, has been appointed Distinguished Teaching Professor by the State University of New York Board of Trustees.

The Distinguished Teaching Professorship recognizes and honors mastery of teaching; outstanding service to students and commitment to their ongoing intellectual growth, scholarship, and professional development; and adherence to rigorous academic standards and requirements.

I’m extremely proud of Professor Singer, who exemplifies Buffalo State’s commitment to student excellence and undergraduate research. Her scholarship includes more than 100 published abstracts, 20 peer-reviewed papers, and several reports. Dr. Singer also possesses an impressive list of accomplishments at the national level. She is a fellow of the Geological Society of America. She’s served as a program officer in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and as president of the Council on Undergraduate Research.

At Buffalo State, Dr. Singer established and directed the Undergraduate Research Office for more than 15 years. She initiated the annual Student Research and Creativity Conference, now in its 22nd year, and the Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program, which has been in place for nearly 20 years. In addition, she undertook a multiyear effort to develop and field test a methodology for measuring student learning and related outcomes known as EvaluateUR. With funding from the NSF and with input from faculty across disciplines, the methodology focused on 11 student outcomes to better inform program impact and, ultimately, refinement. EvaluateUR is now being expanded to the national level and modified for use in course-based undergraduate research experiences. Clearly, Dr. Singer’s influence as an educator and mentor transcends our campus.

She will be officially inducted into the SUNY Distinguished Academy at a ceremony in Albany on June 23. We will also honor Dr. Singer on campus at our Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony in fall 2020.

In the meantime, please join me in congratulating her on this prestigious honor.