AMUW Faculty Achievement Award

Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award

The Association of Marquette University Women awards the Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award annually to honor and recognize a woman faculty member who has excelled in her research, teaching and service to Marquette and to the community, and has mentored students and other faculty. The AMUW Board of Directors will handle management of this award, in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of the Humanities.

The award is named for Nora Finnigan Werra, friend of Marquette, whose many relatives attended the university. “It was an honor to endow this very important award,” Werra said. “I believe that it not only recognizes outstanding women faculty but also tells others within the university and the community that women faculty are recognized and valued. It also shows those interested in teaching at Marquette that the university is a great place to work!

The call for nominations can be found HERE.

Award Selection Process

Eligibility

A woman Associate Professor or Professor will be eligible for this award. Nominees need to be employed full-time, and have given at least 7 years of service to Marquette.

Nomination Process

Solicitations for this award will normally be sent out in the fall of each year. Nominations will be solicited from full-time faculty.  Only one ballot is required to start the nomination process.  Self-nominations will not be accepted.  The Center for the Advancement of the Humanities will request a letter of support from the top 5-10 candidate’s deans/chairs and the candidate’s curriculum vitae.  This letter should support the candidate’s level of excellence achieved in her research, teaching, service to Marquette and to the community, and her mentoring of students and other faculty.  No one serving on the Selection Committee may be nominated for this award.  A Professor/Associate Professor is eligible to win this award once in a lifetime.  The recipient will receive the award in late April at the AMUW Mary Neville Bielfeld Award Mass & Brunch.

Selection Committee

The chair of the Selection Committee will be the non-voting, AMUW liaison.  The Selection Committee (not including the chair) will be comprised of 5 voting members, men and women, who will follow the guidelines established for this award.  Membership for the Selection Committee, including the chair, will be as follows: three senior Marquette faculty from different colleges (serving one 1-year term) and two representatives from AMUW (serving one 2-year term).  Terms shall be staggered. The past award recipient will serve a term on the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee faculty members will be chosen by the Center for the Advancement of the Humanities, and the AMUW members will be selected by the AMUW Board of Directors.

2022-2023 Winner

AMUW Award Louise Cainkar

Dr. Louise Cainkar is a professor in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University. Her areas of expertise include Arab American studies, Muslim American studies, and immigrant communities. Her current research focuses on the resettlement of Afghans in the US post 2022 and the FIFA world cup, Morocco, and Arab and African diasporas. She is a Board Member and Treasurer of The Arab American Action Network in Chicago and of The Association of Middle East Women’s Studies. 

 

Past Winners

See the list of past recipients of the Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award.

Past Winners

2021-2022
Dr. Michelle Mynlieff
Biological Sciences 
 
2020-2021
 
Dr. Theresa Tobin
 
Philosophy
 
 
2018-2019
 
Dr. Anne Pasero
 
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
 

2017-2018

Dr. Ruth Ann Belknap


Nursing


2016-2017

Dr. Jane Peterson

Social and Cultural Sciences


2015-2016

Dr. Sandra Hunter

Exercise Science


2014-2015

Dr. Paula Papanek

Exercise Science


2013-2014

Dr. Kristy Nielson

Psychology


2012-2013

Dr. Roberta Coles

Social and Cultural Sciences


2011-2012

Dr. Leona VandeVusse

Nursing


2010-2011

Dr. Rosemary Stuart

Biological Sciences


2009-2010

Dr. Krista Ratcliffe

English


2008-2009

Dr. Kathleen Karrer

Biological Sciences


2007-2008

Dr. Kristina Ropella

Biomedical Engineering


2006-2007

Dr. Diane Hoeveler

English


2005-2006

Dr. Lauren Leslie

Education


2004-2005

Dr. Gail Waring

Biological Sciences


2003-2004

Dr. Linda Vaughn

Biomedical Sciences