Transformational Teaching Celebrated at UAlbany as New Ember Award is Announced

A woman with short blonde hair in a purple blouse and gray blazer stands at a podium.

Linda Krzykowski is the recipient of the first-ever Ember Award for Innovative Academic Engagement, which will be presented annually to a member of the UAlbany community who embodies her commitment to student success. (Photos by Zach Durocher)

By Bethany Bump

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 29, 2025) — The University at Albany recently recognized faculty members who have gone above and beyond to support students at its annual Spark and Torch Awards ceremony, held April 11 in the Campus Center Multipurpose Room.

The Spark Award, which recognizes faculty who make a difference for students coming into the University, was awarded to Economics Professor Ken Bulko. The Torch Award, which recognizes faculty who made an impact on graduating seniors, was given to History Professor Camelia Lenart and Professor of Spanish Linguistics Lotfi Sayahi, who chairs the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

This year’s ceremony was notable for the announcement of a brand new award — the Ember Award for Innovative Academic Engagement — which was presented to Linda Krzykowski in honor of her decades of service to the University as she prepares to retire from her post as associate vice provost and executive director of the First Year Experience (FYE).

Ember Award

The Ember Award will be presented annually to a member of the UAlbany community who embodies Krzykowski's commitment to student success and community building, said JoAnne Malatesta, dean of Undergraduate Education and vice provost for Academic Innovation and Student Success.

"Much like the ember that keeps a fire burning, this award recognizes those who continue to carry the torch of student advocacy, creating the warmth and light that guides students through their academic journeys,” she said.

Six smiling people stand and pose for a photo — Linda Krzykowski with family after receiving the Ember Award

Linda Krzykowski began her time at UAlbany in 1993 as a lecturer in the Management Department of the Massry School of Business. Over the years, she became a beloved educator known for her tireless and visionary leadership in advocating for students.

Krzykowski was instrumental in the development of the FYE program at UAlbany, which offers small classes, teaching and mentoring for first-time, full-time students and new transfers that set them up for success as they navigate college.

In 2010, she started the first Living-Learning Communities on campus, a program which groups first-year students who share similar interests on the same residence hall floor and provides weekly meetings and activities with faculty mentors and students to attend. Today, there are approximately 20 of these communities on campus serving hundreds of students annually.

Last year, she oversaw the launch of Great Danes 101, a free online course for family members of new students who want to better understand the college experience and how best to support their loved ones through the process.

Krzykowski was also the architect behind the Spark and Torch Awards, which recognize transformational undergraduate teaching. While accepting the new Ember Award, Krzykowski explained that her time at UAlbany has never been a 9-5 job to her.

“Whether we engage them inside or outside the classroom, we are in the business of changing lives,” Krzykowski said. “We change student lives and I have been very proud to do that. I can’t think of any better mission to serve — as we all do when we serve the University.”

Spark Award

This year’s Spark Award winner, Ken Bulko, is a UAlbany lifer.

After graduating from the University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, he went on to get his law degree from Albany Law School and then worked a number of business and finance jobs before returning to UAlbany about 15 years ago to get his master’s in economics. In 2022, he finished his PhD in public finance.

A man with glasses wears a flower lapel pinned to a sweater and leans against a wall as a student speaks into a microphone — Ken Bulko listens as students share stories about his impact in the classroom.

For the past 12 years, he has been teaching economics to undergraduate students at UAlbany, including courses in law and economics, the economics of development, environmental economics and the principles of economics. He has also served as undergraduate studies director for the Economics Department since 2021.

More than 50 student nominations were submitted for the Spark Award this year.

Maeghan Patterson, a transfer student from Hudson Valley Community College who nominated Bulko, said it was her professor’s patience and ability to explain problems until they made sense that helped her succeed in her first year at UAlbany.

“You were incredibly welcoming and easy to talk to about the questions I had in class, practicing problems until they made sense,” she said. “You made me feel like I was not alone, which is exactly what a professor should be doing.”

Bulko had a gift for making students feel welcome, and would ask about their interests and help connect them to opportunities that fit, said freshman Fiona Glenn-Keough.

“Professor Bulko, you made me feel comfortable at the school and made me feel like I had a support system from the start,” she said. “I truly think your compassion and honesty were a huge reason why I did so well here in my first semester, which is why you are so deserving of this recognition."

The Spark Award committee also recognized two distinguished nominees:

Amber Jackson, Educational Opportunity Program
Vanessa Borum, Minerva Center for High Impact Practices

Torch Awards

More than 100 students nominated a faculty member for this year’s Torch Awards and winners were selected by a group of previous Torch Award alumni.

A woman with short black hair and bangs wears a white blouse and smiles as a student speaks into a microphone nearby — Camelia Lenart said receiving a Torch Award was the happiest day of her career.

Camelia Lenart, a lecturer in the Department of History, was nominated by five students this year who described the profound impact she had on their lives and her unique ability to bring history to life.

Lenart, who came to the U.S. from her home country of Romania 25 years ago, completed her master’s and PhD in history at UAlbany, and eventually began teaching for the department. Her research, which explores the interface of dance, diplomatic and cultural history, has been supported by numerous fellowships and awards.

Emma Rowland, a senior who graduated this past December with a bachelor’s in history, said Lenart’s teaching style is a big reason she became interested in pursuing a PhD in anthropology.

“One of my goals is to humanize the past and tell the story of those who weren't given a place in history,” said Best. “This shift in perspective I attribute to you. As a professor, you are having a monumental impact on the next generation of academics. You are a fierce advocate, excellent orator and an inspiration to all of us.”

At the ceremony, Lenart said that hearing from her students about the impact she made on them marked the happiest moment of her career.

“At the beginning of each semester, people might not know, but I have butterflies in my stomach,” she said. "I'm nervous because I have a lot of emotions, and always I ask myself, will I be able to give you my very best again? And once I open the door of the classroom, I see the students faces, and it's like a miracle, and it happens again. All the worries go away, and we start a new journey together, embarking on the fabulous journey of learning.”

A man in a dark suit jacket and yellow tie smiles as a student speaks into a microphone nearby — Lotfi Sayahi listens as students share stories of his impact in the classroom and beyond.

Lotfi Sayahi, an internationally renowned scholar of Spanish linguistics, received his PhD from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and teaches Spanish linguistics in UAlbany’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

Students who nominated him for this year’s Torch Award shared stories about Sayahi’s ability to make students feel valued and seen, all while pushing them to achieve at their highest levels.

Shayne Durkin, a transfer student who majored in Spanish and sociology, was recently accepted into the New York Police Academy and thanked Sayahi for supporting her throughout her career at UAlbany.

“Throughout the time that I have spent as one of your students, I've developed such a deep fascination with the science of language and how it builds the world around us, and I have truly come to understand that language is everything, and that without it, we have nothing.”

Sayahi thanked the students for the award and acknowledged that it takes many actors at UAlbany to support students on their road to success.

“It takes our colleagues who are here, who also teach our students and contribute to who they become,” he said. “It takes the whole system of the University who supports the students, the First Year Experience, undergraduate education, and the staff in our departments as well. But it's really about the students. It's them who take what we may give them and take it to another totally different level."

The Torch Award committee also recognized two distinguished nominees:

Robert Downey, Management
Elise Vogt, Biology

This year’s award ceremony was organized and emceed by Leah Scognamiglio, who took over from Krzykowski as director of First Year Experience Programs at UAlbany.