Inaugural Dr. Stephanie Hassan Richardson Award

( Photo provided by Susan Cumings)

On April 14th, 2025 Dr. Carman Serrano and Dr. Elizabeth Vásquez became the first recipients of the Dr. Stephanie Hassan Richardson Award. This award recognizes, in Stephanie's own words, how we "celebrate diversity in ways yet to be imagined." Both Dr. Serrano and Dr. Vásquez played an integral role in making Stephanie feel welcomed back into the Albany community through their invitation to join BILPOC (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color). This faculty initiative seeks to help build community and offer support to those who might feel most marginalized--and that is exactly what it offered Stephanie: a supportive community. 

For their hard work and welcoming spirit, we would like to celebrate both Dr. Serrano and Dr. Vásquez. 

Although the award is given out through The Program in Writing & Critical Inquiry (WCI), the creation of this award was a collaborative effort across multiple departments and programs. We would like to take a moment and thank Dean JoAnne Malatesta and Vice Dean for Academic Innovation & Student Success Diana Mancini; Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Equity Samuel Caldwell and Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion Lakia Green.; as well as Associate Dean for Arts & Humanities Rick Fogarty. Finally, this award would not have been possible without the support of our amazing colleagues in WCI.