Professor Tom Ippoliti Receives John Ireland Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Teacher-Scholar

Professor Tom Ippoliti has been named the recipient of the John Ireland Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Teacher-Scholar for 2017. He will receive the award at the Celebrating Faculty Achievement Reception on Feb. 16 in James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall.

The award, presented since 2008, recognizes outstanding academic achievement of faculty in teaching and scholarship, and exemplifies the mission and values of the University of St. Thomas as an institution committed to the teacher-scholar model. Awardees are tenured members of the St. Thomas faculty who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to not only their respective disciplines but also to the university.

Awardees’ names are added to the John Ireland Presidential Award plaque, located in Aquinas Hall, and receive an annual award of $1,500 to support continued professional development activities.

Ippoliti joined the Chemistry Department at St. Thomas in 1989. His scholarship includes a dozen impactful publications and at least 11 patents. He has also secured $2.8 million dollars in external funding from the National Science Foundation, the Merck Institute for Science Education and the American Association of Science’s Undergraduate Science Research Program. In addition, he has received industry research contracts with companies including ExxonMobil, Boston Scientific, Pepsi, Samsung, Imation and Medtronic, among others.

The external funding he has received supports the research undertaken in his laboratory. Ippoliti includes student researchers in nearly every facet of his research agenda, scores of whom have presented their work at over 100 conferences since he joined the faculty. He also receives excellent reviews from students that place him in the top tier of teachers in the College of Arts and Sciences. The rave reviews are consistent even in the most difficult coursework in chemistry.

Dean Yohuru Williams of the College of Arts and Sciences, in his nomination letter, wrote, “I am lucky to have such a consummate educator and scientist on the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and am proud to nominate him for the John Ireland Presidential Award. His long list of scholarly publications and patents, his consistent record of securing external grants, and his achievements in the classroom make Dr. J. Thomas Ippoliti more than deserving” of the award.

Prior John Ireland Presidential Award recipients

  • Dr. Stephen Brookfield, School of Education, 2008
  • Dr. Terence Nichols, Department of Theology, 2008
  • Dr. Mary Reichardt, Department of Catholic Studies, 2008
  • Dr. Thomas Sullivan, Department of Philosophy, 2008
  • Dr. John Abraham, School of Engineering, 2009
  • Dr. Kendra Garrett, School of Social Work, 2009
  • Mr. Neil Hamilton, School of Law, 2009
  • Dr. Mark Stansbury-O’Donnell, Department of Art History, 2009
  • Dr. Matthew George, Department of Music, 2010
  • Dr. Teresa Rothausen, Department of Management, 2011
  • Dr. Bernard Brady, Department of Theology, 2012
  • Dr. Meg Wilkes Karraker, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, 2013
  • Dr. Sameer Kumar, Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management, 2013
  • Dr. Lisa Waldner, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, 2014
  • Mr. Gregory Sisk, School of Law, 2014
  • Dr. Sandy Menssen, Philosophy Department, 2015
  • Dr. Patrick Van Fleet, Department of Mathematics, 2015