The College of Arts & Sciences annually honors faculty members for excellence in teaching and advising. Among the faculty members and teaching assistants being recognized for exceptional teaching and mentorship this year are: Nicole Giannella, recipient of the 2026 Robert and Helen Appel Fellowship for Humanists and Social Scientists; Karola Mészáros, recipient of the 2026 Robert A. and Donna B. Paul Award for Excellence in Advising; and Landon Schnabel, recipient of the 2026 Morgan Chia-Wen Sze and Bobbi Josephine Hernandez Distinguished Teaching Prize.
“As the academic year draws to a close, it’s my honor to celebrate the dedication, generosity and enthusiasm of all our faculty members and instructors who reach beyond expectations or requirements to benefit their students and further their fields of study,” said Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “These outstanding teachers and advisors contribute every day to an atmosphere in the College where students can flourish and do their very best. I’m especially grateful to the alumni whose gifts make it possible for us to call attention to teaching and advising excellence through these awards.”
The Robert and Helen Appel Fellowship has recognized faculty excellence since 1995 and gives recipients a semester’s study leave at full salary to write, develop new courses, conduct research or otherwise enrich their teaching and scholarship
Gianella, assistant professor of classics, is a distinguished scholar of the ancient world whose work is reshaping how scholars understand slavery, law and social relations in Roman society. Praised by colleagues for the depth, originality and rigor of her research, Giannella is the author of “The Mind of the Slave: The Limits of Ownership in Roman Law and Society” (University of Michigan Press, 2026), a groundbreaking study that brings literary and legal texts into dialogue to examine Roman ideas about enslaved people’s interior lives. Drawing on exceptional command of Latin and a rare combination of philological precision and theoretical sophistication, the book has been hailed by leading historians of antiquity as an important and enduring contribution to the study of slavery.
Department colleagues note that Giannella’s scholarship exemplifies a careful, sustained approach that values lasting insight. She is currently advancing new projects on ancient and medieval inequality and on the role of letters in shaping experiences of enslavement. Her research directly informs her teaching, where she introduces students to Roman law, race and ethnicity, and slavery through innovative, discussion-driven courses that foster close textual analysis and critical reflection on the modern world.
An exemplary teacher and advisor, Giannella has built strong enrollments in new curricular areas, mentored undergraduate and graduate researchers with distinction, and played a leadership role in department initiatives. Students and colleagues praise her for combining intellectual rigor with generosity, care and a commitment to inclusive education. "Her passion for the material was evident in every lecture,” one student said, “and her deep knowledge of Roman law was matched by her genuine enthusiasm for student engagement."
The Robert A. and Donna B. Paul Academic Advising Award was established in 1992 to honor undergraduate advisers who make a difference in the lives of their students. Recipients receive one-half an academic year’s salary and fringe benefits for a leave that is taken within the next three years.
Mészáros, associate professor of mathematics, is being recognized for the exceptional degree to which she involves undergraduate students in her research, mentoring them in the process and setting them on the path towards a future in research mathematics. Despite the steep learning curve of pure mathematics research, she has repeatedly found ways to involve undergraduates in deep, open‑ended projects, treating them as intellectual collaborators. Students credit her with opening doors to research communities, helping them navigate funding and travel opportunities, and modeling what it means to lead a life in mathematics with generosity, kindness and curiosity.
Her advising extends far beyond formal requirements. Students emphasized her sustained engagement with their academic development: long hours spent discussing ideas, careful guidance through graduate school and fellowship applications and continued mentorship well after graduation. One former student described her support as “life‑changing,” noting that subsequent research grew out of opportunities and collaborations she made possible. Others described how her encouragement furthered their academic trajectories, helping them discover research interests and pursue advanced study.
An accomplished scholar in algebraic combinatorics and discrete geometry, Mészáros brings the same intellectual rigor to undergraduate advising that she brings to her research. She has supervised numerous undergraduate research projects, many resulting in publications, conference presentations and successful placement in graduate programs. Colleagues note that her advising relationships resemble those of trusted colleagues rather than supervision, fostering independence while offering unwavering support.
Through her exceptional dedication to mentoring, Mészáros has profoundly shaped students’ sense of belonging in mathematics, showing by example, said one student, “how to find joy and excitement in math.”
The Morgan Chia-Wen Sze and Bobbi Josephine Hernandez Distinguished Teaching Prize, first awarded in 2018, honors faculty members for excellence in teaching. Honorees are encouraged to use a portion of the award to travel anywhere in the world of interest to them and, through that travel, to “bring the world back to Cornell.”
Schnabel, associate professor of sociology, teaches across the sociology of religion, gender, inequality and mental health, and is known for creating classroom environments that are intellectually demanding, inclusive and responsive to diverse ways of learning.
Students find his courses intellectually stimulating, highly relevant and personally meaningful, and they note his attentiveness, empathy and commitment to their well-being. He fosters an inclusive and supportive classroom environment, and his teaching cultivates meaningful connections between sociological concepts and students’ real-life experiences. Said one student: “He cares deeply about students and their mental health.”
Central to Schnabel’s teaching is a commitment to universal design for learning and innovative assessment. He has pioneered approaches that reduce unnecessary barriers while maintaining high academic standards. These practices not only enhance student engagement but have also been adopted in faculty development resources through Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation, extending his impact well beyond his own classroom.
Schnabel’s new course, “Neurodiversity and Society,” exemplifies his pedagogical vision. Among the first of its kind nationally, the course takes a sociological rather than clinical approach to disability, examining how institutions, power and inequality shape whose differences are supported and whose are punished. The course reflects Schnabel’s broader commitment to fostering learning environments where students of all neurotypes feel welcomed and intellectually challenged.
An accomplished scholar, Schnabel brings his research directly into his teaching and mentoring, frequently collaborating with undergraduate and graduate students on publishable research. Through this integration of scholarship, innovation and care, Schnabel has made a lasting contribution to teaching at Cornell.
Other 2026 College of Arts and Sciences honors:
The Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award goes to faculty members James Spinazzola, the Barbara & Richard T. Silver ’50, M.D. ’53 Associate Professor of music and director of winds; Sarah Bernstein, senior lecturer in performing and media arts and resident costume designer at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts; and Ryan Tapping, Ph.D. ’21, lecturer in physics. Teaching assistants receiving the Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award are Claudia Miner, government; Jackson Phillips, ecology and evolutionary biology; and Alex Vidinas, mathematics.
The Deanne Gebell Gitner ’66 and Family Annual Prize for Teaching Assistants goes to Santiago Diago Lizarralde, comparative literature; Jenna Marvin, history of art and visual studies; Ryan Randle, medieval studies; and Xintong Chen, history.
The Sophie Washburn French Instructorship for excellence in language instruction goes to Razima Chowdhury, senior lecturer in Asian studies (Bangla); and Valentina Fulginiti, senior lecturer in Romance studies (Italian).
The Zhu Family Graduate Fellowship goes to Xintong Chen, history; Jenna Marvin, history of art and visual studies; and Waleska Solózano, Romance studies.
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