Committee on Nominations and Elections
Benjamin Anderson
Associate Professor, History of Art and Classics
Biography:
I grew up in Maine and majored in Art and English at Williams. After receiving my PhD from Bryn Mawr in 2012, I came to Cornell as an Assistant Professor in the History of Art. I was promoted to Associate in 2018, at which time I was jointly appointed to the Department of Classics. I am also a member of the graduate fields of Archaeology, Medieval Studies, and Near Eastern Studies.
My primary area of research is the art and architecture of the eastern Mediterranean, ca. 500-1000. My first book, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art (2017), focused on the reception of Greco-Roman technologies for imaging the cosmos in the young Byzantine, Frankish, and Islamic states. I also publish regularly on the urban history of Constantinople (the topic of a 2022 volume, The Byzantine Neighbourhood, which I co-edited with Fotini Kondyli, University of Virginia) and the history of archaeology (as in my 2021 edition of Robert Wood’s account of his visits to Palmyra and Baalbek in 1751). As a member of the Harvard-Cornell Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, I co-lead (with Jordan Pickett, University of Georgia) a multi-year project to document the medieval fortifications of the acropolis.
My professional service has focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the fields of Byzantine studies and Classics, with a particular emphasis on graduate education. As President of the Byzantine Studies Association of North America (2018-20), I led a fundraising drive for microgrants to support URM graduate students. At Cornell, as DGS in Classics (2019-22), I oversaw the design and implementation of a fully funded Bridge MA program. I previously served (2014-17) as an elected, at-large representative to the Faculty Senate.
I live in Belle Sherman with my partner, Dane, and our dog, Murphy.
My primary area of research is the art and architecture of the eastern Mediterranean, ca. 500-1000. My first book, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art (2017), focused on the reception of Greco-Roman technologies for imaging the cosmos in the young Byzantine, Frankish, and Islamic states. I also publish regularly on the urban history of Constantinople (the topic of a 2022 volume, The Byzantine Neighbourhood, which I co-edited with Fotini Kondyli, University of Virginia) and the history of archaeology (as in my 2021 edition of Robert Wood’s account of his visits to Palmyra and Baalbek in 1751). As a member of the Harvard-Cornell Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, I co-lead (with Jordan Pickett, University of Georgia) a multi-year project to document the medieval fortifications of the acropolis.
My professional service has focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the fields of Byzantine studies and Classics, with a particular emphasis on graduate education. As President of the Byzantine Studies Association of North America (2018-20), I led a fundraising drive for microgrants to support URM graduate students. At Cornell, as DGS in Classics (2019-22), I oversaw the design and implementation of a fully funded Bridge MA program. I previously served (2014-17) as an elected, at-large representative to the Faculty Senate.
I live in Belle Sherman with my partner, Dane, and our dog, Murphy.
Candidate Statement:
The first priority in nominations and elections should be to build (creative, unexpected) connections between colleges, disciplines, and areas of study, so as to fully activate the self-governing capacities of the university faculty as a whole. I’ve greatly enjoyed serving on the N&E committee on a one-year replacement term (2022-23), and look forward to continued collaboration with colleagues from across Cornell
Risa Mish
Professor, SC Johnson School of Management
Biography:
I'm currently finishing my 15th year as a member of the Johnson Graduate School of Management faculty, where I developed and teach the MBA and Executive MBA Core courses in Critical & Strategic Thinking. I also previously taught the required Johnson Team Leadership Practicum course, and an elective course on "Building Leadership Influence". From 2007 -2017, I served as the Founding Faculty Director of the Johnson Leadership Fellows program, and also founded the Johnson Board Fellows program, an experiential leadership program through which MBA students serve as non-voting directors on the boards of local non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Tompkins County and the Community Foundation of Tompkins County. I currently serve as Faculty Advisor to the Black Graduate Business Association, Out for Business, and the Women’s Management Council, and chair the Johnson Academic Integrity Hearing Board.
In 2021, I was deeply honored to receive, along with Prof. Dong Lai of the Astronomy Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs, and to be asked to serve a three-year term on the Weiss Teaching Award Nominating Committee.
I am a proud dual degree Cornellian -- a graduate of both Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Science (BS'85) and Cornell Law School (JD'88). In my pre-academic career, I clerked for a federal judge in New Orleans, and then practiced law in New York City, first as an associate at Simpson Thacher, and then as a partner in Collazo, Carling & Mish.
I've been happily married for 30+ years to John Lauricella (MFA'87 PhD'92), a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences in the English Department. Our children are in school in Cleveland and Minneapolis, and so we are now "empty nesters", save for our somewhat crazy SPCA rescue dog, Izzy, who rules the household.
In 2021, I was deeply honored to receive, along with Prof. Dong Lai of the Astronomy Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs, and to be asked to serve a three-year term on the Weiss Teaching Award Nominating Committee.
I am a proud dual degree Cornellian -- a graduate of both Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Science (BS'85) and Cornell Law School (JD'88). In my pre-academic career, I clerked for a federal judge in New Orleans, and then practiced law in New York City, first as an associate at Simpson Thacher, and then as a partner in Collazo, Carling & Mish.
I've been happily married for 30+ years to John Lauricella (MFA'87 PhD'92), a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences in the English Department. Our children are in school in Cleveland and Minneapolis, and so we are now "empty nesters", save for our somewhat crazy SPCA rescue dog, Izzy, who rules the household.
Candidate Statement:
My interest in serving on the Faculty Senate Nominations and Elections Committee is based on a desire to be of service to my alma mater and fellow faculty members, and to contribute to the nomination process a perspective that is currently less common on the committee: that of a member of the professional school faculty community at Cornell.
I’m an alumna of two Cornell colleges (CALS and Law) and for the past 15 years have had the privilege of teaching at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. I’ve learned from and taught alongside many current and former faculty members whose positive impact on Cornell is critically important to our institutional mission. Through the added privilege of serving on the Stephen H. Weiss Teaching Awards Nominating Committee, I have learned about the accomplishments of many other faculty colleagues whom I may not know personally, but whose outstanding examples of dedication to teaching excellence deeply inspire me.
I would consider it an honor to be able to pay these privileges forward by supporting the process of nominating and electing our representatives to the Faculty Senate as a member of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
I’m an alumna of two Cornell colleges (CALS and Law) and for the past 15 years have had the privilege of teaching at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. I’ve learned from and taught alongside many current and former faculty members whose positive impact on Cornell is critically important to our institutional mission. Through the added privilege of serving on the Stephen H. Weiss Teaching Awards Nominating Committee, I have learned about the accomplishments of many other faculty colleagues whom I may not know personally, but whose outstanding examples of dedication to teaching excellence deeply inspire me.
I would consider it an honor to be able to pay these privileges forward by supporting the process of nominating and electing our representatives to the Faculty Senate as a member of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
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Chris Schaffer
Professor, Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Biography:
Chris B. Schaffer is a Professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his PhD from Harvard University, both in physics, before cross-training as a neuroscientist while a post-doc at the University of California, San Diego. The lab he now jointly runs with Prof. Nozomi Nishimura at Cornell develops advanced optical techniques that enable quantitative imaging and targeted manipulation of individual cells in the central nervous system of rodents and uses such tools to construct a microscopic-scale understanding of normal and disease-state physiological processes in the brain. One area of current focus is understanding the role of brain blood flow disruptions in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Chris is also active in developing novel educational strategies to teach science as a dynamic process for discovery that are used in outreach settings in middle and high-school science classes as well as in college-level courses and international student exchange programs. Chris also has a strong interest in science policy and spent a year in Washington, DC as a science policy fellow in the office of Senator Edward Markey. He continues to be active in policy, including through a science policy course he teaches. Chris has played an active role in faculty governance at Cornell, serving as his department representative to the Faculty Senate for many years, as well as serving three year terms on the University Faculty Committee and as Associate Dean of the Faculty (and chair of the Nominations and Elections committee as part of this role).
Candidate Statement:
I strongly believe in the value of faculty-based governance at Universities and have contributed to this at Cornell through service on the Faculty Senate, the University Faculty Committee, and in a three-year term as Associate Dean of the Faculty, during which time I chaired the Nominations and Elections committee. Serving on a committee whose purview is well aligned with an area of interest can be a fantastic way for faculty to contribute to improving aspects of the university, to meet new colleagues from across the university, and to gain a sense of purpose and impact outside teaching and research responsibilities. If elected to the Nominations and Elections committee, I would work to identify such excellent matches between committees and members, with the goal of Cornell's faculty governance becoming more effective, more comprehensive, and more pleasant for all involved.
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Steve Winans
Professor, Microbiology
Biography:
I have been a member of the Department of Microbiology for over 30 years. During that time, I have published over 100 scientific papers, mainly on the topics of chemical communication between bacteria and how pathogenic bacteria detect chemical cues from their hosts. I have mentored 20 Ph.D. students. I teach courses in Pathogenic Microbiology and a course called Genesis, which focusses on the chemical origins of life. In 2013, I was honored to win the CALS award for Outstanding Achievements in Basic Research. I am also a member of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Candidate Statement:
Over the course of my three decades at Cornell, I have served on a wide variety of ad hoc and standing committees for the University and for the College. These include a three-year term as University Senator, a term as chair of the CALS Committee for Research and Extension. Through these assignments I have gotten to know many College faculty, and have learned about the various departments and other units in the College, and how they interdigitate to maintain the preeminence of Cornell in teaching, research, and service.
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