For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent presentations, appointments, publications, reaccreditation, honors and service include the following:

Presentations

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, was a participant in the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals conference ("Voices and Visions") held at Loyola University, Chicago, from July 10-12, 2025, where she delivered a paper titled “Harland vs. Wedmore: Men’s Visions and Women’s Voices in The Yellow Book and The Savoy, January 1896.”

Rudi Matthee, John and Dorothy Munroe Distinguished Professor of History, presented “Safavid Iran: Connections with the World,” for the Summer Teacher Institute 2025: "Teaching the Three Muslim Empires in the First Global Era, held at Georgetown University, on June 24, 2025.

Minjia Mao and Zeyu Chen, doctoral students in financial services analytics at the Lerner College, had a paper accepted to the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) 2025, a premier conference in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Their paper focuses on detecting large language model (LLM)-generated content and introduces a novel watermarking method called Sampling One Then Accepting (STA-1). STA-1 preserves the original token distribution in expectation and performs reliably in low-entropy settings. Their research shows that STA-1 provides statistical guarantees, fast detection and resistance to watermarking attacks. The study is coauthored with their adviser, Xiao Fang, professor of management information systems and JPMorgan Chase Senior Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Financial Services Analytics. Mao and Chen will present their work at the ACL conference in Vienna, Austria, July 27–Aug. 1, 2025.

Appointments

Suresh Sundaram, assistant professor of marketing, has been appointed director of executive education at UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. In this role, he will collaborate with senior leadership, faculty and industry partners to design and deliver high-impact learning experiences tailored to the evolving needs of clients and learners. A member of the Lerner College faculty since 2007, Sundaram has more than 24 years of teaching experience and has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate marketing courses. He played a pivotal role in launching and growing the Professional Selling and Sales Management minor, raising more than $300,000 in industry support for the program. With more than two decades of experience conducting global marketing research, Sundaram specializes in marketing research, strategy and advanced analytics. His work has appeared in top journals, including the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, where he coauthored a Best Paper Award-winning article. Under his leadership, Lerner’s executive programs are poised for continued excellence and innovation.

W. George Longbottom has been named associate dean for global programs at the University of Delaware. In this position, he will support the SWUFE-UD Joint Institute of Data Science in Chengdu, China, and assume duties previously held by Jennifer Gregan, who retired in May. Longbottom brings extensive experience in higher education and international program administration. He most recently served as associate director of graduate programs at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where he oversaw academic operations and advanced initiatives to improve student engagement. He holds a doctorate in Spanish–applied linguistics from Temple, along with master’s degrees in higher education and Spanish. Longbottom is deeply committed to supporting international students and advancing UD’s global engagement.

Markus Schuckert has been appointed chair of the Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management (HSBM), effective Sept. 1, 2025. He will join the Lerner College faculty as a tenured professor on Aug. 16. Schuckert brings more than 20 years of international academic leadership and industry experience, with prior appointments at the University of New Orleans, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Heilbronn University in Germany and the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons in Switzerland. He currently serves as professor and chair of the Department of Hospitality Management at the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. A prolific researcher, Schuckert has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles on service innovation, digital marketing and strategic management in hospitality and tourism. He earned his doctorate in social science and economics from the University of Innsbruck in Austria. His appointment supports Lerner’s strategic goals of research excellence, student success and global impact.

Publications

Ali H. Lateef, an engineering doctoral student in the Corbin Lab, along with collaborators from the Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, has published a new paper in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) titled: “Micropatterned Magneto-Rheological Elastomers to Drive Changes in Cardiomyocyte Alignment.” This research presents a dynamic and reversible stiffness culture platform with topographic features fabricated using ultra-soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) embedded with iron particles. The novel system enables real-time investigation of how cells respond to physical changes in their environment—specifically focusing on neonatal rat cardiomyocyte alignment upon magnetic matrix stiffening. The essay offers a powerful tool for studying time-dependent cell behaviors, including contact guidance.

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, recently had new poems published in both online and print literary journals, including "Finding Virginia" -- a poem about Virginia Woolf -- in The Courtship of Winds (Summer 2025): and "Quiet" in Thimble Literary Magazine,  Vol. 8, No. 1 (Summer 2025).

Biomedical engineering graduate student Olivia Dyer, in the Cone Lab, has had her manuscript accepted for publication in Scientific Reports.

Reaccreditation

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) graduate program in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration attained reaccreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) through Aug. 31, 2032. “This is a result of the tremendous teamwork of our faculty, staff, students and alumni, and is a testament to the high quality of education and professional development that we continue to provide to the future generations of public servants,” said MPA program director and associate professor Alisa Moldavanova.

Honors

The Lerner College of Business and Economics presented the following awards to its faculty and staff: Outstanding Junior Faculty, Beth Schinoff, assistant professor of management; Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member, Todd Whitlow, adjunct faculty, business administration; Students’ Choice Teaching Award, Roger Coffin, director of corporate affairs, professor of practice, and Ahmad A. Rabaa’i, associate professor of MIS; Outstanding Faculty Scholar, Matt Fleckenstein, associate professor of finance, and Gang Wang, associate professor of MIS; Outstanding Teacher, Caroline Swift, assistant professor of operations management; Outstanding Faculty Outreach and Service, Vince DiFelice, senior instructor in entrepreneurship; Leon & Margaret Slocomb Professional Excellence Award, Claire O'Neal, academic adviser II; Staff Excellence Innovation, Mike Evans, manager of computing operations; Staff Excellence in Service, Michele Housman, business administrator, and Gary Field, computer support specialist; and the MBA Teaching Award, John Stocker, associate professor of finance, and Honorable Mention, Asli Basoglu, associate professor of accounting. 

Danette Fong, Amelia Sherman and Shannon Hunt, students in HOSP487: Hospitality Revenue Management at UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, placed first in the Spring 2025 Forecaster Cup. Sponsored by STR and RevME, the international competition challenged student teams to forecast weekly hotel occupancy in Nashville’s Central Business District using real data and strategic analysis over seven weeks. The UD team earned a $1,000 prize for its top performance, demonstrating outstanding analytical skills and collaboration. The team’s success highlights Lerner’s emphasis on experiential learning and industry-relevant education in hospitality and business.

The Lerner College was named one of the 2025 "10 Undergraduate Business Schools to Watch" by Poets&Quants. Lerner rose 13 spots to No. 52 in the publication’s annual ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. and moved up five spots to No. 41 in the 2025 ranking of the Best Online MBA Programs. These recognitions follow the launch of Lerner’s new strategic plan and a historic $71.5 million gift from alumni Robert L. Siegfried Jr. and Kathleen Marie (Horgan) Siegfried—the largest ever to a business school at UD. The gift will support the construction of Siegfried Hall, a state-of-the-art facility featuring modern classrooms, research and teaching labs, a student-run café and an auditorium.

The University of Delaware’s Club Management Association of America (CMAA) Student Chapter, led by president Shannon Hunt, Class of 2025, was named the 2025 CMAA Student Chapter of the Year in the Small Chapter category—for the second consecutive year. This national honor recognizes the chapter’s exceptional leadership development, student engagement and commitment to CMAA’s mission. The chapter received a $1,000 grant from The Club Foundation to be used toward registration for the 2025 National Student Education Conference (NSEC) or the 2026 CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo. The formal recognition will take place at the 2025 NSEC.

Service

On June 6, 2025, 60 middle and high school students from across the state gathered at Legislative Hall in Dover for a Mock Second Continental Congress hosted by the Delaware Center for Civics Education (DCCE) at the University’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA). Over the past year, DCCE has led and cosponsored several events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Mock Second Continental Congress was cosponsored by DCCE, Delaware Historical Society, the Delaware Department of Education, Delaware 250 and First State Historic Parks. Fran O’Malley, director of DCCE, organized the agenda for the day and worked with Michael Feldman of the Delaware Department of Education to develop and adapt the instructional materials. O’Malley and Feldman then chaired the middle and high school sessions, respectively. Students representing 22 Delaware schools assumed roles as radicals, moderates and conservatives and prepared arguments focused on five issues that dominated discussions in 1776 as the actual delegates contemplated the momentous break with their mother country. During the proceedings, students practiced parliamentary procedures, met in caucuses to coordinate strategies, entertained and debated various motions, including one for independence, and had the opportunity to sign a poster-sized copy of Richard Henry Lee’s historic resolution. In addition to this event, DCCE hosted a book discussion series for Delaware’s K–12 educators around Pauline Maier’s American Scripture, hosted webinars featuring children’s book authors Anna Crowley (Rescuing the Declaration of Independence) and Ella Schwartz (Her Name Was Mary Katharine) and presentations by historians of the Declaration Richard Bell and Emily Sneff. 

In June 2025, 23 social studies teachers from across Delaware gathered at the University for the 2025 Democracy Project Summer Institute. This intensive weeklong program is organized by the Delaware Center for Civics Education (DCCE) at UD’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA). The Democracy Project, now in its 25th year, is led by Fran O’Malley, DCCE director; Ed Freel, IPA senior fellow; and Scott Abbott, DCCE assistant director. Grades K–12 educators attended sessions with elected officials, traveling to historical hubs including Dover, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. In preparation for the 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence in 2026, this year’s theme, “Traditions, Transitions and Trips,” focused on honoring the founding traditions of American democracy and addressing the modern-day transitions in government at all levels. Teachers developed strategies to encourage active student citizenship throughout the week and learned more about regional policies. This year’s speakers included Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr. of the Delaware Supreme Court; Delaware Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez; New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry; Delaware Secretary of Education Cynthia Marten; U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester; and The Washington Post’s Paul Kane and NPR’s Domenico Montanaro, both UD alumni. For more information about the Delaware Center for Civics Education and its programs, visit www.ipa.udel.edu/civics. 

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