Provost Anedith Nash (left) & President Dennison W. Griffith (middle) present Kelly Malec-Kosak with the CCAD Award for Teaching Excellence.

Kelly Malec-Kosak, was presented with the fifth annual Award for Teaching Excellence during a ceremony in the Canzani Center, April 21. The event, which was attended by faculty, staff, and members of the board of trustees, also honored Provost Anedith Nash, who is retiring this year along with faculty Susan Josephson and Peter Rasmussen.

The Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes the exemplary efforts of CCAD’s faculty, their overall contributions to the college as a whole, and use of classroom settings to engage and enhance student experiences. Nominations are submitted by current CCAD students, faculty and alumni.

Malec-Kosak is an associate professor in Fine Arts and Graduate Studies and the chair of Dimensional Studies, teaching jewelry/small metals and studio professions.  She has been the recipient of Cincinnati’s Individual Artist Grant and an Individual Excellence Award from Ohio Arts Council. She exhibits throughout the U.S. and her work has been featured in Metalsmith magazine.

One nominator wrote the following of Ms. Malec-Kosak: “She has taught me about current issues in the art world, how to write about my work, how to step out and become a visible artist, and how to have confidence in and speak about my work”

After the teaching award was presented, attention was turned to the faculty who, after decades of service, are retiring from CCAD. Dean Julie Taggart honored Fine Arts professor Peter Rasmussen, who teaches sculpture. His work has been exhibited in group and juried shows, and is included in a number of public and private collections, including Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, Bank One, and the Builders’ Exchange.

Liberal Arts Dean Ed Lathy honored Professor Susan Jospheson, who teaches introduction to philosophy, philosophy of visual art, and philosophy of media. She is the author of the book From Idolatry to Advertising: Visual Art and Contemporary Culture, and co-editor of a book on artificial intelligence research, Abductive Inference; Computation, Philosophy, Technology. BA, MA and Ph.D, The Ohio State University.