Three St. Bonaventure University faculty members were presented this month with awards of excellence.

Dr. Robin Valeri, professor of Psychology, won the Professional Excellence in Service Award; Dr. Tara Walker, assistant professor of Communication, won the Junior Faculty Excellence Award; and Nicholas Kicior, adjunct instructor of Counselor Education, won the Adjunct Faculty Award for Professional Excellence.

They were recognized at the annual Staff & Faculty Awards ceremony May 1, and again Sunday at the university’s 165^th annual Commencement Exercises.

Few faculty members have committed more of their time to service than Valeri, both on campus and in her hometown of Cuba, New York.

A firefighter with the Cuba Volunteer Fire Department since 2013 and a longtime board member and volunteer at the Cuba Library, Valeri also served for seven years as a fire investigator in Allegany County.

“Robin has demonstrated a profound commitment to making a positive impact on the lives and safety of individuals and families in our community,” said Robert Walk, a retired school psychologist and Cuba resident. “Her work at the library has helped make it a beacon of a wide variety of cultural resources.”

In addition to serving as a firefighter, Valeri has held several positions within the department, including fire police captain, health and safety officer, and secretary.

“Her selfless acts embody our core Franciscan tenets of service, peace, justice, and reverence for creation,” said her colleague Dr. José Medrano, who volunteered with Valeri at the Warming House soup kitchen in Olean during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In every role she plays — as a firefighter, educator, or mentor she reflects our institutional commitment to building a more humane and just world. Her life is a testament to what true community service looks like — unwavering, generous, and transformative,” he said.

Valeri, who has been a member of the Psychology faculty at SBU since 1994, has been chair of her department three different times and has served on more than two dozen university committees.

When the School of Arts and Sciences Faculty Mentor program was established, Valeri immediately volunteered. The program allows a new faculty member to get to know a faculty member outside their department without the fear that it will negatively impact their annual evaluation.

Valeri is mentoring four faculty members from a wide range of disciplines — World Languages, Theology, Physics, and Social Work — offering them fresh perspectives, support and advice.

Walker has taught graduate classes and in the Media Studies, Journalism and Strategic Communication undergraduate programs since coming to SBU in 2020.

Dr. Denny Wilkins, professor emeritus from the Jandoli School of Communication, was among many who offered support for Walker to be honored.

“Little time passed before the students and faculty of the Jandoli School realized the hire of Dr. Walker had brought into our midst a talented, collegial, and hard-working academic,” said Wilkins, who retired in December.

“Her breadth of experience has allowed her to teach throughout the Jandoli curriculum — from the school’s freshman writing courses to nuanced upper-level courses in pragmatically applied media theory and ethics to courses in our graduate programs.”

When she applied to come to St. Bonaventure, she made it clear that being honest and vulnerable in the classroom was important.

“Students don’t learn from towering, emotionless pillars of knowledge,” she said. “They learn from other people. The more of a person I become to students – and less of a pillar – the better the rapport becomes in the classroom.”

Walker has made significant changes to curriculum and developed two new courses: Media and Mental Health, for the Honors program; and Media Effects, for the Jandoli School.  

“Suffice to say, Tara is an incredible asset,” said Dr. Pauline Hoffmann, a colleague in the Jandoli School. “Her teaching style is engaging. She is able to bring real-world examples into the classroom and encourage creativity, particularly in classes that may not seem ‘exciting,’ such as research methods or basic writing.”

Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School, was effusive in his praise of Walker.

“I’ve been privileged to observe her teaching and interactions with students,” Chimbel said. “She makes learning fun and seeks to understand her students and their needs. She listens to them and creates opportunities for them to take ownership of their education.”

Kicior has been an adjunct faculty member in SBU’s Counselor Education program since 2017, and a school psychologist in the Portville Central School District since 2022.

Dr. René Garrison, dean of the university’s School of Education, said many of Kicior’s students in the graduate program reached out directly to her to say how much he helped them in their journey to become counselors.

“Nicholas interweaves the subject matter with a skill set that imparts the theoretica knowledge of counseling, therapeutic techniques, and ethical frameworks in a style that invites each student to engage in self-reflection and personal growth,” said Jake Haelen, who will graduate with his master’s in Counselor Education in 2026.

Marie Altavilla, a 1997 SBU alumna, graduated Sunday with her master’s degree in Counselor Education.

“He demonstrated the ability to inspire and engage students in the classroom, creating an inclusive and dynamic learning environment,” Altavilla said. “His courses allow for comfortable and informal discussion. Professor Kicior is an open-minded listener and helps his students articulate their questions and answers using counseling language without judgment.”

Rachael Hall, who’s working her way through the program, has taken two courses with Kicior and said he brings more to the class than expertise in the field.

“He brings quiet confidence to the classroom that allows his students to express themselves, remain curious, and even falter without the fear of judgement or ridicule,” Hall said. “He reinspires my love for counseling by sharing his own experiences, victories, and even moments of defeat that have shaped him as a professional.”

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).