UMSI faculty awards recognize excellence
Thursday, 09/03/2026
By Noor HindiThree University of Michigan School of Information faculty members have received the school’s 2026 awards for excellence in community-engaged research, outstanding service and instruction.
Michael D. Cohen Service Award
UMSI clinical professor Kristin Fontichiaro earned the Michael D. Cohen Outstanding Service Award. This award honors the memory of Professor Emeritus Michael D. Cohen and recognizes commitment to the UMSI community and mission.
Fontichiaro earned the award for recognition of her outstanding service in working to restructure and improve the lecture review experience. She expanded mentoring for faculty going up for review and for faculty who work on the reviews. She also worked with stakeholders to improve supporting documentation. All of these activities reflect a deep commitment to the UMSI mission.
Joan Durrance Community Engagement Award
UMSI associate professor Libby Hemphill earned the Joan Durrance Community Engagement Award for her leadership of the Social Media Archive and the Resource Center for Minority Data at the Institute for Social Research at U-M, where she has built partnerships enabling research access to platform data and the preservation of critical federal records. Her work has advanced sustainable information infrastructure to address pressing societal challenges.
Award for Excellence in Instruction
UMSI lecturer III James Rampton earned the award for excellence in instruction for his innovation in curriculum design and delivery. His contributions include revitalizing advanced design and automotive UX courses through practice-based learning, incorporating student feedback into his teaching, and developing Maker Lab resources and industry partnerships that expand engaged learning across the school.
See the full list of previous honorees:
Michael D. Cohen Outstanding Service Award
