2020 Louis & Frances Maslow Award to Dr. Sarah Barber

The Maslow Award, established in 1980, goes to the faculty member who has shown the most interest in, and understanding of, the education and welfare of the student body as a whole.

Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs Karl Schonberg shared that “Sarah is a gifted teacher who students consistently praise for her deep and sincere concern for them, expressed through high standards and challenging expectations for their very best work. “Her passion for her field and for her students to find the potential inside them is unfailingly clear to them, and her classes are not only demanding and rigorous but also places of joy in creativity and discovery of the pathways that allow us to connect to one another and our shared humanity.”

One colleague wrote that the award criteria “describes [Barber] perfectly” and was deeply impressed by her work on an academic initiative steering committee. “Her interest in the entire undergraduate experience is reflected in her energetic service to the University. I have heard glowing comments about her from students in my own field who have taken her classes. In particular, I have heard praise of her patience when helping students understand how they can grow and improve.”

Schonberg also shared a few of the many ways Barber has gone above and beyond in her work during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic and as St. Lawrence welcomed back students. “The problems she has been compelled to solve have been deeply vexing and high stakes, with our students’ college experience and the health of our campus in the balance,” he says. “Throughout all of this, Sarah has faced every challenge not only with readiness to take on hard work but also with deep empathy and good humor. There is no estimation of the value to be placed on [Sarah’s] dedication, but to all those her work has touched, it has meant the world.”