Robert Archibald 2014 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence recipient
The award, established with a generous gift from Joseph J. Plumeri II ’66, D.P.S. ’11, recognizes 20 faculty members each year for exemplary achievements in teaching, research and service. Faculty members have used the award to enhance their research and teaching and to support travel to scholarly conferences.
“The Plumeri Awards are a vital, tangible affirmation of those who make William & Mary one of the world’s great liberal arts universities, rooted in the liberal arts and based on the close interaction of students and faculty,” said Provost Michael R. Halleran. “To achieve this type of experience for all students, we need resources that allow faculty to expand their work freely, as well as to increase the involvement of students in that work. The Plumeri Awards do exactly that.”
Now in its sixth year, 120 William & Mary and Virginia Institute of Marine Science faculty members have received Plumeri Awards since 2009, the inaugural year for the honor. All recipients receive $10,000, which can be used during the course of two years for research, summer salaries or other stipends associated with scholarly endeavor.
“Invariably, recipients of Plumeri Awards express what a significant difference their awards make in their teaching and research. That difference can be felt across campus and beyond,” Halleran said.
“I congratulate the 2014 recipients, and I also thank Mr. Plumeri, on behalf of the entire College, for once again extending this generous support to our wonderful faculty members,” Halleran said.
Robert B. Archibald
Chancellor Professor of Economics
Professor Archibald is a remarkable member of the William & Mary community of scholar-teachers. He has played a key role in numerous College activities and organizations, serving variously as chair of the Department of Economics, interim dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and director of the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy. Archibald was the first faculty representative appointed to the Board of Visitors. His service to the College is matched by his scholarly output. In addition to authoring two books, Redesigning the Financial Aid System: Why Colleges and Universities Should Switch Roles with the Federal Government, and, together with fellow William & Mary Professor David H. Feldman, Why Does College Cost So Much? Archibald has written numerous articles on the financing of higher education and the role of higher education in American life over the next generation. His work has generated much public discussion. His past work with Feldman on studying the effects of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff has helped shape scholars’ current understanding of the Great Depression. Archibald’s research has been funded by grants from organizations including NASA, the National Academy of Sciences and the Virginia Department of Education. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University.
