Two Earn Distinguished Professor Distinctions

The SUNY Board of Trustees has bestowed two Geneseo professors with distinguished ranks. Professor of English and creative writing Robert Doggett has received the rank of Distinguished Service Professor, and Aaron Steinhauer, professor of physics and astronomy, the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor. Distinguished ranks are SUNY’s highest honors. 

Since joining Geneseo in 2005, Doggett’s on-campus service has included that as the English department chair from 2016 to 2021, during which he navigated pandemic challenges and faculty transitions while supporting junior faculty and advancing curricular innovation. He has also been elected repeatedly to leadership roles in governance, culminating in his current position as Presiding Officer of the Faculty and Chair of the College Senate.

Doggett has been a leader in the international community of Yeats scholarship, serving as a founding member of the International Yeats Society and now as general editor of International Yeats Studies, expanding the society’s reach and bringing new audiences into the field. His public service encompasses a decade-long involvement with the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts and the New Deal Gallery.

Steinhauer’s classrooms are places of curiosity and rigor, and he’s consistently commended for his ability to make challenging material clear, accessible, and inspiring for students at all levels. He’s demonstrated his commitment to equity and inclusion by highlighting diverse voices in the sciences, mentoring students from historically marginalized backgrounds, and cultivating a supportive environment.

Steinhauer has also contributed to curricular innovation, helping redesign general education and bringing reflective practices into the sciences. As a public scholar, he shows broad dedication to community engagement, most recently in preparation for the 2024 solar eclipse, when he and his students reached nearly 1,600 local schoolchildren through presentations and outreach activities.

“Professors Doggett and Steinhauer embody the qualities the distinguished rank was established to honor,” says Mary C. Toale, SUNY Geneseo provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Their contributions have strengthened SUNY Geneseo, advanced education and scholarship, and enriched communities well beyond campus. They exemplify the spirit of this distinction.”