Engineering Faculty Earn Awards from Gonzaga University

Three faculty members from engineering departments earned awards at the 2026 Faculty Recognition Celebration on May

• Marc Baumgardner: the Center for Teaching and Advising Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award.
• Joshua Schultz: the Professional Contributions Award in the tenured category. He is also promoted to Full Professor, effective in August.
• John Tadrous: the Teaching Excellence Award in the tenured category. He is also promoted to Full Professor, effective in August.

Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award

Marc Baumgardner, Ph.D., is Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. His award honors faculty members who positively impact students' academic and personal development. They exemplify the University’s mission by helping students navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and achieve their goals.

“The nominating student wrote that ‘the man is always ready to help,’ which is surely the signature description of a dedicated academic advisor,” said Interim Provost Mia Bertagnolli at the awards ceremony. The student also emphasized that “Baum” is proactive with career advice, on top of his usual registration guidance.

Baumgardner taught engineering with Gonzaga in Florence during the 2025 Spring semester. The student emphasized that even during this time, he kept in touch with all his GU students in both Italy and Spokane.

“The student’s description of your support of all GU students in Florence was very heart-felt and influential in the decision-making process,” wrote Emily Clark, professor and acting director of the Center for Teaching and Advising. “Your exceptional advising, mentorship, and support helps your students achieve their goals and promotes a sense of belonging.”

Professional Contributions Award

Joshua Schultz, Ph.D. P.E., has had an exciting year related to the structural design of lightweight architecture, a sustainable approach to construction.

His recent book, co-authored with Christian Stutzki, is shortlisted for the 2026 Architectural Book Award. Reviews have praised it as an accessible and knowledgeable addition to field. Dr. Schultz has already integrated content from the book into his Advanced Structural Design course and has proposed a new Lightweight Structures technical elective.

Correlating with the book release, Schultz has given multiple podcast interviews and lectures, including a visiting lectureship at Cambridge University.

In announcing the award, Bertagnolli also cited his multiple peer-reviewed journal articles – often including students as coauthors. More about his publications is at the Gonzaga Research Portal. She noted that his peer faculty nominators noted that his “research emphasizes sustainability, material stewardship, and human-centered structural design – principles resonant with Gonzaga’s mission and the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis.”

In August, he will be promoted to full Professor of Civil Engineering.

Teaching Excellence Award

John Tadrous, Ph.D. will be promoted to full Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering this August. Over the past two years, he has been instrumental in developing and teaching the courses in the Robotics concentration and minor, such as Introduction to Robotics and Autonomous Mobile Robots.

This Fall, he will begin his Magis course developed for first-year students: Computers, Robots, AI & Society.

“Your colleagues recognize your excellence in teaching, your commitment to creating effective and innovative environments, and your outstanding contributions to electrical and computer engineering curriculum,” said Bertagnolli when presenting the award. “Your teaching excellence is reflected by outstanding evaluations, and your teaching style is applauded as being very well-organized, interactive in the classroom, and embodying the ideals of Jesuit education by nurturing students’ intellectual growth and critical thinking skills.”

More about Dr. Tadrous’s research publications is at the Gonzaga Research Portal.