Congratulations Professor Pennisi
St. Joseph’s University, New York (SJNY) has named Assistant Professor of Psychology Anna Pennisi, Ph.D. as the recipient of the University’s S. Mary Florence Burns Award for Teaching Excellence and Impact for 2026.
SJNY created the prestigious award to recognize extraordinary faculty members on its Brooklyn Campus who embody the characteristics and legacy of S. Mary Florence Burns ’46, CSJ, Ph.D., and serve as luminaries who inspire students to strive for academic and professional excellence.
After receiving the news that she was this year’s award winner, Dr. Pennisi said she was “very grateful and very honored” to receive the award and to be chosen by the selection committee.
She also emphasized that she was humbled knowing that she is surrounded by a group of very dedicated and talented faculty members.
“I know and see how much time, effort, love and care they put into mentoring to give the best opportunities for our students,” Dr. Pennisi said.
Learning to Listen, Learning to Lead
Like her dedicated colleagues at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Pennisi strives to give her students the best opportunities and resources to make them successful. In addition to teaching psychology subjects themselves, she also cultivates an open atmosphere for her students to not only learn about the psychology topics being discussed, but to also understand that they themselves can and should actively participate in that conversation.
“I like to ask all my students questions,” Dr. Pennisi said, “to encourage different voices to be heard, while also encouraging other students to actively listen. It’s really the different opinions that make it all interesting. But we have to learn how to appreciate and learn from them.
“To put yourself in someone else’s shoes is a skill, but you have to have the opportunity to see how it’s done. So, in all of my courses, I try to give my students that opportunity. And once you see how others are open to your ideas, you can become more open to yourself. So, it can be very reciprocal, in that sense.”
It can be challenging, she admits. But her hope is that in her classroom, as her students get to know more about other students and themselves, they begin to develop essential life lessons and skills, such as learning “how to be both a leader and to be a valuable member of a group,” she stated.
“I believe in today’s world being able to work in groups is very important. So, I provide those opportunities for students to learn how to feel comfortable working with other people,” Dr. Pennisi continued.
Her ultimate goal for her students is that they’re able to “find their best selves.”
Opportunities For Excellence at SJNY
It is also worth mentioning that Dr. Pennisi was recently named director of SJNY’s Honors Program on the Brooklyn Campus. The program offers high-performing students a wide range of research, presentation and study abroad opportunities while presenting them with a challenging yet rewarding academic curriculum.
Dr. Pennisi joins the ever-growing legacy of faculty who have been awarded the University’s S. Mary Florence Burns Award for Teaching Excellence and Impact. Recent winners include Associate Professor of Political Science and Social Sciences David Siegel, Ph.D. and Professor and Chairperson of Sociology Raymond D’Angelo, Ph.D.
