This year, $5,000 grants from The President's Leadership Fund (PLF) could help high school students discover the field of social work, assist those with limited mobility in becoming more active or design a better hydrogen fuel cell. 

Rewarding and recognizing excellence

This year's recipients of the second annual PLF Awards for Faculty and Staff Excellence include five individuals who exemplify the innovation and excellence the fund was created to support:

• Peter Aufsesser is founder and director of the Fitness Center for Individuals with Disabilities. The center’s service-training model has allowed 3,300 supervised students from the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences to serve more than 1,300 clients with individualized exercise programs.
• Mike Eichler, distinguished lecturer in the School of Social Work, founded the Consensus Organizing Center.  Its Step-Up program allows high school students to take the Social Work 120 course on the SDSU campus to encourage higher college enrollment from capable students in lower-income communities.
• Christopher Glembotski, associate dean in Graduate Affairs, is an innovator in both science and administration. He discovered a gene which impacts heart attack survival, and has advanced new doctoral programs that will increase SDSU's Ph.D. recipients by 50 percent.  
• Douglas Grotjahn, chemistry professor, is applying chemical processes like those used in photosynthesis to create hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight, help capture CO2 and design a new hydrogen fuel cell.
• Douglas Stow, geography professor, is an internationally recognized leader in analysis of remotely sensed data of terrestrial environments in order to detect and model environmental change caused both by natural processes and human activities.

Reinvesting in SDSU

Each $5,000 award comes with only one restriction—it must be re-invested in the recipient's important work for San Diego State. A small group of partners in the PLF chose five recipients from more than 33 outstanding nominees.

Check SDSUniverse throughout the summer for profiles of each recipient and their important work.

About the PLF

The President's Leadership Fund was established in October 2002 to provide San Diego State University with the flexible resources to respond quickly to strategic opportunities, pursue innovation and reward excellence.

In its first seven years, the PLF has invested more than $2 million in more than 120 new or existing initiatives.

Learn about becoming a PLF partner, applying for an investment, or nominating a colleague for next year’s Excellence Awards here.