Ithaca College

contributed on behalf of Dr. Linda Petrosino, Provost & Vice President for Educational Affairs

Dr. Luke Keller, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Dr. Abraham Mulugetta, Professor of Finance and International Business, have been named as Charles A. Dana Professors. The Dana Professorship recognizes exceptional faculty who have attained the rank of full professor and who have made significant contributions in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

Dr. Keller joined the Ithaca College faculty in 2003 and holds a PhD in astronomy from the University of Texas (Austin). His scholarship focuses on star formation, optics, and astronomical instrument development. Dr. Keller has been principal investigator for over $1 million in grant awards from NASA grant programs. He has served as department chair and as a member of the Committee on College-wide Requirements; he currently serves as co-chair of the College’s Middle States Reaccreditation Self-Study Steering Committee. A 2010 Faculty Excellence Award recipient, Dr. Keller also received a NASA Group Achievement Award in 2011 as a member of the group designing instrumentation for NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

Dr. Keller’s Dana Professor project will focus on continuing his scholarly research and mentoring students, and developing a new focus on communicating science effectively to the general public.

Dr. Mulugetta joined Ithaca College in 1984 and earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). His scholarship has focused on valuation and performance in stock markets. Director of the Center for Trading and Analysis of Financial Instruments within the School of Business for 17 years, Dr. Mulugetta has also served as a member of the Faculty Development Committee and the Honorary Degree Committee. He has received numerous best paper awards for his scholarship and was awarded both Dana Teaching Excellence and Dana Research Excellence recognition.

Dr. Mulugetta’s Dana Professor project centers on further developing finance and investment education, both through the Trading Room and through curriculum, and on expanding outreach through the Annual High School Investment Competition, established in 2013.

Dr. Keller and Dr. Mulugetta join two previously appointed Charles A. Dana Professors, Dr. Michael Malpass from the Department of Anthropology and Dr. Michael Twomey from the Department of English.