Associate Professor James Crawford was recognized for 25 years service as a professor of physics at Penn State Fayette. F. Russell Filburn, senior instructor of communications arts and sciences and Faculty Senate chairman, said, "Jim Crawford has excelled both scholarly and in the classroom. He has been the recipient several times of our campus’ research and teaching excellence awards. He has been involved in university governance and a variety of service to Penn State. And he takes a personal interest in his students. They, in turn, often seek his guidance and counsel."
Crawford obtained his doctoral degree in theoretical physics from the University of Colorado. His current fields of interest include elementary particle physics, especially neutrino physics, and gravitational physics, including both cosmology and neutron stars. Regarding his teaching at Penn State Fayette, he explained, "This has got to be the greatest job in the world — they actually pay you to think about and talk about what you love to think about and talk about. And Penn State Fayette is a wonderful place to work." The campus’ close-knit environment and small class sizes are a benefit, he said. "We get to know all of our students so we can share in their joy and pride as they develop emotionally and intellectually."