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Faculty Distinguished Service Award - Current Winner
Larry Lemke
2026 Faculty Distinguished Service Award Winner
Since arriving at CMU in 2016, Dr. Larry Lemke served for nine years as chairperson of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS). In that role, he initiated (and continues to lead) the EAS Food Drive, an annual event that brings students, faculty, and staff together as a community and supports both the CMU Food Pantry and the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen through donations. When the department was understaffed and overextended, he regularly taught overload courses to ensure that majors could graduate on schedule. Additionally, while serving as the Environmental Science internship coordinator, he built key industry-academic partnerships and supported students in developing career-ready skills. Larry also oversaw the growth of the Geology Alumni Advisory Board, which guided curricular decisions for the Geology major and provided funds for scholarships and awards for students. A nominator stated, “ The everyday collegial, caring atmosphere among faculty, staff, and students is due largely to Dr. Lemke’s successful strategies of togetherness, to help everyone’s voice be heard, and make everyone feel included.”
As a member of the University community, he has served in the Academic Senate, advocating for student and faculty success, and on the budget priorities committee, collaborating with partners to provide insight and expertise on budget models and fiduciary roles. He also served on and supported CMU’s Field Safety Policy, Viets Woods Pathways, Council of Chairs, and the College of Science & Engineering, Dean’s Advisory Council.
In service to the broader community, Larry has been an active pro bono consultant to several Michigan communities facing challenges from emerging contaminants of concern, such as 1,4-dioxane in Ann Arbor and PFAS contamination throughout the state. He has also served as the Fundamentals of Geology Evaluator for the state of Michigan, coordinating eligibility for taking the FG test and the first step towards a PG license.