GREENSBURG, PA- Seton Hill University announced that Iva Saraceni was named Professor of the Year by the SHU student body. The assistant professor of theatre retired at the end of the spring semester after tenure at Seton Hill that spanned almost 20 years.

"I was astounded to learn I had been selected," Saraceni said. "I’m really flattered to have been selected by the students to be the Professor of the Year."

Saraceni said she has worked to make her students effective human beings. "If they become effective artists, that’s the gravy on top. Theatre is truly a collaborative art where people bring all kinds of skills to put together something more significant than any one of us could accomplish on our own." She added that she has not ruled out the possibility of coming back after retirement to guest direct.

Saraceni has been a member of the Seton Hill faculty since 1983, during which time she served as the chair of the theatre department from 1994-1998 and has served on a number of College committees. She has also been a member of the Greensburg Cultural Council Arts Advocacy Subcommittee, the Theatre Association of Pennsylvania Education Committee, the Arts Standards Committee and the Arts Assessment Design Team for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Last year Saraceni received the prestigious "2001 Artist of the Year" Award from the Greensburg Area Cultural Council.