BRADFORD, Pa. — The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will recognize Dr. BioDun J. Ogundayo, associate professor of French and comparative literature, and Russ ’75-’77 and Rebecca ’76-’78 Myer during Alumni and Family Weekend Sept. 25-27.

Ogundayo will receive the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award, and the Myers will receive the Denny Lowery Distinguished Volunteer Award, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, during the Alumni Awards Dinner in the Mukaiyama University Room, Frame-Westerberg Commons.

Ogundayo, who joined the Pitt-Bradford faculty in January 2001, is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar and director of both the Africana studies and foreign languages programs. He earned his Ph.D. in French and Francophone literature and cultures from the State University of New York at Buffalo and holds master’s degrees from Queen’s University in Canada and the University of Lagos, Nigeria, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree.

He has taught at institutions across four countries, including the University of the West Indies in Barbados, the University of Alberta in Canada, Ogun State University in Nigeria, and Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.

Romainne Kelley ’11 nominated Ogundayo for the award, recalling how he made sure students felt welcome in his classroom and wove in stories from his own life and folktales to connect coursework to the world around them.

“It has been 13 years since I graduated and 15 years since I took his course, and he still can regale me with a story or two about my time in his class,” Kelley wrote in her nomination.

Kobe Bradley ’26 said Ogundayo’s teaching style — talking to the class without slides or a workbook — pushed him to want to learn more and inspired him to study abroad for the first time and pursue a minor in Africana studies.

Russ and Rebecca Myer have volunteered at numerous alumni events, including Light Up the Quad and Pumpkin Fest. Russ Myer joined the PBAA board in 2021 and currently chairs its Scholarship and Advancement Committee; he also serves as the board’s representative to the Pitt Alumni Association.

“Russ and Rebecca’s dedication to Pitt-Bradford is something you can truly feel,” said Heidi Scrivo, president of the PBAA. “I have had the opportunity to serve alongside Russ on the Alumni Association Board, and whenever he talks about Pitt-Bradford, there is a genuine excitement and pride in the way he speaks about the university and what it means to him. Russ and Rebecca have both been incredibly dedicated supporters of Pitt-Bradford, giving their time and energy because they genuinely care about the university and its students. They are very deserving of the Distinguished Volunteer Award, and we are proud to recognize them.”

Ogundayo and the Myers will be recognized alongside this year’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Tickets for the dinner are $25 for adults, $12 for children ages 6-12, and free for children age 5 and under. Reservations are required, and business casual attire is requested. To make a reservation, visit upbalumni.org/afw26 or call the alumni office at 814-362-5091.