WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (AScribe Newswire) -- Four college and university educators who actively engage their undergraduate students in hands-on research and extensive team work are the national winners of the 2009 U.S. Professors of the Year Awards.
Administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (http://www.case.org/) and sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/), the awards recognize professors for their influence on teaching and their commitment to undergraduate students. In addition to the four national winners, state-level Professors of the Year are being recognized in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
The national and state winners of the 2009 U.S. Professors of the Year award will be honored today at a luncheon and awards ceremony at the Willard InterContinental Washington in Washington, D.C. National winners will offer remarks after they are introduced by current or former students.
The four national winners are:
Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges Professor of the Year: Rob Thomas, professor of geology, at The University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mont. Thomas's passion is teaching geology to students in the field so they can directly experience how the Earth works. With his help, the University of Montana Western became the first public university in the country to transition from regular semester courses to block scheduling. In "Experience One," his geology students take a single course for 18 instructional days, working outdoors on real-world projects. For example, undergraduate students in his environmental field studies class conducted an analysis of stream restoration on the upper Big Hole River and drafted a 150-page assessment report-in 18 days. The project was a collaborative effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local ranchers to help preserve an endangered fish species.
Outstanding Community Colleges Professor of the Year: Tracey McKenzie, professor of sociology, at Collin College in Frisco, Texas. McKenzie creates a collaborative learning environment in which students are both teachers and learners. Much of her teaching is through "learning communities," which are interdisciplinary, team-taught courses designed around a theme. She engages students in these communities in original research and encourages them to present their work to a wider audience. McKenzie's leadership contributed to the program receiving national recognition and interest from colleges in other states. McKenzie also empowers students to take on larger roles on and beyond campus through the Student Leadership Academy, one of only a few community college student leadership academies in the nation.
Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year: Brian P. Coppola, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Coppola encourages undergraduates to explore the teaching and learning of chemistry-from writing the text of the course and constructing the lab syllabus to participating in peer instruction and teaching groups. He engages students on a broader level through "structured study groups," supplemental instruction sessions in which undergraduates develop original research proposals based on contemporary chemical literature. Coppola bases the questions for the final exam on the student-generated work. This concept of using teaching groups for complex teaching is finding broad appeal among many educational institutions. As co-director of the IDEA Institute (http://ideainstitute.umich.edu/), Coppola is also implementing the concept at the K-12 level and is collaborating on similar projects with international colleagues.
Outstanding Master's Universities and Colleges Professor of the Year: Richard L. Miller, professor of psychology, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Miller helps undergraduate students critically examine and contribute to the knowledge base in psychology. For all of his classes, he designs optional lab experiences in which small groups define and investigate a real question that could - and often does - lead to a new discovery. Students plan and conduct all aspects of their studies, from obtaining the participants to coding and analyzing the data and structuring their papers. Many have presented and published their research results. Miller's leadership in teaching and research helped strengthen the commitment to teaching throughout the psychology department, which received the University of Nebraska system-wide teaching excellence award.
The U.S. Professors of the Year awards program (http://www.usprofessorsoftheyear.org/poyfacts.cfm), created in 1981, is the only national initiative specifically designed to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
John Lippincott, president of CASE, said the 2009 national and state winners represent the best in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
"These professors have a passion for teaching that sparks a passion for learning in their students," Lippincott said. "As great teachers, they combine a profound knowledge of their disciplines with creative teaching methods to engage students within and outside of the classroom. We celebrate their achievements and contributions to teaching and student learning."
Anthony Bryk, president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, said that the four winners have shaped both the lives of their students and the well-being of their communities.
"These dedicated teachers are not only leading their students to develop a deep understanding of their respective fields-geology, sociology, psychology and chemistry-but they are also mirroring examples of scholarship, citizenship and community involvement that ultimately will lead to contributions toward a better society and indeed a better world."
This year's U.S. Professors of the Year award winners were selected from a pool of more than 300 nominees. Judges select national and state winners based on four criteria: impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students.
TIAA-CREF, a financial services and retirement investment organization, is the principal sponsor of the awards ceremony. Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honorary, sponsors an evening congressional reception for the winners at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Other sponsors of the awards program are the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Association of University Professors, the Association of Community College Trustees, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the Council of Independent Colleges and the National Council of University Research Administrators.
About Carnegie: Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an Act of Congress, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center with a primary mission "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of the teacher." The improvement of teaching and learning is central to all of the work of the foundation.
About CASE: The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is one of the largest international associations of education institutions, serving more than 3,400 universities, colleges, schools and related organizations in 63 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information and standards in the fields of education fundraising, communications, marketing and alumni relations.
About TIAA-CREF: TIAA-CREF is a national financial services organization and the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.
In 2009, a state Professor of the Year was recognized in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam:
Alabama
Duane H. Pontius Jr.
T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics
Birmingham-Southern College
Alaska
Ping-Tung Chang
Professor of Mathematics
Matanuska-Susitna College
Arkansas
Gregory J. Salamo
Distinguished Professor of Physics and Basore Professor
University of Arkansas
California
Ananya Roy
Professor of City and Regional Planning
University of California, Berkeley
Colorado
Ron Estler
Professor of Chemistry
Fort Lewis College
Connecticut
Laura Nash
Associate Professor, Department of Visual and Performing Arts
Fairfield University
District of Columbia
Joan Burggraf Riley
Assistant Professor of Human Science and Nursing
Georgetown University
Florida
Sandra Schultz
Professor, Department of Biology, Health and Wellness
Miami Dade College
Georgia
Kenneth Shane Sajwan
Professor of Environmental Science
Savannah State University
Guam
Lourdes M. Ferrer
Associate Professor, Elementary Education Program
University of Guam
Illinois
Gregory M. Ferrence
Professor of Chemistry
Illinois State University
Indiana
Jerry Sweeten
Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Environmental Studies
Manchester College
Kentucky
Tracy Knowles
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science Technology
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Louisiana
Marybeth Lima
Professor, Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Maryland
Susan Bontems
Associate Professor
Montgomery College, Rockville
Massachusetts
Audrey A. Friedman
Associate Professor, Lynch School of Education
Boston College
Michigan
Mary Beth Looby
Professor of English and Director, Developmental Education Program
Delta College
Minnesota
Marlise Riffel
Sociology Instructor
Lake Superior College
Mississippi
James B. Harris
Professor of Geology
Millsaps College
Missouri
Pawan Kahol
Associate Dean, College of Natural and Applied Sciences
Missouri State University
Nevada
Thomas Nickles
Foundation Professor, Philosophy Department
University of Nevada, Reno
New Hampshire
Andrew Samwick
Professor of Economics and Director, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center
Dartmouth College
New Mexico
Nader Vadiee
Instructor-Engineering Programs, Advanced Technical Education Department
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
New York
Anne Panning
Professor of English
SUNY-Brockport
North Carolina
Robert J. Beichner
Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor
North Carolina State University
Ohio
John Parcell
Associate Professor, Music Department
Sinclair Community College
Oklahoma
Myra Anne Decker
Professor of Accounting/Business
Oklahoma City Community College
Oregon
Peter Nichols Richardson
Professor of German
Linfield College
Pennsylvania
Vasiliki Anastasakos
Associate Professor of Political Science
Northampton Community College
South Carolina
Angela B. Shiflet
Larry H. McCalla Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science and Chair, Computer Science Department
Wofford College
South Dakota
Dan Dolan
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Tennessee
David G. Haskell
Professor of Biology
University of the South, Sewanee
Texas
Ellen Moreland
Senior Instructor of Mathematics
Angelo State University
Utah
David Peak
Professor of Physics
Utah State University
Virginia
Kevin Hamed
Assistant Professor of Biology
Virginia Highlands Community College
Washington
Robert M. Withycombe
Professor of Rhetoric and Film Studies
Whitman College
West Virginia
Ruth Kershner
Associate Professor, Clinical Track, Robert C. Byrd School of Medicine
West Virginia University
Wisconsin
Regan A. R. Gurung
Professor of Human Development & Psychology and Chair of Human Development
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
- - - -
CONTACT: Pamela Russell, CASE Communications, 202-478-5680, cell 301-760-0640, russell@case.org
Media Contact: See above.
|
|
|
AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations.
AScribe transmits news releases directly to newsroom computer systems and desktops of major media organizations via a supremely trusted channel - The Associated Press. We also feed news to major news retrieval database services, online publications and to developers of web sites and Intranets.
And AScribe does it at a cost all organizations, large and small, can afford, a fraction of what corporate newswires charge. Click here to see how we do it