NEWS INDEX Archives 2007 May

Twenty at Illinois to be honored for excellence in teaching and advising

Mare Payne, News Bureau
217-333-0567; mlpayne@uiuc.edu

Released 5/2/07

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Fourteen faculty members, one academic professional and five teaching assistants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be honored today (May 2) for excellence in teaching and advising. The award winners will be recognized during a reception in the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

Faculty winners of the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are Bruce A. Conway, aerospace engineering; Jeff Erickson, computer science; Walter L. Hurley, animal sciences; Prasanta K. Kalita, agricultural and biological engineering; and Shelly J. Schmidt, food science and human nutrition.

Instructional staff winners of the award are Iryce Baron, English, and Ryan Gower, recreation, sport and tourism.

Graduate teaching assistants who will receive the award are Erin Donovan-Kicken, speech communication; Sarah Marie Kiefer, educational psychology; Julilly Kohler-Hausmann, history; Ellen McWhorter, English; and Mark Uchanski, natural resources and environmental sciences.

Janet Gaffney, professor of special education, and Robert Rauber, professor of atmospheric sciences, will receive the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching.

The awards recognize professors and graduate teaching assistants who display consistently excellent performance in the classroom, take innovative approaches to teaching, positively affect the lives of their students, and make other contributions to improved instruction, including influencing the curriculum.

Faculty members selected for the award receive $5,000 and a $3,000 raise; instructional staff members receive $4,000 and a $1,500 raise; graduate teaching assistants receive $3,500.

Others to be honored at the reception:

Bruce Michelson, English; Hurley; and Kalita will be recognized as Distinguished Teacher/Scholars for 2007-08. The program promotes excellence in teaching by honoring and supporting outstanding faculty members who take an active role in enhancing teaching and learning on the U. of I. campus. During the coming year, these honorees utilized their skills to mentor other faculty members. They will retain the title of University Distinguished Teacher/Scholar throughout their Illinois careers.

Linda Smith, professor of library and information sciences, will receive the Award for Excellence in Off-Campus Teaching, which provides $5,000 to the recipient.

Edward McAuley, professor of kinesiology and community health, will receive the Campus Award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research, a $2,000 award designed to foster and reward excellence in involving and guiding undergraduate students in scholarly research.

Two professors will be honored with the Campus Award for Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students: Janice Bahr, professor of animal sciences, and Ruth Anne Clark, speech communication. Each will receive $2,000.

Deneen DeMarie-Offenstein, academic adviser for psychology, and Charles Tucker III, professor of mechanical science and engineering, will receive the Campus Award for Excellence in Advising Undergraduate Students, which provides $2,000 to each recipient.