Faculty Resources: Awards

Robert Reynolds Excellence in Teaching Award
2006 Recipient: Dr. Barbara Brickman
Past Recipients

The Robert Reynolds Excellence in Teaching Award honors a professor in the English department for her or his outstanding contributions to the development of the major and the graduate program through exemplary teaching. Named to honor emeritus Professor Reynolds, a legendary teacher of Shakespeare in this department for many years and an inspiration to generations of students within the program because of his devotion to excellence in the classroom, the award seeks to recognize those who

·  elicit excellence in students, bringing out their best and helping them to realize their full potential as readers, thinkers, and    writers;
·  broaden and transform student perspectives through introduction of new theories and/or ways of reading;
·   go beyond the dissemination of knowledge to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills that enable them to
    frame and answer their own questions about literature;
·   demonstrate not only a willingness but an enthusiasm for working with students outside of class, for going beyond the     
    requirement of office hours to a genuine engagement with student learning in a one-on-one setting; and
·   inspire learning at the deepest levels through their own enthusiasm and dedication.

Given annually as part of the Department of English awards program, the Reynolds Teaching Award will be based on letters of nomination from students who provide specific examples of the ways in which their nominee models the qualities that the award seeks to honor. The Student Advisory Committee will consider all nominations and recommend an honoree to the department chair.

Martha Saunders Excellence in Teaching First-Year Writing Award
2006 Recipient: Prof. John Sturgis
Past Recipients

Named for Professor Martha Saunders, long-time director of first-year writing and founder of the University’s Writing Center, the Martha Saunders Excellence in Teaching First-Year Writing Award is presented annually to the member of the first-year writing faculty deemed most outstanding by her or his colleagues. Nominations are solicited from the ranks of all faculty in the program, based on criteria including student evaluations of teaching performance, peer observations of classroom performance, and teaching materials such as syllabi and assignments. The previous year’s winner oversees the nomination and selection process.