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Ten Syracuse University professors and instructors honored with Meredith Recognition Awards for excellence in teachingFebruary 16, 2001Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Ten individuals have been named the 2001 recipients of Syracuse University’s Meredith Recognition Awards. The awards are made possible through an expansion of the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Program. The Meredith Professors themselves proposed that the program recognize excellence in teaching by nontenured faculty and adjunct and part-time instructors. This is the first year that the Meredith Recognition Awards have been given. Because of the quality of nominees, the selection committee voted to increase the number of awards given in this initial year. The recipients were notified of their selection today through a letter from Meredith Professor William Banks, professor in the College of Law and chair of the selection committee. “The Meredith Recognition Award announcement prompted nominations and then applications from outstanding and innovative teachers from across disciplines and colleges on campus,” says Banks. “The selection committee was especially impressed by the quality of the submissions, and the Meredith Professors look forward to repeating the award process next year.” The full-time faculty recipients are: – Rogan Kersh, assistant professor of political science in The College of Arts and Sciences and The Maxwell School; – Susan Millar, assistant professor of geography in The College of Arts and Sciences and The Maxwell School; – Kelly Chandler-Olcott, assistant professor of reading and language arts in the School of Education; – Deborah Robson, assistant professor of speech communication in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; – Jodi Sandfort, assistant professor of public administration in The College of Arts and Sciences and The Maxwell School; – Christopher Tuohey, associate professor of broadcast journalism in the Newhouse School; and – Amy Wyngaard, assistant professor of languages, literatures and linguistics in The College of Arts and Sciences.

Adjunct and part-time recipients are: – Jennifer Cook, an instructor in the Department of Fine Arts in The College of Arts and Sciences and currently at the DIPA Florence Center; – Kathy Baum, adjunct instructor of drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; and – Anne Fitzsimmons, instructor in the Writing Program in The College of Arts and Sciences. Each recipient will receive an expense account of $3,000 for one year to be used for professional development. The recipients were selected based on teaching innovation, effectiveness in communicating with students, and the lasting value of their courses. To be eligible for the award, candidates must have completed two years of service to the University and not yet received tenure. The recipients were selected by a six member committee consisting of two undergraduate students, Joy Smith, a sophomore, and Karen Boltz, a junior, both enrolled in The College of Arts and Sciences; Lanethea Mathews, a graduate student in The Maxwell School; and three Meredith Professors–Banks; Shobha Bhatia, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science; and Sari Knopp Biklen, professor in the School of Education. The L. Douglas and Laura J. Meredith Professorships were created to recognize and reward excellence in teaching, to encourage faculty members to look upon the various dimensions of teaching as opportunities for constant improvement, to emphasize the importance that the University places on teaching, and to improve the teaching and learning environment on campus. The Meredith Professors believe that the new Recognition Awards will assist in reaching these goals. The selection process for the 2001 Meredith Professors is now under way. The results will be announced in April.