2018-2019 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <article> <h1>2018-2019 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <p>ygay — Fri, 22 May 2020 17:31:22 +0000</p> <span>2018-2019 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-05-22T13:31:22-04:00" title="Friday, May 22, 2020 - 13:31">Fri, 05/22/2020 - 13:31</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Six faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2018-2019 academic year. The recipients are La Tanya Hall, teacher of jazz voice; Catharina Meints, associate professor of viola da gamba and cello; Albert Matlin, professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Cindy Chapman, Adelia A.F. Johnston and Harry Thomas Frank Professor and chair of Jewish Studies; Alexa Still, associate professor of flute; and Cindy Frantz, professor of psychology and environmental studies.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Alexa Still, Associate Professor of Flute</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/alexa-still">Alexa Still</a> is known internationally for her many recordings on the Koch International Classics label. A New Zealander, she took up graduate studies in New York (SUNY Stony Brook), where she also won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition and the East and West Artists Competition. Still returned home to be principal flute of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Increasing solo engagements eventually led her to the more flexible schedule of a teaching position at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She moved to Sydney in 2006, where she became professor of flute and director of performance research at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In June 2011, Still was appointed associate professor of flute at the 91ֱ�� Conservatory of Music.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Albert Matlin, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p>Albert Matlin's research interests include mechanistic and synthetic organic photochemistry; metalloenzyme mimics. Matlin��s research has been published in several scientific journals, including the <em>Journal of Organic Chemistry</em>, the <em>Journal of Physical Chemistry</em>, and the international <em>Journal of Organic Chemistry</em>. Articles have included ��Weak Acidity of Vinyl CH Bonds Enhanced by Halogen Substitution�� and ��Hydroxylamine catalyzed Nazarov cyclizations of divinyl ketones.��</p> <hr> <p><strong>Cindy Chapman, Adelia A.F. Johnston and Harry Thomas Frank Professor and Chair of Jewish Studies</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Courtesy of Cindy Chapman</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/cindy-chapman">Cynthia ��Cindy�� Chapman</a> was awarded Best Book Relating to the Hebrew Bible for 2017 by the Biblical Archaeology Society for her recently published book, <em>The House of the Mother: The Social Roles of Maternal Kin in Biblical Hebrew Narrative and Poetry</em> (Yale University Press, 2016). This year, Chapman also presented a paper entitled, ��The Hebrew Mother of Seven: An Ingathering of Antecedents,�� on October 13, 2017, for the Biblical Studies Seminar at New College, University of Edinburgh, and she coauthored with Michael Coogan the fourth edition of <em>The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures</em> (Oxford University Press, 2017).</p> <hr> <p><strong>Cathy Meints, Associate Professor of Viola da Gamba and Cello </strong></p> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p>During her distinguished career as a performer, Catharina ��Cathy�� Meints has played and recorded on five instruments, including bass and treble viols, modern and baroque cello, and pardessus de viole. Meints�� career on early instruments has included playing bass viol in the 91ֱ�� Baroque Ensemble and with the Cleveland Baroque Soloists. Meints joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 1971, and later that year established the 91ֱ�� Baroque Performance Institute to build a new generation of players with her husband James Caldwell, then professor of oboe at the 91ֱ�� Conservatory of Music. That program still thrives today. Meints retired from a 35-year career with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2006. She plays frequently with Apollo��s Fire, as well as in solo and chamber music concerts.</p> <hr> <p><strong>La Tanya Hall, Teacher of Jazz Voice</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p>Multifaceted vocalist <a href="/la-tanya-hall">La Tanya Hall</a> has collaborated with a long list of celebrated performers across a variety of genres. She has appeared as a soloist with the American Composer��s Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony, among other ensembles. Hall has taught at the New School and at Five Towns College in Long Island, New York. She has sung at festivals around the world and teaches master classes with the National YoungArts Foundation.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Cindy Frantz, Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/cindy-frantz">Cynthia ��Cindy�� Frantz</a>��s research focuses broadly on humans�� relationship with the natural world, with an emphasis on promoting sustainable behavior. Past research in collaboration with Steve Mayer suggests that both individuals and the environment benefit when people feel connected to the natural world. With professors John Petersen, Rumi Shammin, and Deborah Roose, Frantz studies the potential for feedback technology (www.oberlindashboard.org ) to encourage conservation behavior, connect humans back to the natural world, and promote systems thinking. Frantz also directs the Community-Based Social Marketing Research Project, a collaborative research program among faculty, students, and staff to develop, test, and promote behavior change programs that reduce 91ֱ�� College��s carbon emissions.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-05-22T12:00:00Z">Fri, 05/22/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/la-tanya-hall" hreflang="und">La Tanya Hall</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/cindy-frantz" hreflang="und">Cynthia (Cindy) Frantz</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/cindy-chapman" hreflang="und">Cynthia (Cindy) Chapman</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/alexa-still" hreflang="und">Alexa Still</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/psychology" hreflang="und">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/jewish-studies" hreflang="und">Jewish Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Recipients of the 2018-2019 Excellence in Teaching Award are: Pictured top left to right: Cathy Meints, Cindy Chapman, and La Tanya Hall. Pictured bottom left to right: Alexa Still, Cindy Frantz, and Albert Matlin.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2017-2018 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 14 May 2019 19:39:01 +0000</p> <span>2017-2018 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-05-14T15:39:01-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 14, 2019 - 15:39">Tue, 05/14/2019 - 15:39</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><ul class="news-grid"> <li> <p>Six faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2017-2018 academic year. The recipients are Ron Cheung, professor of economics; Fredara Hadley, visiting assistant professor of ethnomusicology; Laurie McMillin, professor of rhetoric and composition; Gregory Ristow ��01, associate professor of conducting; Daniel Stinebring, Francis D. Federighi Professor of Physics; and Peter V. Swendsen ��99, associate professor of computer music and digital arts. The faculty members shared what this recognition means to them.</p> </li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Ron Cheung, Professor of Economics</strong></p> <p>Ron Cheung conducts research in local public finance and urban economics. He is particularly interested in how the growing trend of homeowners associations has affected municipal budgets, local governance, and property values. In other research, he has explored property tax limitations, local elections, land use regulation and housing markets. He has published in the <cite>Journal of Urban Economics</cite>, <cite>Regional Science & Urban Economics</cite>, and the <cite>National Tax Journal</cite>. He teaches classes in public economics and urban economics, principles of economics and intermediate microeconomics, and a seminar on housing.</p> <p>��Teaching at 91ֱ�� is a particularly rewarding experience because I feel students are as invested in learning as I am in teaching. This means that I constantly have to think about how to make my lectures more relevant, applied, and engaging. It��s a challenge to myself that I look forward to with every class that I teach.��</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ��97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr></li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Fredara Hadley, Visiting Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology</strong></p> <p>Fredara M. Hadley is an alumna of Florida A&M University and Clark-Atlanta University and holds advanced degrees in African American studies and ethnomusicology. Her research centers on understanding the functionality of black popular music in everyday life and surveying the diverse musical practices that coexist in African American communities. Hadley has presented at numerous scholarly conferences throughout the United States and in Brazil, Canada, and Ghana. She has appeared in several television documentaries and NPR programs. At 91ֱ��, Hadley teaches Introduction to African American Music; Black Music in the Hour of Chaos; the Anthropology of Entrepreneurship; and Pop Music and U.S. Urban Identities. In fall 2019, she will coteach a StudiOC cluster centered on 91ֱ�� alumna Shirley Graham DuBois ��34.</p> <p>��This award is a wonderful and humbling surprise! It's a joy to teach at 91ֱ��, and I often say that it��s the toughest teaching job because 91ֱ�� students are so curious that they will push the conversation deeper. And to me, that��s a good thing. I love that my students are willing to go with me on these journeys of discovery, and I��m delighted that 91ֱ�� honored my commitment to teaching in such a way.��</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr></li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Laurie McMillin, Professor of Rhetoric and Composition</strong></p> <p>Laurie Hovell McMillin is a professor of rhetoric and composition and director of the Writing Program. Because her own writing and research cuts across genres and disciplines, McMillin enjoys helping students to negotiate the demands of a liberal arts curriculum. Her teaching interests include writing pedagogy, language diversity, and travel writing, and her research focuses on travel writing, nonfiction prose, South Asian culture and religion, and Tibetan studies. Her publications include <cite>English in Tibet, Tibet in English: Self-Presentation in the Tibetan Diaspora</cite> (Palgrave Press), <cite>Buried Indians: Digging Up the Past in a Midwestern Town</cite> (University of Wisconsin), and the forthcoming volume, <cite>Spaces and Places in Western India: Formations and Delineations</cite> (Routledge), edited with Bina Sengar. She also edits the online journal <cite>AWAY: Experiments in Travel and Telling</cite>.</p> <p>��I'm really honored to receive this award. At 91ֱ��, I focus on the teaching of writing: I work with students at all levels, teach Writing Associates who work with other students, and also support faculty in the teaching of writing. I find connecting with people over writing really meaningful, whether the writer is a middle schooler in a summer workshop or a senior professor developing a new syllabus. The teaching of writing is my passion, so I'm pleased to have this work recognized by others.��</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ��97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr></li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Gregory Ristow ��01, Associate Professor of Conducting</strong></p> <p>Gregory Ristow directs the 91ֱ�� College Choir and Musical Union and teaches courses in vocal chamber music and conducting. He has conducted with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Houston��s Foundation for Modern Music, the Voices chamber choir in Rochester, N.Y., as artistic director of Encore Vocal Arts in Indianapolis, and as assistant conductor of the Gregory Kunde Chorale in Rochester. He has sung with the Houston Chamber Choir and Houston��s Mercury Baroque. Ristow earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music, where he taught undergraduate and graduate conducting and was assistant conductor of the Eastman Chorale and the Eastman-Rochester Chorus. He earned a bachelor��s degree in music education at 91ֱ��s Conservatory of Music, master��s degrees in conducting and music theory pedagogy at the Eastman School of Music, a Dalcroze certificate at the Juilliard School, and a Dalcroze license at the Longy School of Music.</p> <p>��Of all the places I��ve taught in my career, 91ֱ�� has by far the most challenging and engaging students. They make me constantly re-examine how and what I��m doing in classes and rehearsals. They rise to a challenge, be it intellectual or artistic, and remind me that the limits of what we teach need not be predefined. It��s an honor to teach here, to be recognized in this way, and to have the chance to dream about what future I will have learned from these wonderful students about teaching.��</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ��97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr></li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Daniel Stinebring, Francis D. Federighi Professor of Physics</strong></p> <p>Dan Stinebring earned a bachelor��s at Williams College and a PhD at Cornell University. He has been a faculty member at 91ֱ�� for almost 30 years. Funded by grants from the National Science Foundation since 1993, he has involved 91ֱ�� students in his research, which has focused on using pulsars to explore interstellar space and detect gravitational waves. As part of this research, he and students have traveled to the Netherlands, South Africa, India, China, Australia, and many places in North America. Prior to coming to 91ֱ��, Stinebring taught for five years in the physics department at Princeton University.</p> <p>��Of all the satisfying teaching I��ve done in the last 29 years at 91ֱ��, my favorite memory is standing out under the stars with Intro Astronomy students as we, together, marveled at the beauty and immensity of the cosmos. I also had the privilege of sharing with both the intro and advanced students how astronomers and physicists have decoded some of the universe��s puzzles through light of all wavelengths and, now, gravitational waves!��</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ��97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr></li> <li> <div class="grid-container"> <div> <p><strong>Peter V. Swendsen ��99 Associate Professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts</strong></p> <p>Peter Swendsen is interested in creating a sense of place for performers and listeners, often by using field recordings and real-world processes in music that combine acoustic instruments with electronics. His recent CD, <cite>Allusions to Seasons and Weather</cite>, features several such pieces, many of which were developed with 91ֱ�� students and alumni. In 2016, he premiered <cite>What Noises Remain</cite>, an evening-length work cocreated with percussionist Jennifer Torrence ��09 based on Shakespeare��s <cite>The Tempest</cite>. In 2017, he and Jay Ashby composed the score for <cite>The Foreigner��s Home</cite>, a documentary about novelist Toni Morrison by 91ֱ�� colleagues Rian Brown-Orso and Geoff Pingree. He has created more than 40 scores for dance, including recent collaborations with David Shimotakahara at GroundWorks Dance Theater in Cleveland and Amy Miller at Gibney Dance in New York City.</p> <p>��The award gives me yet another reason to think of and thank the amazing teachers I��ve had in my own life��starting with my parents, going way back to my first music teachers, Jim Willow and Joyce Schwinn, the excellent teachers I had at 91ֱ��, such as the long-time TIMARA professor Gary Lee Nelson, and my many graduate school mentors, including Maggi Payne and Judith Shatin. Whatever kind of teacher I am today is thanks to them and thanks to my students and colleagues at 91ֱ��, especially those in the TIMARA department, who inspire me daily, even hourly. I honestly still feel much more like a student than a teacher, but I��m humbled and grateful to receive this award alongside five incredible peers.��</p> <hr> <p>The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching at 91ֱ��. An award is given in each division of the college (arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics). The College Faculty Council solicits nominations, which are then reviewed by a faculty committee. The conservatory dean recommends six to seven conservatory faculty to the Conservatory Faculty Council, and together they review and narrow the list of recommendations to three recipients.</p> </div> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ��97</figcaption> </figure> </div> </li> </ul> <style type="text/css">.grid-container figcaption { color: inherit; position: static; left: 0; bottom: 0; background: none; padding: 0; } ul.news-grid { list-style-type: none; padding: 0; } .grid-container { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 150px; grid-column-gap: 25px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 768px) { .grid-container { grid-template-columns: 100%; grid-row-gap: 20px; } .grid-container img { object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 0; width: 250px; height: 250px; } } .vertical_line { border-left: 4px solid #A6CE39; padding-left: 10px; } </style> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-05-14T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/14/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25341">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=28856">Musicology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25451">Writing and Communication</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25411">Physics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ron-cheung" hreflang="und">Ron Cheung</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/laurie-mcmillin" hreflang="und">Laurie Hovell McMillin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gregory-ristow" hreflang="und">Gregory Ristow ��01</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/economics" hreflang="und">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/writing-and-communication" hreflang="und">Communication Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/conducting-and-ensembles" hreflang="und">Conducting and Ensembles</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/physics-and-astronomy" hreflang="und">Physics and Astronomy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Recipients of the 2017-2018 Excellence in Teaching Award stand with President Carmen Twillie Ambar in her house during a reception and dinner in their honor. From left: President Ambar, Ron Cheung, Fredara Hadley, Daniel Stinebring, Gregory Ristow, Laurie McMillin, Peter V. Swendsen, Acting Dean of the Conservatory William Quillen, Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka.<br> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ��83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2016-2017 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 15:08:32 +0000</p> <span>2016-2017 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-03-08T10:08:32-05:00" title="Thursday, March 8, 2018 - 10:08">Thu, 03/08/2018 - 10:08</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Six faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received an Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2016-2017 academic year. The recipients are David Bowlin, associate professor of violin; Alvin Chow, professor of piano; Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, professor of Chinese and cinema studies; Matthew Elrod, Robert and Eleanor Biggs Professor of natural science and professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Robert Shannon, professor of piano; Ellen Wurtzel, associate professor of history. The faculty members shared what this recognition means to them.</p> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>David Bowlin, Associate Professor of Violin</strong><br> Violinist David Bowlin has won widespread critical acclaim for his solo and chamber music performances from the <em>New York Times</em>, <em>Chicago Tribune</em>, the <em>Chicago Sun-Times</em>, and many others. His solo and chamber music performances of a wide-ranging repertoire have taken him throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Among them are dozens of premieres, including the Weill Carnegie Hall world premiere of Mahagoni, a violin concerto by Austrian composer Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin, and the 2016 world premiere of Marcos Balter��s Violin Concerto at Lincoln Center��s Mostly Mozart Festival. A passionate proponent of contemporary literature, Bowlin is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, named Musical America��s 2014 Ensemble of the Year. Bowlin is also a former member of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players. Bowlin is a graduate of the 91ֱ�� Conservatory of Music, the Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University.</p> <p>��It is a huge honor to be granted this award by my colleagues, and I am truly grateful. My eleven years working with the students at 91ֱ�� have been profoundly rewarding, so it is wonderful to feel appreciated in return through this award.��</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Lisa Kohler</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Alvin Chow, Professor of Piano</strong><br> Alvin Chow has appeared throughout North America and in Asia as an orchestral soloist and recitalist. He has also performed extensively in duo-piano recitals with his wife, Angela Cheng, and his twin brother, Alan. Chow has performed in concert halls including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Orchestra Hall in Chicago; Weill and Steinway Halls in New York City; and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has presented as recitalist in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Detroit, and Miami, and has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Pan-Asia Symphony in Hong Kong, and the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, among others. Chow is a graduate of the University of Maryland and earned a Master of Music at the Juilliard School before beginning doctoral studies at Indiana University.</p> <p>��I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a teacher, and to be at a place like 91ֱ�� is really the fulfillment of that dream. Being surrounded by wonderful, accomplished colleagues and talented students has been inspiring. I feel that I have been a continual student myself because of these interactions, and that has certainly energized me in becoming a better teacher.��</p> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Professor of Chinese and Cinema Studies</strong><br> Hsiu-Chuang Deppman received a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She teaches modern Chinese literature in translation, Chinese cinemas, East Asian cinemas, Chinese literature and film, and intermediate Chinese language. Her research focuses on the art of adaptation, history of film, and modern Chinese fiction. She is the author of <em>Adapted for the Screen: The Cultural Politics of Modern Chinese Film and Literature</em> and has published on a wide range of Chinese writers and directors in peer-reviewed journals and anthologies.<br> <br> ��I receive this award gratefully, as an amazing and unexpected honor. Having grown up as a rice farmer in the poorest area of rural Taiwan, I have come a long way to join an intellectual community at 91ֱ�� that takes pride in an educational mission ��that knows no class distinction�� (you jiao wu lei �н��). Simply walking into a classroom in Peters makes me happy, because my students reciprocate my passion for learning. They are responsive, engaged, and care about how their studies relate to the world they live in. It is a privilege to teach at 91ֱ��.��</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Matthew Elrod, Robert and Eleanor Biggs Professor of Natural Science and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry</strong><br> Matthew J. Elrod graduated with honors with a bachelor��s degree in chemistry from Grinnell College and obtained a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. After a postdoctoral position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a faculty appointment at Hope College, he joined the 91ֱ�� College faculty in 2001. Elrod��s research is focused on air pollution and climate change, particularly the chemical transformations of both natural and human emitted organic compounds. Since 1997, his lab has received continuous grant support from the National Science Foundation, and he has mentored 52 undergraduate research students, of whom 39 are coauthors on scientific journal articles.<br> <br> ��I truly have the whole 91ֱ�� community of scholars to thank for this award. It's been a great privilege to have been given the responsibility to teach in such an intellectually vibrant community. My faculty colleagues have always set a high bar that I have aspired to meet, and they have also served as tremendously supportive mentors and peers. However, it's the continual inspiration of bright 91ֱ�� students coming through my classrooms and labs that has supplied me with the considerable energy required for effective teaching. As I enter the second half of my teaching career, I remember the sage advice of my undergraduate advisor at the end of his 42-year teaching career: ��Even though you will inevitably get older and older, your students will never age, and if you play your cards right, you can ride with them in a seemingly new intellectual journey each semester.�� I intend to keep riding for some time to come.��</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Robert Shannon, Professor of Piano</strong><br> Robert Shannon has traveled across the world performing and teaching a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach to John Adams. A double-degree alumnus of 91ֱ��, Shannon earned a Master of Music at the Juilliard School. In recent seasons, Shannon has appeared in Beijing, London, Hamburg, New York, San Francisco, and Caracas. His numerous performances and recordings on the Bridge label of 20th- and 21st-century composers such as George Crumb, Carla Bley, and John Harbison have been meet with critical praise, particularly his penetrating interpretations of such American composers as Charles Ives. He appears regularly at the Grand Teton, Tibor Varga, and Sacramento American Music festivals; as a guest artist with the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players; and in duo recitals with his wife, Haewon Song, who also is a piano professor at 91ֱ�� Conservatory.</p> <p>"I am very honored to receive this award. It seems like just yesterday that I started teaching here. I am fortunate to have worked with many very gifted and responsive students in 91ֱ��s unique environment."</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Ellen Wurtzel, Associate Professor of History</strong><br> Ellen Wurtzel began her education at Duke University before earning master��s degrees at Bank Street College and Columbia University. She later returned to Columbia University where she earned a PhD. Wurtzel��s research interests lie in medieval and early modern European history and are particularly focused on the Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and France. Wurtzel��s current research concerns medieval bathhouses and their place in the francophone world from the 12th to 16th centuries. In the classroom, she is most interested in teaching about the subjects of cities and states; science and medicine; gender; Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations; property and possession.</p> <p>��This award means a great deal to me because it speaks to the real value of working here��learning with and for students. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with students as bright, challenging, and curious as ours at 91ֱ�� College, and I work hard both to convey the passion I feel about history and to find ways of encouraging students�� own paths to the past. 91ֱ�� is a place where good teaching matters, and from seeing and reading about what colleagues do across the college and the Conservatory of Music, I am even more honored to be among their number.��</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-03-08T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/08/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25246">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25306">Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25256">Cinema and Media</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/hsiu-chuang-deppman" hreflang="und">Hsiu-Chuang Deppman</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ellen-wurtzel" hreflang="und">Ellen Wurtzel</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/robert-shannon-72" hreflang="und">Robert Shannon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/matt-elrod" hreflang="und">Matthew (Matt) Elrod</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/alvin-chow" hreflang="und">Alvin Chow</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/cinema-studies" hreflang="und">Cinema and Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Recipients of the 2016-2017 Excellence in Teaching Award stand in President Carmen Twillie Ambar��s house during a reception and dinner in their honor on February 27. First row, l-r: Ellen Wurtzel, Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Alvin Chow. Second row, l-r: Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Timothy Elgren, Dean of the Conservatory of Music Andrea Kalyn, Robert Shannon, Matthew Elrod, and President Carmen Twillie Ambar. Not pictured: David Bowlin. <br> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2015-2016 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 01 May 2017 14:53:18 +0000</p> <span>2015-2016 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-05-01T10:53:18-04:00" title="Monday, May 1, 2017 - 10:53">Mon, 05/01/2017 - 10:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Six faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received an Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2015-2016 academic year. The recipients are Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald, Associate Professor of Music Theory Jared C. Hartt, Professor of Music Theory Rebecca V. Leydon, Associate Professor of Politics Michael Parkin, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature Claire Solomon, and Professor of Oboe and English Horn Robert Walters. <em>The Source</em> asked the faculty members to share what this recognition means to them.</p> <h2>Stephen FitzGerald, Professor of Physics</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/6141">Stephen FitzGerald</a> started his physics training in Ireland, obtaining a bachelor��s degree at Trinity College Dublin. He received a PhD at Cornell University and caught the teaching bug during a one-year position at Colgate University. His preparation for 91ֱ�� was rounded out by a postdoctorate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.</p> <p>��Receiving this award is a true honor that is made all the more special by reading the names of the previous recipients. Being a faculty member at 91ֱ�� has been a dream job for me. Every day I interact with wonderful students in the classroom, research lab, and throughout the campus. It is a privilege to introduce these students to the wonders of physics, in general, and quantum mechanics, in particular. I have learned so much from them in this process. I also owe a debt to my colleagues in the department who have encouraged and inspired my teaching throughout my time at 91ֱ��.��</p> <h2>Jared C. Hartt, Associate Professor of Music Theory</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/6851">Jared Hartt</a> has taught at 91ֱ�� since 2007. His research focuses on the music of Guillaume de Machaut, as well as the medieval motet in general. He has published extensively on sonority and syntax in the ars nova and has also presented his research at numerous national and international conferences. He is the editor of a forthcoming volume, A Companion to Medieval Motets, to be published by Boydell and Brewer in 2018. Since receiving his PhD in Music Theory from Washington University in St. Louis, Hartt has become actively involved in the International Machaut Society, serving as its treasurer, secretary, and archivist. He is also a senior piano examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music.</p> <p>��I am honored and humbled to receive 91ֱ��s Excellence in Teaching Award. I thank especially all of my students from the past ten years. Indeed, it is because of them that I truly love coming to the classroom every day; my daily interaction with students fuels my energies as a professor. I believe that the strong rapport I establish with my students constitutes one of the most essential ingredients for a successful, enjoyable, meaningful learning experience. I also thank my colleagues for their mentorship, as well as my own previous teachers who served as admirable role models. I look forward to several more decades of teaching the gifted and dedicated students of the conservatory and college.��</p> <h2>Rebecca V. Leydon, Professor of Music Theory</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/6871">Rebecca Leydon</a> earned a PhD in Music Theory at McGill University, an MA at the Eastman School of Music, and Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto. She has been a member of the Music Theory Division in the Conservatory since 1998, teaching courses in music theory to students in both the conservatory and the college. Her research explores musical semiotics, especially in 20th-century works; her publications appear in the journals Music Theory Spectrum, Music Theory Online, Perspectives of New Music, Popular Music, and numerous anthologies.</p> <p>��I��m honored to receive this award. I am continually motivated by the energy and achievements of my colleagues and students in the Conservatory, especially my fellow music theorists, and I continue to draw inspiration from the great teachers I encountered during my own education.��</p> <h2>Michael Parkin, Associate Professor of Politics</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/6261">Michael Parkin</a> received a PhD at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the relationship between political candidates, the media, and voters in the United States. He is particularly interested in how candidates use "new media" (e.g., the Internet, entertainment television) and the effect this has on voters. His research has appeared in American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and The Social Science Computer Review. He teaches courses on political psychology, media and mass political behavior, campaigns and elections, quantitative research methods, and American politics.</p> <p>��It's obviously a tremendous honor to win this award. There are so many fantastic teachers at 91ֱ��, and it's humbling to be added to such an impressive list of past winners. I'm very grateful to the students who have challenged me with their passion for learning and my colleagues who have supported me and offered great advice over the years. For me, this award celebrates the positive and inspiring educational environment at 91ֱ��.��</p> <h2>Claire Solomon ��98, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/5856">Claire Solomon</a> received a BA at 91ֱ�� College and an MA and PhD at Yale University. Solomon��s Spanish-language courses include seminars on novels like Julio Cort��zar��s Rayuela and Gabriel Garc��a M��rquez��s Cien a?os de soledad, thematic surveys like Melodrama and Anxiety and Youth in Revolt, and introductory courses in literary and cultural analysis. Her courses in comparative literature, including Avant-Garde in Am��rica and Autonomy and Economics in Literature of the Americas, pose research questions that can be pursued both as themes within literature and ways of analyzing literature in relation to its conditions of production. She is the author of Fictions of the Bad Life (Ohio State UP, 2014), which was a finalist for the South Atlantic Modern Language Association book prize.</p> <p>��I feel very grateful and honored. It's particularly meaningful to me given the distinguished group of faculty who have won this award in the past. At a moment when teaching, and particularly teaching in the humanities, is undervalued, it feels great to be recognized for the work I do.��</p> <h2>Robert Walters, Professor of Oboe and English Horn</h2> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Image by William Bradford</figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="/node/7136">Robert Walters</a> joined the Cleveland Orch?estra as solo english horn in 2004, and two years later began teaching at 91ֱ��. Prior to his appointment in Cleveland, he served in the same capacity with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His varied career has led to appearances as guest soloist with top orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Beijing Radio Symphony, and festival performances at Banff, Bard, Caramoor, Grand Teton, Spoleto, and the Music Academy of the West. In November 2015, he premiered Bernard Rands�� Concerto for English Horn with the Cleveland Orchestra, which was commissioned for Walters as part of 91ֱ�� Conservatory��s 150th anniversary celebration.</p> <p>��Being nominated for 91ֱ��s Teaching Excellence Award is a great honor for me both personally and professionally. As a fourth-generation college music professor on my father's side of the family, the enterprise of undergraduate education is quite literally ��in my blood.�� As a graduate of both the Curtis Institute of Music and of Columbia University, my own education was formed in deep parallel to 91ֱ��s unique mission of offering world-class conservatory training amidst the culture and rigor of a premier liberal arts education. It is hard to express the almost molecular sense of vocational home I feel teaching here on a daily basis. I am truly grateful for this award and for my ongoing association with this great institution.��</p> <style type="text/css">.news__detail .captioned-image { margin-bottom: 1.5rem; } .news__detail h2 { margin-top: 1.25em; } </style> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-03-08T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/08/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/claire-solomon" hreflang="und">Claire Solomon ��98</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/michael-parkin" hreflang="und">Michael Parkin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/stephen-fitzgerald" hreflang="und">Stephen FitzGerald</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jared-hartt" hreflang="und">Jared Hartt</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/robert-walters" hreflang="und">Robert Walters</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Recipients of the 2015-2016 Excellence in Teaching Award stand in Peters Hall following a reception and dinner in their honor on Tuesday, February 28. First row, l-r: President Marvin Krislov, Rebecca Leydon, Claire Solomon, Robert Walters, and Dean of the Conservatory of Music Andrea Kalyn. Second row, l-r: Jared Hartt, Stephen FitzGerald, Michael Parkin, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Timothy Elgren.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">William Bradford</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2014-2015 Excellence in Teaching Awards Winners</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:09 +0000</p> <span>2014-2015 Excellence in Teaching Awards Winners</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:09-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Six faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2014-2015 academic year. The recipients were Associate Professor of Mathematics <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/mathematics/faculty_detail.dot?id=2228262">Jack Calcut</a>; Professor of Hispanic Studies <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/hispanic_studies/faculty_detail.dot?id=20735">Sebastiaan Faber</a>; Professor of Piano <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/piano/faculty_detail.dot?id=20845">James Howsmon</a>; Director of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles, Associate Professor of Conducting, and Director of the 91ֱ�� Orchestra <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=3275001">Raphael Jim��nez</a>; Professor of Comparative American Studies Gina P��rez; and Associate Professor of Jazz Studies <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/jazz-studies/faculty_detail.dot?id=21271">Daniel Wall</a>. <em>The Source</em> asked the faculty members to share what this recognition means to them.</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>Jack Calcut</h3> <p>Jack Calcut earned a BS from Michigan State University and PhD from the University of Maryland. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Texas at Austin and at Michigan State University. He specializes in low-dimensional topology but enjoys teaching mathematics courses at all levels of the curriculum.</p> <p>"I am deeply honored to receive this award here at 91ֱ�� College, home to so many talented educators. I thank my 91ֱ�� students, from calculus to discrete mathematics to my honors students, for their passion in our interactions. I thrive on these exchanges of energy. I also thank the many educators that shaped my philosophy of mathematics education, including Lee Sonneborn, Karen McLaren, and my wife, Margot. Too often mathematics gets a bad rap on the street. I will continue to reveal the beauty and depth of mathematics to my 91ֱ�� students, utilizing leprechauns, hamsters on waterslides, and soap bubbles whenever possible."</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Kim Faber</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>Sebastiaan Faber</h3> <p>Sebastiaan Faber studied Spanish at the University of Amsterdam and received a PhD from the University of California at Davis. At 91ֱ��, he teaches about Spanish and Latin American literature, film, politics, and history. His research deals with the global aftermath of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) among other topics. As the inaugural director of the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/oclc/index.dot">91ֱ�� Center for Languages and Cultures</a>, Sebastiaan helped set up ObieMAPS and the Languages across the Curriculum program. He regularly writes for the U.S. and Spanish media.</p> <p>��It��s a genuine honor to be in the company of these gifted and dedicated colleagues. I��ve always felt enormously lucky to work at a place that values teaching and learning as much as 91ֱ�� does. To work with students who are not just smart and creative but also willing to take risks, and to do so among a community of stellar scholar-teachers, is a privilege that��s hard to overestimate. Whenever I��ve had a chance to see my peers in action��for example when we get to team-teach��I��ve been both proud and bit intimidated. In fact, one of the few disadvantages of teaching at 91ֱ�� may be that you can��t also be a student: there are so many great classes to take!��</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Tanya Rosen-Jones</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>James Howsmon</h3> <p>James Howsmon has collaborated in more than 1,000 recitals in North America, Europe, and Japan. He has performed with principal players of every major American orchestra. In recent seasons, he has played in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. (at the Kennedy Center), Philadelphia, Dallas, Montreal, and Minneapolis. He is a frequent performer on 91ֱ�� College��s stages, having recently played the Poulenc Aubade with the 91ֱ�� Wind Ensemble and Olivier Messiaen��s Couleurs de la Cit�� Celeste with the 91ֱ�� Contemporary Music Ensemble. He has given guest master classes in accompanying and chamber music at, among others, the Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Alabama.</p> <p>��Receiving an Excellence in Teaching Award from the college is a great honor, especially as I believe that our faculty here is unparalleled in teaching prowess and achievement. My field is not a glamorous one, so this recognition is doubly meaningful.��</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Tanya Rosen-Jones</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>Raphael Jim��nez</h3> <p>Raphael Jim��nez is celebrated for his work with orchestras around the world. Though versatile in the standard literatures of symphonic, ballet, and operatic repertoire, Jim��nez is also a strong supporter of new music and a champion for works by Latin American composers. Equally comfortable on the podiums of both professional and pre-professional ensembles, he is recognized for his deep commitment to education. His devotion to teaching began in Venezuela when he was a member, and later a conductor, with the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras (El Sistema): the famed international model for providing exceptional music instruction to children of all socioeconomic backgrounds. For his work as music director of the San Agustin Youth Orchestra in Caracas, Jim��nez received the Jose Felix Ribas Medal, bestowed on him by the Venezuelan government in 1988. Since his arrival at 91ֱ��, he has been credited with re-energizing the orchestra program through his enthusiastic teaching and passionate music making.</p> <p>��I am extremely grateful and humbled that my colleagues would consider me as a recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award. I feel lucky that I get to spend every day with the most extraordinary and supportive colleagues and am truly fortunate that I get to make music with extremely talented and fascinating individuals. I couldn��t ask for a more challenging and motivating environment, and I continue to be inspired by the talent, intelligence, social sensitivity, and work ethic of the 91ֱ�� College community.��</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Yvette Chen ��16</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>Gina P��rez</h3> <p>Gina P��rez is a cultural anthropologist who teaches in the Comparative American Studies program. Her research and teaching interests include Latina/o studies, urban ethnography, Latina/o youth, gender, migration and militarism. She earned a BA at the University of Notre Dame (1990) and an MA and PhD from Northwestern University. She is the author of two monographs. First, <em>The Near Northwest Side Story: Migration, Displacement and Puerto Rican Families</em> (University of California Press, 2004), which was awarded the Delmos Jones and Jagna Scharff Memorial Prize for the Critical Study of North America by the Society for the Anthropology of North America in 2006. Second, <em>Citizen, Student, Soldier: Latina/o Youth, JROTC and the American Dream</em> (New York University Press, 2015). P��rez is the coeditor of the book <em>Beyond el Barrio: Everyday Life in Latina/o America</em>.</p> <p>��One of the most gratifying experiences I have had at 91ֱ�� is to be surrounded by so many generous colleagues who are excellent teachers and who have taught me so much over the years. I am also incredibly grateful to have the kind of students who not only challenge me to think carefully about important issues and questions but also inspire me to be creative, engaged, accountable, and attentive to the ways what we do in the classroom matters beyond. As a great books major at the University of Notre Dame (program of liberal studies), I was fortunate to have excellent teachers who taught in small seminars and who modeled for me how to read, discuss, debate, and talk about important issues. And, along with my departed father, F��lix Antonio P��rez, they instilled in me a love of books, learning, and ideas. Teaching at 91ֱ�� has allowed me the opportunity to share these gifts with others and to be part of a community of committed scholars and teachers who have graced me with their knowledge and wisdom in countless ways. I have grown so much over my first 13 years at 91ֱ��, and I am curious to see what the next 13 or so years may bring.��</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <h3>Daniel Wall</h3> <p>Dan Wall won a Hall of Fame Scholarship from <em>DownBeat</em> magazine at 17, launching his career as a jazz pianist and organist. He has played on two Grammy-nominated recordings, and his extensive list of recording collaborations has landed him in concert halls throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East. Wall��s work has earned praise from numerous publications throughout his career. He��s made <em>DownBeat</em>��s International Critics�� Poll 18 times since 1993, its Readers' Poll numerous times, (most recently 2015), and has been featured by <em>Billboard</em>, <em>Jazz Times</em>, <em>Jazziz</em>, and more. You can also find Wall in the prestigious <em>New Grove Dictionary of Jazz</em>, 2nd Edition. Since 1991, Wall has played Hammond organ for the John Abercrombie Trio, which received critical acclaim for its first two recordings, <em>While We're Young</em> and <em>Speak of the Devil</em>. The John Abercrombie Trio is one of several artists that have recorded and performed Wall's compositions. Wall's album credits as a bandleader include <em>Song for the Night</em>, <em>The Trio</em>, <em>Off the Wall</em>, and <em>On the Inside Looking Out</em>.</p> <p>"91ֱ�� continues to provide an inspiring and rewarding teaching environment for my teaching. Highly talented students, world class faculty, and wonderful administration and staff make it a pleasure to teach at 91ֱ��. I'm honored to have been chosen to receive this award.��</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-19T12:00:00Z">Fri, 02/19/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/raphael-jimenez" hreflang="und">Raphael Jim��nez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/sebastiaan-faber" hreflang="und">Sebastiaan Faber</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gina-perez" hreflang="und">Gina P��rez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jack-calcut" hreflang="und">Jack Calcut</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Three of the six recipients of the 2014-2015 Teaching Excellence Awards stand in Peters Hall following a reception and dinner in their honor on Tuesday, February 16. First row, l-r: Raphael Jim��nez, Gina P��rez, and Jack Calcut. Second row, l-r: President Marvin Krislov, Dean of the Conservatory of Music Andrea Kalyn, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Timothy Elgren.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Anna Norris</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2013-2014 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:20:09 +0000</p> <span>2013-2014 Excellence in Teaching Award Winners</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:20:09-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:20">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Five faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2013-2014 academic year. The recipients were Associate Professor of English <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/english/faculty_detail.dot?id=20609">Jennifer Bryan</a>; Professor of Pianoforte <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/piano/faculty_detail.dot?id=20977">Sanford Margolis</a>; Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/environment/faculty_detail.dot?id=21089">John Petersen</a>; Professor of Chemistry <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry/faculty_detail.dot?id=21243">Robert Thompson</a>; and Professor of Conducting <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/conducting-and-ensembles/faculty_detail.dot?id=21283">Tim Weiss</a>. The Source asked the faculty members to share what this recognition means to them.</p> <h3>Jennifer Bryan, Associate Professor of English</h3> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Associate Professor of English Jennifer Bryan<br> Photo credit: Dale Preston ��83</figcaption> </figure> <p>Jennifer Bryan received her B.A. from Williams College and her Ph.D. from UCLA. She specializes in medieval English literature but enjoys teaching a broad range of literary topics. Bryan says she loves to team-teach, and also says she has been lucky to work with two previous award-winners, <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/classics/faculty_detail.dot?id=21063">Kirk Ormand</a> (classics) and <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/musicology/faculty_detail.dot?id=21005">Charles McGuire</a> (musicology).</p> <p>��When I found out about this award, I was silly with happiness for a solid week. I felt a little like Luke Skywalker in the big ceremony at the end of Star Wars Episode IV, except that I got Marvin instead of Princess Leia, and instead of blowing up the Death Star, all I did was teach Beowulf without destroying anyone��s will to live. (I actually love Beowulf.) Really, this award means a lot in a place where everyone cares so much about teaching, works so hard at it, and is so intimidatingly good at it. Later I��ll go back to my normal feelings of total inadequacy, but for now it��s lovely to be recognized by colleagues whom I so deeply admire.��</p> <h3>Sanford Margolis, Professor of Pianoforte</h3> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Professor of Pianoforte Sanford Margolis<br> Photo credit: Dale Preston ��83</figcaption> </figure> <p>A fixture on the 91ֱ�� piano faculty since 1972, Sanford Margolis made his debut with the 91ֱ�� Orchestra in 1974, playing the Sch?nberg Concerto, Op. 42. Margolis is known for his versatility and slides easily between styles, having played jazz professionally for many years and with Latin and country and western groups, in addition to his classical repertoire. He has played concertos under the direction of Antal Dor��ti, Stanis?aw Skrowaczewski, David Zinman ��58, Robert Spano ��83, and Arthur Fiedler, among others. His work can be heard on a Naxos/American Classics recording of works by George Frederick McKay.</p> <p>"I am extremely pleased to receive this teaching award. 91ֱ�� has afforded me the opportunity, as an applied music professor, to spend substantial one-on-one time with some of the most extraordinary individuals I have been lucky enough to know. It has been impossible for me not to be enthusiastic in my teaching. I am grateful for the freedom and support offered by my department."</p> <h3>John Petersen, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies</h3> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of<br> Environmental Studies John Petersen<br> Photo credit: Dale Preston ��83</figcaption> </figure> <p>A systems ecologist by training, John Petersen's research and teaching focus on understanding flows of energy, cycles of material, and feedback control mechanisms operating in environmental and social systems. He has been instrumental in developing real-time feedback display technologies for cities, organizations, and individual buildings with the goal of engaging, educating, motivating, and empowering building occupants and community members to conserve resources and develop pro-environmental attitudes.</p> <p>��As an undergrad at 91ֱ��, I greatly valued the diversity of excellence in teaching I experienced here��it something like a wine tasting. My senior year I recall asking several of the great teachers I experienced what it would take to secure a professorship at a place like 91ֱ��. And here I am! I don't feel particularly worthy of being included among the distinguished group of colleagues who have received this award, but I sure feel honored!��</p> <h3>Robert Thompson, Professor of Chemistry</h3> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Professor of Chemistry Robert Thompson<br> Photo credit: Dale Preston ��83</figcaption> </figure> <p>Rob Thompson has been teaching analytical chemistry, general chemistry, and other courses at 91ֱ�� since 1982. He offers a popular, non-specialist course on chemistry and crime. Rob��s current research interests center on forensic analytical chemistry, but over his long career, he has also delved into areas such as immobilized enzymes, liquid chromatography, environmental analysis, and capsaicinoids, the hot agents of chili pepper.</p> <p>��I am humbled and honored to have been nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award by a chemistry colleague and to be chosen as an awardee by my peers across the college. The award is a testament to my longevity and my natural tendency toward tinkering. Tinkering with my teaching has led, over time, to some successful courses, pedagogies, and approaches to motivating and challenging students. I want to thank those students, my colleagues, and especially my family for their support.</p> <p>��I am tremendously grateful to have had four national award-winning chemistry teachers as models and mentors during my early years: George R. Hague, Bernards High School (New Jersey); Theodore R. Williams, College of Wooster; Stanley R. Crouch, Michigan State University; and William R. Heineman, University of Cincinnati. (Notice all have the middle initial ��R��coincidence?!) Of course, award winners at 91ֱ��, <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry/Martin%20Ackermann.dot">Marty Ackermann</a> and <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry/norman-c.-craig.dot">Norm Craig</a>, also contributed to my success in teaching. Thanks to you all.��</p> <h3>Tim Weiss, Professor of Conducting</h3> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Professor of Conducting Tim Weiss<br> Photo credit: Dale Preston ��83</figcaption> </figure> <p>Tim Weiss is known for a repertoire in contemporary music that is vast and fearless, including masterworks, recent compositions, and an impressive number of premieres and commissions. A recipient of the Adventurous Programming Award from the American Symphony Orchestra League, his programs of broad variety are connected by similarities of voice between different composers from different genres, periods, and backgrounds, often presenting rare and revealing juxtapositions. In his 20 years as music director of the 91ֱ�� Contemporary Music Ensemble, Weiss has brought the group to a level of artistry and virtuosity in performance that rivals the finest new music groups. At 91ֱ��, he helped create and mentor the ensembles eighth blackbird and the International Contemporary Ensemble. He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Northwestern University, and the University of Michigan.</p> <p>"I feel so honored to receive this award. I treasure my students and colleagues at 91ֱ�� and cannot imagine teaching in a better environment, artistically or intellectually. I hope I can continue to serve the 91ֱ�� community for many years to come."</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-03-04T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/04/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Teaching Excellence Award recipients stand with the president and the deans following a reception and dinner in their honor on Tuesday, February 17. The five faculty members received the award for the 2013-2014 academic year. First row, l-r: Jennifer Bryan, John Petersen, Tim Weiss, and President Marvin Krislov. Second row, l-r: Robert Thompson, Sanford Margolis, and Dean of the Conservatory Andrea Kalyn. Third row, l-r: Dean of Arts and Sciences Tim Elgren.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ��83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>