Excellence-in-teaching awards
Four faculty members won the excellence-in-teaching awards, which are based primarily on student evaluations. Each winner will receive $5,000 and have his or her portrait hung in Morris Library for five years. Additionally, each winner of this award will receive a brick, inscribed with his or her name, installed in UD's Mentors' Circle.
This year's excellence-in-teaching awards were presented to Scott E. Caplan, associate professor of communication; Chika Inoue, instructor in foreign languages and literatures; Vincent T. Martin, assistant professor in foreign language and literatures; and Jack A Puleo, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering.
Scott E. Caplan
Caplan, who received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in interpersonal communication from UD, took only a short hiatus from campus to attend Purdue University for his doctoral degree, also in interpersonal communication.
“UD was my first choice,” Caplan, who teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in interpersonal communication, said. “I feel very fortunate to teach here.”
A member of the UD faculty since 1999, Caplan said he “likes being able to influence students to think about things in new ways,” and enjoys “helping students prepare to be married and be parents.
“I sometimes say to my students, 'Many of your classes are about rocks and trees,'” Caplan said. “'My classes are about you and your relationships with other people.'”
Chika Inoue
A native of Tokyo, Inoue, who teaches Japanese and is now entering her sixth year on the faculty of UD's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, earned her bachelor's degree in English from SUNY-Brockport before entering the doctoral program in educational linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I am very grateful for my students,” Inoue said. “Each one of them comes to class with so much hope and willingness to learn. I cannot help but smile when I walk into the classroom. We come together with a common goal. We all make mistakes, and there can be frustrating times, but at the end of the day, I believe that the classroom is a place where everyone can leave a winner. I love it.”
Vincent T. Martin
Martin, who before joining UD's faculty in 2000 held tenure-track positions at the University of North Florida and Utah State University, earned his bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of California-Berkeley, and his master's and doctoral degrees in Spanish from New York University. He teaches Spanish literature with a concentration in the Golden Age theatre of Spain.
“I absolutely love working with young people and guiding them through texts and ideas that ultimately stimulate their ability to think about the humanities,” Martin said.
“In our department's unique study abroad programs, I enjoy creating interdisciplinary (and multidimensional) experiences that lead students to make radical self-discoveries. Professionally, there is nothing more gratifying than that.”
Jack A. Puleo
Puleo began his tenure at UD in 2004 after receiving his bachelor's degree in oceanography and mathematics from Humboldt State University in California, his master's degree in oceanography from Oregon State University and his doctoral degree in civil and coastal engineering from the University of Florida. Between earning his master's and doctoral degrees, he worked as an oceanographer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Mississippi.
Passionate about teaching, Puleo said he “really enjoys the interaction with students.”
Currently involved in a beach nourishment project funded by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Puleo monitors shoreline erosion taking place at various Delaware beaches over time by analyzing images and data collected by seven industrial-strength web cams that take hourly snapshots of coastal activity and send those images to computers at the University. To view webcam shots relating to this project, go to [http://sandcam.coastal.udel.edu/].
Excellence-in-advising awards
Three faculty members received UD's excellence-in-undergraduate-academic-advising awards, an honor also based primarily on student evaluations. Each will receive a check for $2,500 and be honored with an inscribed brick in Mentors' Circle.
The awards this year go to Deborah M. Alvarez, assistant professor of English; James J. Magee, chairperson of UD's Department of Political Science and International Relations and professor of political science; and David W. Smith, associate professor of biological sciences.
Alvarez, who has been on UD's Department of English faculty since 2005, earned her bachelor's degree in English literature from Arizona State University; her bachelor's degree in secondary education from the University of Kansas; her master's degree in secondary education, curriculum and instruction and language arts from Kansas State University; her master's degree in English literature and writing from Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College; and her doctoral degree in composition studies from the University of Wisconsin. Before joining the University faculty, she taught at Bowling Green State University.
“Advising is teaching,” Alvarez said. “Establishing a rapport with a class of students is one of the most important elements of effective teaching--reaching students because the teacher (adviser) has real interest in the student's success.
“When I advise a student, I need to know about her or him, and then offer information and guidance so that the student can make informed decisions about a program or a major. It's not about what I think they should do. I hope that I help my advisees find out what they really want to do with their college learning experience, and then we plan a way to make that happen.”
James J. Magee
Magee, who has been a member of UD's faculty in the Department of Political Science and International Relations since 1976, has, in his tenure at the University, received the excellence-in-teaching award twice and the excellence-in-advising award once before, as well.
After starting out as a mathematics major at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he changed his major to political science, he said, because of his views and feelings about the Vietnam War. After earning both his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he attended the University of Virginia, where he earned his doctoral degree in government and foreign affairs. Before joining UD, he taught in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Political Science.
“I spend a great deal of time with my students trying to get to know them and bond with them,” Magee said. “I think that I've taught long enough to realize that students have a lot of stress in their lives, and so I advise them on how to deal with that as well as how to explore career opportunities. I see myself as a mentor of undergraduates, and I see my students as whole people.”
David W. Smith
Smith, who received both the excellence-in-teaching award at the University level in 1977 and the excellence-in-advising award at the college level in 2005, has been a member of UD's faculty for 32 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California-San Diego, his master's degree in microbiology from Indiana University and his doctoral degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin. Before joining the University, he did postdoctoral work at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he also began his teaching career.
“There are many great things about advising,” Smith, who advises more than 100 students (out of the department's more than 900 undergraduates), said. “As the undergraduate program director in biology, I also supervise all the faculty who do the advising, to make sure we are all telling students the same things. Most of the advice is fairly straightforward, and it's enjoyable because you get close contact with students.
“One of the greatest pleasures of advising students, however, is that every so often you get those special cases who need extra help,” Smith said. “They may be transfer students who need advice in putting everything together in a short amount of time, and they really appreciate the guidance. It really feels good when you know you've especially helped someone.”
Teaching assistant excellence-in-teaching awards
Two graduate assistants, Jon R. Beckham and Joshua M. Calhoun, will win $1,500 awards for their work as teaching assistants.
Jon Regan Beckham
Beckham, who has taught calculus courses at UD for the past four years, also teaches courses in ordinary differential equations at the Charter School of Wilmington. A native of Hope, Ark., Beckham earned his bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and his master's degree in mathematics education from the University of Central Arkansas before relocating to Delaware. He recently earned a master's degree in mathematics at UD and will complete his doctoral degree in mathematics at UD in December 2007, after which he plans to continue teaching at the collegiate level.
“Any time a student learns something new, he or she gets a sense of accomplishment and pride,” Beckham said. “It is great that I have the opportunity to be a part of that accomplishment. There are few things as fulfilling as watching your students learn.”
Joshua M. Calhoun
Calhoun, who has taught literature and writing courses at UD for the past three years, earned his bachelor's degree in preseminary studies from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Pa., and his master's degree in English and American literature from UD. A native of Schroon Lake, N.Y., he plans to complete his doctoral degree in English at UD in 2009, after which he plans to write, conduct research and continue teaching at the collegiate level.
“I have a very dear friend who taught me to respect students as the engaged scholars I expect them to be when they finish the class,” Calhoun said. “Each semester, then, I get to watch a number of my students mature into careful thinkers who take responsibility for analyzing the world around them. In some ways, it's like watching a younger sibling mature into a peer.”
For more information about the awards, visit [www.udel.edu/teachingawards/flash_index.html].
Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photos by Duane Perry