UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 11, Page 5
November 11, 1993
CASE names James R. Soles state of Delaware professor of year

     James R. Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor and chairperson of the
Department of Political Science and International Relations at the
University of Delaware, was named Delaware Professor of the Year by the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international
association of colleges, universities and independent elementary and
secondary schools.
     Soles received the honor for his extraordinary commitment to teaching
and for achieving a balance in teaching, scholarship and service that has
left a profound impact on (his) students.
     "Soles views his classroom participants as not only students but also
future teachers, lawyers and politicians. With this confidence in their
abilities, many of Soles' students have gone on to hold positions in the
Delaware legislature, several have served in the governor's cabinet and
more hold positions on congressional staffs and committees," according to
CASE.
     Soles has been on the University faculty since 1968, when he was hired
as an assistant professor. He was named a full professor in 1984 and has
chaired the political science and international relations department since
1989.
     In l992, he was named the University's first Alumni Distinguished
Professor, an award which honors faculty dedication to teaching. He has
twice been the recipient of the University's Excellence-in-Teaching Award
and, in 1988, received the Excellence-in-Advising Award. In l991, Soles
received the del Tufo Award for Distinguished Service to the Humanities
from the Delaware Humanities Forum.
     When he received the Alumni Distinguished Professorship, he said of
his profession, "Teaching is simply what I do as I understand it.... My
particular niche as a teacher has been with college-age students. It has
been my privilege and opportunity to work with young adults. It is an
awesome task and an awesome opportunity.... I promise my students room to
venture and explore. We need to teach students to ask as well as to
answer."
     Soles earned his bachelor and master's degrees from Florida State
University and his doctorate in government from the University of Virginia.
                                                  -Beth Thomas