The Office of the Provost has announced that nine faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences are the winners of three Outstanding University Teacher Awards, two University Teaching Initiative Awards, and four Outstanding University Graduate Student Teaching Awards. Gregory M. Ferrence, Department of Chemistry, and Stephen K. Hunt, School of Communication, are both winners of the Outstanding Teacher Award—Category I, which recognizes tenure track faculty whose teaching accomplishments are exceptionally significant and meritorious among their colleagues across campus. Winners of the Outstanding University Teacher Award have also previously received the College Outstanding Teaching Award. Laura Trendle Polus, also a faculty member in the School of Communication, won the Outstanding University Teacher Award—Category II, which recognizes full or part-time teachers with non-tenure track appointments.  Click Read More for More Photos.

The College was also honored with two University Teaching Initiative Award winners: Katherine Ellison of the Department of English and Alycia Hund of the Department of Psychology. The University Teaching Initiative Award recognizes faculty members who are relatively new to the teaching profession and who have shown considerable promise in their field. 

“The College is proud of all of the recipients of this year's Outstanding University Teacher awards,” said Dean Olson. “Excellent teaching is critical in fulfilling the mission of our university, and the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences strive to ensure they are providing students with the best possible educational experience.”

Arts and Sciences graduate students also did well in this year's

The University Outstanding Teaching Award Program exists to honor and recognize individuals who have achieved excellence as teachers at Illinois State University. By honoring such individuals, the university demonstrates its commitment to teaching as a scholarly endeavor, emphasizes outstanding engagement with student learning, and provides incentives for faculty members to pursue activities that enhance them as teachers. The winners were acknowledged at the ISU Teaching and Learning Symposium on January 9, 2008, and will be formally recognized at the Founders Day Convocation on February 14, 2008.