The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences gratefully acknowledges the following individuals for their excellence in teaching and advising in 2007. Their contributions are vital to maintaining LAS as a great college.
Academic Advising Award
Deneen DeMarie, PsychologyAward for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants
Julilly Kohler-Hausmann, Teaching Assistant, History
Matthew R. Lee, Teaching Assistant, Psychology
Chetan Pahlajani, Teaching Assistant, Mathematics
Carsten Wilmes, Teaching Assistant, Germanic Languages and LiteraturesAward for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Instructional Staff
Iryce Baron, Instructor, EnglishLynn M. Martin Award for Distinguished Women Teachers
Erin Donovan-Kicken, Teaching Assistant, Speech CommunicationHumanities Award for Excellence in Teaching
Ellen McWhorter, Teaching Assistant, English
Trish Loughran, Associate Professor, EnglishDean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Matthew Ando, Associate Professor, Mathematics
CL Cole, Professor, Gender and Women's Studies
Stephen Marshak, Professor, Geology
Deneen DeMarie, Department of Psychology
Deneen DeMarie clearly loves helping students find their way by giving them what they need in order to solve their problems. She senses immediately when students are having difficulties; she listens patiently, and then generously shares stories of difficulties she has encountered in her own life to help the students gain some perspective. Ms. DeMarie facilitates group sessions throughout the fall and spring semesters for students to talk about their plans for the future. They cover topics such as: What will I do with my life? How can my past experiences help me with my future? What do I need to do to plan for graduate school or get a job? I'm afraid to graduate, what do I do? Students have enjoyed these sessions and appreciated Ms. DeMarie's support and advice: "Deneen gave us some good advice and probed us with good questions to make us think outside the box. I think that's an important part of counseling-allowing the students to think of the solutions and answers on their own. Deneen taught me to believe in myself and encouraged me along the way." "She has been a mentor in my personal and academic life since the day I met her, and her influence has helped shape and guide major decisions I have made and the person that I have become." "Deneen is an advisor that nourishes her students' lives and challenges them to grow."
Julilly Kohler-Hausmann, Department of History
Julilly Kohler-Hausmann is an enthusiastic and effective teaching assistant with a real passion for learning. She has compiled an impressive teaching record across a broad range of courses, from her own research field in History 172 "U.S. Since 1877" to History 171 "American History to 1877" and even History 142, a large survey of European history from 1660 to the present. Ms. Kohler-Hausmann came to graduate school and teaching after working professionally for six years as an advocate for the poor in Washington state. The most exciting prospect for her, as she considered leaving her poverty advocacy work in Seattle and burgeoning career to pursue graduate education, was the opportunity to work with students and to teach. Students have described her as focused, caring, understanding, and inspiring. They enjoyed her "enthusiastic teaching style. It is very contagious and it makes me want to learn more." Her "sense of humor made class exciting and a pleasure to attend." "She was the best and most effective TA that I have had in my entire college experience. She wants [us] to believe that studying history will enhance [our] ability to navigate the present and the future." "Julilly's fresh and intuitive approach to the material changed my attitude about historians and history. Her class was my first step in declaring myself a history major, a course of study, which I now plan to pursue for both a master's and doctorate degree. I have never had another TA who was so supportive and influential."
Matthew R. Lee, Department of Psychology
Matthew Lee is an exemplary instructor for dialogue courses in educational psychology and Asian American studies. His teaching philosophy is rooted in social justice and active learning pedagogy that engage the students in the University community. Matthew's innovative approaches to teaching are apparent in both his skill in facilitating connections among students as well as his development of creative activities that generate excitement about learning and an opportunity to think about concepts and diversity in new ways. The "College Admissions Experiment" activity allows students in many of his courses to see the positive and negative effects of affirmative action policies. In his dialogue course, the activity worked exceedingly well to open up the discussion to multiple, even unpopular, opinions on such controversial issues; in his lecture course, it helped students understand the concepts of decision-making, groupthink, and cognition by using content that was readily relevant to their lives. As a new instructor to Psychology 100, Mr. Lee has gone above and beyond the delivery of the basic course content to incorporate media and college students' current concerns (social affiliation, pharmacological effects of drugs, affirmative action) to in-class activities and demonstrations. His students' early evaluations have cited both his creative use of real-life events and music to illustrate important concepts and also his approachable style: "He asks good questions, stimulates thinking critically, and gives constant encouragement which keeps our spirits high." "He raised many questions that made you think in a deeper way than many classes and your role in society."
Chetan Pahlajani, Department of Mathematics
For more than seven years, Chetan Pahlajani has been one of the math department's more successful TAs, coupling an emphasis on rigorous and precise mathematical reasoning to a passionate empathy of the difficult struggles faced by incoming students in college mathematics classrooms. He established himself first in the role as a discussion TA, and has lately been entrusted with full responsibility for a lecture section of "Business Calculus." He oversees the administration of a course of between 70 to 200 students, meeting weekly or biweekly with the TAs assigned to his discussion sections, writing quizzes, exams, and homework assignments, and teaching the full cohort of students three times per week. Students in Chetan's courses clearly identify him as an effective instructor despite any perceived difficulties which they have with the course material, or with mathematics in general: "Mr. Pahlajani would walk me through problems step by step until I understood how the answer came about. His knowledge and attitude towards students had made my interest in calculus increase over the years." "He could present the material in a way that made sense to me and other students." Students appreciate Mr. Pahlajani's dedication to their learning: "Chetan's ability to engage students in discussion, and construct an encouraging environment in which to challenge, and proceed to embrace new ideas, stands out in my memory more so than with any other such discussion section in which I've participated at the University."
Carsten Wilmes, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Carsten Wilmes has made a real and lasting contribution to higher enrollments in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature's upper-level courses, due to his excellent and encouraging teaching in the beginning and intermediate levels. As a research assistant he developed a variety of online activities for various topics-based courses at the German 104 level. He has been instrumental in revising the departmental placement test. After Mr. Wilmes taught German 211 "Composition and Conversation," a course that is often frustrating for students, retention the next semester was high. Carsten Wilmes is a dynamic teacher who creates a great rapport with and among the students: "One of Carsten's greatest assets as a teacher is his approachability. He always reminds his students that it is okay to make mistakes and that that is part of the learning process. He makes students feel welcome." "Each student came in with differing knowledge of the language. Some had more grammar-focused education, whereas others had their strengths in a breadth of vocabulary. Carsten did an excellent job incorporating these variables into his teaching style." "He was a source of information that he kept open to us, allowing us to ask questions about topics that involved anything from German history and culture to his personal connections regarding such things. It made it more than just a language to learn, but a place to visit each afternoon. Carsten made it come alive, which only further helped."
Iryce Baron, Department of English
Iryce Baron opens up for her students the sometimes forbidding, intimidating worlds of literature, critical thinking, and argumentative writing. She does so by insisting on full participation by everyone. She demands that students listen carefully to each other and that they learn to recognize the value of other ideas. One student observes that in her three semesters with Iryce, she "repeatedly saw her transform a room of stressed, sometimes jaded students into active, engaged participants in literary analysis." Iryce's skillful facilitation of in-class dialogue resulted in "a more even contribution to discussion amongst all students in the class" than she has ever experienced. One of Iryce's main goals as a teacher is to revive the same sense of intellectual energy and academic intimacy that her professors created for her as an undergraduate. She can often be found in her office talking with students until late in the afternoon, and emails them frequently about their work. She believes that if her students are excited enough about the conversations in the classroom to come during their free time to talk, then she wants to be receptive to them. Through her passion for teaching, Iryce Baron has inspired future teachers: "As a high school English teacher I often reflect on the qualities of highly effective teachers. Each time, I undoubtedly recall Professor Baron's example." "My experiences in Iryce's class continue to guide my own academic pursuits and my employed teaching practices. I want to help all students learn, just like Iryce does. I want to give my students the feedback they need to learn, just like Iryce does. I want to create a learning environment where students can learn from me and each other, just like Iryce does. I want to teach my students the value of lifelong learning just like Iryce taught me."
Erin Donovan-Kicken, Department of Speech Communication
Erin Donovan-Kicken is not simply an excellent teacher, but she is recognized by her peers and her supervisors as somebody who helps others become better teachers. She is generous with teaching ideas, and has quickly become a mentor for other graduate student teachers. She has completely revamped the course content of Speech Communication 435 "Advanced Interpersonal Communication." Initially, she was going to assist John Caughlin in slightly modifying the course, but Ms. Donovan-Kicken proved to have so many great ideas, that Professor Caughlin asked her if she wanted to develop entirely new content. Professor Caughlin was very enthusiastic about the reconfigured course: "Not only did Erin design a great course, but she executed it wonderfully. I have had several chances to observe her teaching, and she is a very effective instructor. Her style is engaging, comfortable, and credible. She is able to elicit active participation from students, yet she is able to manage discussion in a way that allows her to cover the important material and concepts." Students have responded to Erin Donovan-Kicken's engaging teaching style: "I would not only look forward to going to class, but I also would get excited after doing my reading homework because I knew that we would talk about it in class. I feel that I learned and retained a lot of practical material from the class." "With her creative and engaging lesson plan, she kept the class in rapt attention and taught them effectively. With her interpersonal skills, she communicated both a sense of authority and a mutual respect for the students in her class."
Ellen McWhorter, Department of English
Ellen McWhorter stands out for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that she does some of the hardest work there is, teaching courses that need to be taught but that students are not always sure they want to take, and she does it with humor and a sense of adventure. Ms. McWhorter has taught a range of courses including "Introduction to Poetry" and "Introduction to Literary Study for Majors," and has taught most often B&TW 250 "Principles of Business Writing." B&TW 250 can be a tough course to teach, because students are often taking it to fulfill a requirement and expect to be drilled, not inspired. Her students report, however, that she makes business writing creative and interesting. They describe assignments that are "truly designed to better our skill." She has a sincere and long-standing investment in University Partners Project, which pairs business-writing students with non-profit organizations in our community, ranging from the Salvation Army to A Woman's Fund, from the Champaign Park District to Volunteer Illini Projects. Her classes have received a number of thank-you cards and some non-profit organizations have even shown their respect and admiration by asking to attend the students' in-class group presentations about their projects, thus further helping illustrate the interconnectedness of the "real" world and the academic institution. Students praise Ms. McWhorter's creativity and energy: "Ellen McWhorter made our class special by allowing us a great deal of creative freedom. It was thrilling to work outside the classroom in a business setting and accomplish goals using the writing tools that Ellen taught us during the semester."
Trish Loughran, Department of English
Professor Trish Loughran is adept at making literature that seems land-locked by history accessible and vital. She invites students into critical conversations that demand their active participation. Professor Loughran asks students to rethink the "canon" of American literature by pairing esteemed writers like Edgar Allan Poe with once popular, but now disparaged, authors such as George Lippard. By having students dig into the archive-to see these texts in their pulpy material form-Trish Loughran asks students to reframe their understanding of a familiar author like Poe, while at the same time acquainting themselves with what is lost when our collective literary heritage is limited to instruments like the "canon" or syllabi. Students thus come away with a deeper understanding of the problems of literary history as well as an appreciation of works both familiar and obscure. Students have been inspired by Trish Loughren's love of literature. "After almost three years in college, this was the first class I always enjoyed attending." "This course actually opened my mind and changed the way I think about literature/the world/history rather than just feed me information." "Professor Loughran created the most intellectually stimulating lecture course I have ever taken." Professor Loughran's students also praise her attention to improving their writing skills: "I felt my ability to express myself improved by leaps and bounds. I learned how to think on an entirely new level. Never in my life have I felt like a writer refining my craft until I took this course." Her "painstaking attention to writing assignments and personal interest/assistance offered [was] invaluable." One student summed up what Professor Loughren's class meant: "My academic conscience was in great part fashioned during the semesters I studied with Trish Loughran...my work aims at her standard of argumentative rigor and writerly craft."
Matthew Ando, Department of Mathematics
Professor Ando is blessed with a singular gift for dynamically recalibrating the level of difficulty of his courses while they are in progress, resulting in a uniquely personalized educational experience for each of his students. In the case of his Fall 2004 class, this meant significantly increasing the levels of difficulty to challenge the extremely talented and advanced students in the class, while simultaneously reaching out to the weaker students to maintain their interest in and fluency with increasingly difficult course material. This dynamic flexibility in Professor Ando's teaching is a rare gift. Students have praised his talent in explicating difficult concepts and inspiring and encouraging them: "Whenever it seemed as if someone was slipping behind, he made an effort to catch them up with the class. He genuinely cares about the material and helping students understand it." "We often learned much more than what appeared in the texts and notes. He sought to cultivate our individual talents..." "He made me into a problem-solver and a critical thinker. In his class I developed the self-reliance and confidence that it takes to run my own business. The most important professional skill I learned from Professor Ando is professionalism itself." Students warmly speak of the strong rapport and class spirit present in his classes, and of Professor Ando's engaging personality. "His energy level is phenomenal; as a student, I could tell that he loved math and loved to teach it." "Professor Ando is a very engaging teacher; he gets everyone in his classes to think." "Professor Ando's overall excitement about math made his class my favorite one at U of I so far." "From getting covered in chalk from the giant neon sticks of it he used to his supplementing of the material with relevant stories from his life, Professor Ando knew how to make math, dare I say it, fun."
CL Cole, Gender and Women's Studies Program
Professor Cole's passion for teaching is rooted in her experience as a student. The transformative effects of learning to think historically and analytically about life convinced her that teaching could be a powerful tool for change at both the personal and social levels. One student wrote: "[We] explored topics ranging from philosophy to pop culture, but each subject was edgy, relevant, and connected with the others. I felt challenged, intrigued, and my analysis of the world got sharper. I integrated the material Professor Cole taught into my life and my worldview." Students appreciate the respect she shows them as well as her ability to make difficult material accessible and interesting, and to show how what they learn in a college classroom is integrally connected to their everyday lives. "She was a kind and warm person who genuinely respected her students. Her classes were not one-sided lectures-they were deep conversations. She brought out the best in us." "Dr. Cole's easygoing demeanor and ability to communicate her extensive knowledge and expertise to her students enabled me to attain a level of comfort and confidence in expressing my views. She encouraged us to do research in our own way to give testimony to our personal lived experiences." "Professor Cole has inspired me to do what no other professor has done: to spend the summer reading some of the texts she recommended." In addition to her teaching duties, Professor Cole is the central force in developing courses in GWS on transgender studies. Her earliest course in this area was taught well before the availability of readers in trans studies and represents years of research and pedagogical energy. Her work in queer theory is equally pioneering as she developed the first regularly offered queer theory course at the University of Illinois.
Stephen Marshak, Department of Geology
Professor Marshak has a knack for invigorating his students. His presentations are often like stories, engaging students in the excitement and mystery of the study of the Earth. Students have praised his knowledge, humor, and drawings: "Students were encouraged to not only learn the basics but visualize the complexity in Marshak's famous drawings. I don't think a single person who has graduated from the program doesn't know how to draw a storyboard sequence of tectonic events that lead to a passive margin." "Professor Marshark commands an impressive wealth of knowledge of geology and ecologic processes. He is both serious and engaging when in lecture, but he is not afraid to intersperse quips and humorous anecdotes. His descriptive imagery and use of props are very original, sometimes to the point of hilarity. But this, in effect, increases the students knowledge and understanding by presenting them with real-life examples and easy-to-understand descriptions." Professor Marshak has successfully and thoughtfully used the IClicker (a remote-control device in which students can anonymously respond to a question and the instructor can display student responses in real time) to increase student involvement and to provide instant feedback on student comprehension. Professor Marshak's lectures and field experiences are a hit with his students: "In the field, Marshak pushed students to accomplish the unimaginable. On a Marshak trip you would be up at 6 a.m. looking for the first outcrop at 6:30 and continuing through the day until the nth stop at an outcrop by flashlight. Yet, the students never grumble and the trips are always packed. Marshak always engages the group and treats everyone as a geologist already, pushing us to make mistakes and learn." Professor Marshak's teaching excels in breadth, depth, consistency, longevity, and mentoring-all of which have created a vibrant undergraduate environment in geology for geology majors and non-majors.
