Four professors have been selected as winners of the 2010 CLAS Excellence in Teaching Awards.
CLAS awards are given annually. Teaching is recognized in even-numbered years and excellence in research in the odd-numbered years.
“I’m sure the entire CLAS faculty is proud of these four stellar teachers, and I know that their students will remember them long after they graduate from UConn,” says Dean Jeremy Teitelbaum.
The faculty selected for the awards were recognized at the CLAS Commencement ceremonies on May 9. They are:
Humanities: Margaret Breen, associate professor of English. For her, “teaching is a vocation: an ethical posture, a way of being and acting in the world. It is a calling to serve, to transmit knowledge, and to facilitate learning,” she says. Breen has taught at Avery Point and Storrs in women’s studies as well as English. Her teaching has been the envy of her colleagues. One newly minted Ph.D. and former student says she takes Breen as the model for her teaching style, as she begins her professional career in the classroom.
Life Sciences: Rachel O’Neill, associate professor of molecular and cell biology. O’Neill is a popular instructor who has hosted 12 honors students, two University Scholars, and a total of 23 undergraduates in her lab. One colleague says O’Neill’s evaluations are particularly strong for large science classes, as well as for smaller courses with more direct contact with students.
Physical Sciences: Nicholas Leadbeater, assistant professor of chemistry. Leadbeater is known for his “enthusiasm and humor.” One student remarked that his style is dynamic and informed, making his course in inorganic chemistry her “favorite class at UConn.” Another student details how empathetic and attentive Leadbeater is to his students, encouraging them not only to remember data but to fully understand it, using humor in the process.
Social Sciences: Kim Price-Glynn, assistant professor of sociology. Price-Glynn began teaching at the Stamford campus in 2004, and moved to the West Hartford campus last year to work with the urban and community studies and sociology programs. Believing that “an enthusiastic and compassionate learning environment encourages students to overcome challenges and be inspired to think critically about our social world,” Price-Glynn has emerged as a widely popular instructor. Students regularly rate her as “amazing,” “engaging,” and “passionate.”
