Rochester professors Will Bridges, Jason Middleton, and Elaine Sia will be formally recognized for their exceptional undergraduate teaching on October 28.
The diversity of subjects in which 蘑菇传媒 undergraduates find exceptional teachers may best be illustrated by this year鈥檚 recipients of the Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
They teach Japanese literature, film analysis, and biology.
Established in 1997 by University Trustee and Board Chair Emeritus Robert Goergen 鈥�60 and his wife, Pamela, the award recognizes distinctive teaching accomplishments of faculty teaching undergraduates in Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
This year鈥檚 winners are:
- Will Bridges, associate professor of Japanese in the
- Jason Middleton, associate professor in the and director of the
- Elaine Sia, professor in the and codirector of the Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine
They鈥檒l be honored on Thursday, October 28 in a ceremony at the Feldman Ballroom in Frederick Douglass Commons.
鈥淧rofessors Bridges, Middleton, and Sia each embody the kind of innovative pedagogy that we seek to recognize with the Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching,鈥� says Jeffrey Runner, dean of the College. 鈥淭his acknowledgement is a reminder to us all of the value our highly creative teachers add to our students鈥� experience and our College campus community as a whole.鈥�
Nominations come from students, faculty, staff members, and administrators. The winners are chosen by Runner; Gloria Culver, dean of the ; and Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the .
Discover what sets this year鈥檚 recipients apart
Will Bridges: Innovation and student involvement as teaching tools
A fourth-generation teacher with a passion for post-World War II Japanese literature, the associate professor is always searching for innovative ways to reach his students.
Jason Middleton: Looking at film with a critical eye
The associate professor of English and visual and cultural studies lived all over the globe growing up, and developed a love of film at an early age.
Elaine Sia: Teaching the 鈥榟ow鈥� as well as the 鈥榳hat鈥� in science
The biology professor has taught nearly 4,000 undergraduates since joining the University in 2000, including students in the 100-level Genetics, the first demanding course in that major.
