Annual banquet celebrates campus's
culture of teaching

By Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

pproximately 300 members of the campus community gathered March 27 to celebrate its teaching efforts at the annual Center For Teaching Banquet in the Lincoln Campus Center ballroom.

     "I've never been to [a university] that has a banquet for teaching that rivals the athletics one," Chancellor John Lombardi said. "That tells me that this is a place that truly cares about teaching. I am very proud to be part of this enterprise."

     The dinner honored CFT's teaching fellows groups, including participants in the Lilly Fellows program, early career teachers who are paired with more seasoned mentors and who meet regularly to explore issues in teaching. Other groups highlighted were the TEACHnology Fellows, faculty who spent the year learning more together about using technology in the classroom, and Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom Fellows, a newer program that this year brought together faculty in the Department of Student Development and Pupil Personnel Services to explore issues of diversity in the classroom.

     Addressing the assembly, faculty advisor to the provost Richard Rogers said that giving teaching its due at a research university requires some effort. Rogers likened faculty who pursue high quality teaching to public radio listeners who contribute to their local station: the efforts of both are largely invisible to one's peers, and there can be a temptation to slack off and not do one's part. Perhaps there should be more readily apparent rewards for those who put consistent effort into teaching, he mused.

     "Maybe public research universities should adopt the NPR model," he said. "T-shirts to all who regularly update courses! Coffee mugs to all who get to know all their students' names!"

     On a more serious note, he added, "We need to evaluate teaching and research on equal terms."

     At the conclusion of the evening, Lombardi announced next year's Lilly Fellows, all assistant professors. They are: Elizabeth Bertone, Biostatistics and Epidemiology; Dominica Borg, Theater; Jason DeJong, Civil & Environmental Engineering; Julie Hemment, Anthropology; Joseph Krupczynski, Art and Art History; Brian Levine, Computer Science; Timothy Randhir, Natural Resources Conservation; and Banu Subramaniam, Women's Studies.