Tran and Whipple Receive 2024 SBS Outstanding Teaching Award
Content
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) is pleased to announce the 2024 SBS Outstanding Teaching Award recipients. This award, established in 1995 to recognize exceptional teaching performance, is a testament to the awardees’ efforts to provide students with a positive, transformative educational experience. This year’s honorees are:
- Miah Tran, senior lecturer, Department of Resource Economics
- Kelsey Whipple, assistant professor, Department of Journalism
Miah Tran is known for her commitment to inclusive and high-impact teaching that actively engages students. She has the challenging role of teaching four of the Department’s most demanding, math-heavy courses, many of which are required to complete the program successfully. While the material may be difficult, Tran is noted for simplifying complex information and theories in a way that is easy for students to understand, using teaching techniques that best represent the content being discussed, and for her contagious enthusiasm for economics. Students remarked on her organizational skills and the ability to craft assignments and tests that allowed them to develop a deeper understanding of the content taught.
Tran also makes it a point to foster a collaborative atmosphere in her classes, encouraging students to collaborate and share ideas. Her classroom environment creates an atmosphere where students are comfortable asking questions. Tran is also proactive in checking to make sure everyone in the class understands the material and addresses any problems that may arise. Her office hours are well attended, and students know they will always find the support they need to complete her classes successfully. “She is a model example of what a professor at UMass Amherst should strive to be,” says one of Tran’s students.
When Kelsey Whipple was interviewed for a faculty position with the Department of Journalism, her research record spoke for itself; however, Whipple made it clear that she was also highly interested in pedagogy and innovation in teaching. Over her time at UMass, she has taught many challenging courses, participated in seven teaching-related fellowships, received over $45,000 in grants for teaching endeavors, and received the Promising Professor Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. While Whipple’s courses have a reputation as being difficult, she also routinely received glowing feedback from students who have gained valuable experience and knowledge from her teaching.
Students report that Whipple creates a classroom environment that is welcoming, supportive, and a place where they can be heard. She is unafraid to engage respectfully and open-mindedly with controversial subjects such as gender and sexual identity. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is exemplified by her work creating a student advisory board, where she consults with students to learn what is and is not working in the Department while gathering suggestions on addressing potential issues. Students also note her willingness to listen to criticism and respond meaningfully, making them feel like partners in the educational experience. There is no doubt that she has the best interests of her students in mind, working to create opportunities for their work to be published. As an example of her willingness to promote students' work, Whipple stood aside to allow an undergraduate research assistant to present their co-authored project at a major conference.
The SBS Outstanding Teaching Award is presented annually to a full-time faculty member teaching within the College for at least three years. Awardees are nominated by their colleagues. Please visit the SBS website for the complete award requirements and a list of all past winners.