Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Awards 2016

During the 2016 spring semester, forty-four Notre Dame Graduate Student Teaching Assistants (TAs) have been named recipients of the 2016 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award.
Created to recognize graduate student instructors and TAs who demonstrate commitment to exceptional teaching, the award is presented annually by the Graduate School and the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning to TAs nominated by their departments. Departments may nominate only 5% of their TAs for this award.

Recipients were honored at an awards dinner on Wednesday, April 20, in the Smith Ballroom at the Morris Inn. Laura Carlson, Dean of the Graduate School; Kevin Barry, Director of the Kaneb Center; and Kristi Rudenga, Assistant Director of the Kaneb Center, presented recipients with their awards following a keynote address by Jessica Collett, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology.

Apropos the dinner’s congratulatory air, Prof. Collett noted the importance of joy and celebration when teaching; to honor hard-earned successes with gratitude and time specially set aside for pausing and reflecting. "In academia in particular, there is always more to do—more research to finish, articles or books to read, papers to write, classes to prep or teach, reviews to do,” she said. Don’t get so swept up in the busyness of this life that moments like this [awards dinner] get lost in the shuffle.”

About teaching, Prof. Collett delivered practical and practicable advice: “Remember how it feels to be a student.” Her remarks exhorted awardees to recall why they chose teaching in higher education in the first place, be it an experience with exemplary educators or a passion ignited by novel courework. “Remember how you felt—the emotions you had—as a student in courses.”

“Enthralled. Captivated. Curious. Excited. Remember that,” said Prof. Collett.

A full listing of the award recipients follows.