Teaching at Montevallo

Teaching

Thoughts RECIPIENTS OF UM’S FROM THE 2011-2012 MOST PRESTIGIOUS

on Teaching TEACHING AWARDS at the

CASE PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR

AWARD NOMINEE

At the University of Montevallo, the emphasis on teaching encourages a culture of collaboration, with fellow faculty and with students; and for me, the joy of teaching derives from the relationships built with colleagues and students.

As a UM undergraduate, I early learned the preeminence of teaching on this campus. Some of my undergraduate professors have acquired legendary status in my mind, and I often find myself emulating them. Likewise, over the years, my colleagues have inspired, encouraged, challenged, and motivated me to try new methods in the classroom, to ask searching questions about pedagogy, and to experiment with new (and strange

Ruth

Truss

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY and at times rather frightening) techniques—all with the intent of becoming a better teacher. I can never express adequately my appreciation for their support and friendship.

Our students constantly inspire me, whether through their determination to reach their goals or through the energy and enthusiasm they exhibit. At Montevallo, faculty have the opportunity to know students as more than names on a roster. Yet, students also know us, and the fact that students understand and appreciate the unique characteristics of faculty is one of the delightful aspects of teaching at UM. Relationships built among faculty, both within and outside one’s own field, is another element of teaching at Montevallo that I appreciate. I have learned so much from excellent teachers, who can be found in every department on campus and any one of whom is worthy of recognition.

Respect and cooperation among university colleagues can be rare, and whenever I have opportunity to visit other campuses or interact with faculty from other universities, I return to UM with a fresh appreciation for the collegiality and the commitment to teaching found across this campus. Thus, while I am proud to be this year’s candidate for the CASE Professor of the Year Award, I realize that I am simply a representative of the entire faculty of the University.

2011-2012

TEACHING AWARD RECIPIENTS:

CASE PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEE RUTH TRUSS COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES TEACHING AWARD JASON NEWELL ERNEST OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD MICHAEL NEVETT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD SUSAN THOMPSON OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TEACHING AWARD HAROLD HAMILTON GRADUATE TEACHING AWARD TOM SANDERS

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES TEACHING AWARD

Jason Newell

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK I was both surprised and incredibly humbled to receive the College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award. Oddly enough, one of my first thoughts on teaching is that I never really saw myself as a college professor, nor did I ever think I would be particularly good at teaching. But as I have told my students many times, my life has not been a linear series of events, and I believe in serendipity. My decision to come to the University of Montevallo has been the most important and rewarding decision of my professional life. I have always heard that teaching is a calling but felt my professional calling was to social work.

However, one of my mentors recently pointed out that the professional skills and abilities utilized in clinical practice translate into the classroom and to the art of teaching.

I believe in engaging students directly

in the learning process and that the social work classroom should be a laboratory for learning the profession of helping, not a space reserved solely for lecture. It is my great honor to spend my days training students who have the desire and ambition to professionally serve those members of society who are most vulnerable and in the most need.

Through teaching, I feel like I am part of my students’ finding a place in the world where they can truly make a difference and to find their “calling.”

Finally, it is my great privilege to work with such a fine group of colleagues in the College of Arts and Sciences, and most especially in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. As I said when I received the award, teaching and mentoring students is easy when you have such a warm and collegial environment to come to each day.

ERNEST OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD

Michael Nevett

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF KINESIOLOGY Years ago, as I was writing my graduate school letter of application, I said that one of the greatest gifts we have is our ability to learn, and that education is an important tool used to cultivate that gift. A key part of the education system, or tool box, is the teacher/professor, and I feel blessed to be a teacher here at the University of Montevallo.

Being a teacher is a very rewarding profession when you put your whole heart into helping others.

Teaching is about guiding others to become who they want to be in the future, not what I want them to be. I believe good teachers need to possess a genuine concern for their students’ welfare, as well as their accumulation of knowledge.

Teaching at the University of Montevallo is a privilege, and I am very happy to be a part of this wonderful learning community.

Montevallo is a perfect example of the “triangle model of learning,” which I employ in all of my classes.

At the top of the triangle are students, and the students here at UM are top notch, exhibiting a multitude of characteristics that make teaching a rewarding experience. One base corner of the triangle represents the teaching environment. Montevallo provides a wonderful, personal setting in which our students can learn and interact with each other and with the faculty/staff. Finally, the other bottom corner represents the task demands, which are the guidelines of life (i.e. goals and beliefs). Montevallo mixes these three factors together very well to produce outstanding people who are able to succeed in life. Thanks, Montevallo, for allowing me to be a part of this great learning community!

GRADUATE TEACHING AWARD

Tom Sanders

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS

I am deeply appreciative and humbled to have received the UM Graduate Teaching Award. I teach in the Stephens College of Business MBA program, UM’s newest graduate program. I love teaching in this program because of its unique characteristics and the outstanding support we receive.

First, we have a unique group of students in the program that

OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TEACHING AWARD

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD

Susan Thompson

Harold Hamilton

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MASS COMMUNICATION It might seem strange that a mass communication professor would win the teaching award in the College of Fine Arts. At the University of Montevallo, however, mass communication is appropriately placed in this distinguished college. My colleagues and I have much combined experience working in the mass communication industry, but most of us have also dabbled in the fine arts in some form or fashion throughout our lives. Those who teach mass communication include accomplished musicians, a novelist, and visual artists.

Personally, I enjoy painting, playing classical piano and composing contemporary Christian and country songs in my spare time. My artwork has appeared in several shows. Many years ago, I auditioned for a Hollywood cast-

make for really interesting and challenging classes. In accord with UM’s mission as Alabama’s public liberal arts university, our program is particularly focused on being accessible to students with undergraduate degrees other than business. We attract a number of students with these non-traditional academic backgrounds, which makes for really rich classes where diverse

ing agent, and I took part in a Birmingham stage production.

It is this versatility that makes for special teachers— and students. Many of the mass communication students at Montevallo participate in College Night productions. I have students who compose music, perform on stage, write fiction and enjoy photography, in addition to preparing themselves for careers as mass media communicators.

Teaching skills are highly valued at the University of Montevallo. It is a place where teaching is considered a calling, and much is expected of those who create learning environments inside the classrooms. That is what makes receiving this award so awesome. It is recognition that you have achieved the best among the best.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS

The emphasis on teaching is what makes the University of Montevallo special. It is what differentiates us from other universities more than any other characteristic. That is why being chosen for the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award is so special to me.

Being a professor at a university with so many outstanding teachers, it was an extraordinary honor to be recognized for my teaching efforts. All universities state that they expect teaching, service and research from their faculty, but the reality is that most truly care only about research and the funds that the research may bring to the school. Montevallo is among a handful of public universities that has teaching as its true main endeavor.

Because of its emphasis on teaching, Montevallo attracts a different type of professor than other colleges. The professors who accept positions at Montevallo are a self-selected group of master teachers who love to teach more than any other

perspectives emerge to challenge all of us to see the world differently and critically. Also, our students are a mix of working professionals, returning to school part-time with many years of experience, and recent college graduates, with limited experience but well-honed academic skills.

This mix of real world experience and fresh inquiring minds that take nothing for granted

really generates a collaborative learning dynamic where students help and learn from each other.

Another blessing I must mention is the outstanding support we have received from around the University—academically and administratively—in launching and growing the MBA program.

It is really inspiring, as a teacher, to be part of an organization that is truly mission-driven to

professional activity. Even many of the research activities conducted by the faculty include their students and serve as an educational experience for them.

Montevallo has thoughtfully and carefully created the type of environment that makes teaching a pleasure. It has small classes filled with bright students with a positive attitude about work and learning. The school’s small size fosters the development of a real—and surprisingly diverse— academic community, marked by an exchange of ideas and values.

This environment of teaching and community is what feeds the “unconventional wisdom” that we take such pride in bringing to our students.

I am grateful to be part of a university that so greatly values and promotes excellent teaching, and I am humbled and honored to be recognized by the University community for my teaching efforts.

deliver high quality, affordable educational programs to our state’s citizens. Our motto for the program is “Empower Your Passion”— and we think this is exactly what earning an MBA helps people do. It is a privilege for me to teach in the UM MBA program. I can truly say that it has been a means for me to empower my passion!

ABOUT MONTEVALLO The University of Montevallo is one of Alabama’s most cherished institutions. For more than a century, it has served the state in a distinctive and distinguished role. As the state’s only public liberal arts university, Montevallo is one of 26 members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), a national alliance of leading liberal arts colleges in the public sector. In its 2012 “America’s Best Colleges” edition, U.S. News & World Report has, once again, ranked UM as the No. 1 master’s-level university in Alabama, a distinction it has held each year since 2008. This recognition is not surprising considering the University’s long-standing reputation for high-quality programs taught by outstanding faculty committed to excellent teaching. Students at the University of Montevallo can attest to our claim that we provide a private college atmosphere at a public university price!

The University of Montevallo is proud to announce that it has been named a College of Distinction, one of only four universities in Alabama and the only public institution in the state to receive this designation.

Colleges of Distinction is a web-based guide for high school juniors and seniors seeking a school that is nationally recognized and highly recommended by professionals in the field of education. Colleges and universities are nominated for participation by high school counselors and must excel in four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes.

In order to engage students, the University of Montevallo offers a variety of learning experiences such as undergraduate research, study abroad, internships and more. Learning is frequently “hands-on,” and faculty work with students to develop not only as scholars, but also as responsible and productive citizens.

Graduates of Colleges of Distinction are recognized both by graduate schools and employers as being well prepared for the next step in their careers, and placement records are high. Alumni also tend to remain engaged long after graduation.

Academic Affairs • Station 6015 • Montevallo, AL 35115