CLAS Announces 2012 Collegiate Teaching Award Recipients

Monday, April 2, 2012

CLAS Dean Linda Maxson has announced six recipients of this year’s CLAS Collegiate Teaching Awards. The recipients, chosen by the College’s Teaching Awards Committee from nominations by students and colleagues, are Frank Durham (Journalism & Mass Communications), Oguz Durumeric (Mathematics), Richard Mark Heidel (Music), Russell Larsen (Chemistry), Jerald Moon (Communication Sciences & Disorders), and Ingrid Ukstins Peate (Earth and Environmental Sciences). The College awarded honorable mentions to Christopher Cheatum (Chemistry), Megan Knight (Rhetoric), Carol MacVey (Theatre Arts), and Ana Rodríguez Rodríguez (Spanish & Portuguese). 

“These awards are the highest recognition the College gives to faculty for their teaching,” said Dean Maxson. “Their teaching role includes the ways in which they mentor students, innovate in our course offerings, and involve students in research, as well as their hard work and achievements in classroom instruction. I am very pleased to be able to honor the commitment of our Collegiate Teaching Award winners to the College’s academic mission.”

Frank DurhamFrank Durham, Associate Professor in Journalism & Mass Communication, teaches courses in media history and culture, media framing, and qualitative research methods. Students describe his teaching as vibrant, innovative, and inspiring. He strives to keep students focused on the real-world outcomes of their studies, and, in teaching course material, he incorporates practical skills required for college and professional success. His concern for students extends well beyond the classroom, as he works to improve the entire undergraduate experience, participating in anti-alcohol-abuse initiatives on campus, advising the UI Lecture Committee, volunteering with the Men’s Anti-Violence Council, and advising the School’s Living and Learning Community. As one student put it, “Frank cares about everything he teaches—but us most of all.”

Oguz DurumericOguz Durumeric, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Mathematics, teaches a wide range of courses and is consistently rated a superb teacher who is dedicated and attuned to his students. As faculty advisor to the Math Club (a departmental outreach organization he helped to revitalize), he organizes events and speakers as well as state- and nationwide math competitions, preparing UI students for the contests and often providing transportation. To help more undergraduates succeed in their math courses, he worked with Admissions to reform the mathematics placement test and coordinated the renovation of MacLean Hall classrooms for a Math Tutorial Lab and an Active Learning Center. Students laud him as both a teacher and a research mentor who helps them “transition from being consumers of mathematics to creators.”

Richard Mark HeidelRichard Mark Heidel, Director of Bands and Associate Professor in the School of Music, conducts the nationally recognized Symphony Band and teaches courses in band literature and history. Colleagues cite his leadership as instrumental in the School’s recovery from the flooding that destroyed the Voxman Music Building in 2008. Dr. Heidel had just assumed directorship of the band program, and yet he managed both to transform the band’s musical focus and to sustain its traditions during this difficult time. His efforts resulted in an invited performance at the Iowa Bandmaster’s Association Conference and the production of the first professional recording by the Symphony Band in decades. To encourage critical thinking and real-time problem-solving, he works to “empower students to interact independently and interdependently as musicians.” Students describe him as a phenomenal communicator, generous with his time and talent: “an inspiration every day.”

Russell LarsenRussell Larsen, Lecturer in Chemistry and instructor for many of the department’s large-enrollment introductory courses, has taught over 4,000 students during the past three years. He promotes active learning by incorporating new technology into the classroom, using teaching methods that accommodate various learning styles, and designing experiments that investigate real-world problems in the laboratory. Dr. Larsen excels as a mentor, collaborating with undergraduates on research projects that advance the science of nanomaterials in the environment. He also serves as the outreach coordinator for the UI’s Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Institute. Colleagues admire his community engagement—he regularly volunteers at a local high school to assist students with AP chemistry—and students commend his ability to make chemistry relevant and exciting, citing also his humor, eloquence, enthusiasm, and approachability.

Jerald MoonJerald Moon, Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders, teaches courses in phonetics, structural disorders, and the anatomy and physiology of speech production, as well as oversees the department’s undergraduate program. Both colleagues and students praise his problem-solving abilities, his teaching innovations, and his “unbelievable dedication to students.” A longtime member of his department’s Technology Committee, Professor Moon is known for embracing new learning technologies and continually searching for better ways to help his students learn; he often partners with other campus units to create interactive, computer-based teaching tools. In addition, he is active in departmental outreach and is a sought-after advisor whom students describe as supportive, honest, and motivating.

Ingrid Ukstins PeateIngrid Ukstins Peate, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, studies explosive volcanic systems and planetary geology, teaching courses in geologic field methods, earth science, and natural disasters. As her teaching philosophy foregrounds “participation in active learning environments, whether through field trips or laboratory research,” she regularly pursues opportunities to support undergraduate research, securing funding for students to complete projects, present at conferences, and travel to fieldwork sites overseas. Professor Peate recently won a grant to establish an electron microprobe facility at the UI for geoscience students, as well as a $37,000 NASA grant, which she has put entirely toward educating women in science. Students consider her an exceptionally strong female role model in the sciences and appreciate her accessibility, encouragement, and commitment to active learning.

The College takes great pride in recognizing the faculty whose excellence in teaching and mentoring is recognized by the Collegiate Teaching Award. Thanks to all who contributed nominations to this year’s selection process.

STORY SOURCE: CLAS Office of External Relations, 240 Schaeffer Hall, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242-1409


The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.