Prof. Gigi Durham (GWSS and Journalism & Mass Communication) is one of four University of Iowa faculty members who have won the 2017 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of their years of outstanding teaching. The other recipients are Julie Jessop, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering in the College of Engineering; Russell Larsen, senior lecturer in chemistry in CLAS; and Thomas Oetting, professor of ophthalmology in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine (CCOM).

Durham is a dedicated and effective teacher whose work in the classroom has inspired a generation of professional communicators, community leaders, and citizens. Teaching an impressive variety of courses on writing and on topics such as gender in the media, children and adolescents and the media, and media ethics, Durham connects intellectual concepts to real-world issues. Her Writing Across Cultures course, which teaches students how to recognize and transcend bias when reporting on cultures other than their own, has become one of the most popular offerings in the JMC major and has helped many students go on to excel within the profession. She has also brought her passion for teaching to graduate student–development workshops in the Graduate College, workshops for K–12 teachers about girls’ relationships with media images, and workshops for the Center for Teaching on a variety of topics. Her many teaching honors include the 2015 Honors Thesis Mentor Award.

The award, which is administered by the UI Council on Teaching, was created in 2004 as a university-wide recognition for faculty members who have demonstrated a sustained, high level of teaching excellence.