MADISON — Faculty and academic staff from UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater have been named recipients of the 1999 Regents Teaching Excellence Awards. The awards are presented to two individual UW System faculty in recognition of outstanding career achievement in teaching and one UW System academic department that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and effectiveness in training.
The awards will be presented September 10 during the regular meeting of the Board of Regents in Madison.
The recipients of the two individual faculty awards are Dr. Susan McFadden of UW-Oshkosh and Patrick McGuire of UW-Parkside. The recipient of the academic department/program award is UW-Whitewater’s Department of Languages and Literatures. Both individuals and the department will receive $5,000 awards to be used for professional development or for further program enhancements.
A committee composed of Regents Virginia MacNeil, Frederic Mohs and Jose Olivieri made selection of the recipients. MacNeil served as the chair of the committee.
“The University of Wisconsin System is fortunate to have so many talented faculty,” MacNeil said. “The commitment and dedication of the faculty who were nominated from campuses around the state for this award impressed the committee. We had a difficult choice, however we felt this year’s recipients were especially worthy of recognition.”
Dr. Susan McFadden has taught psychology courses at UW-Oshkosh since 1985. Prior to that she taught at County College of Morris, New Jersey and Lewisburg High School in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
In addition to the Regents Teaching Excellence Award, she has received the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She also was named a John McN. Rosebush Distinguished Professor, which is UW-Oshkosh’s highest award in recognition for excellence in teaching and scholarly achievement.
In a letter of nomination for McFadden, student Andrew O’Brien wrote, “She demonstrated every characteristic of an excellent, involved and caring instructor.”
Patrick McGuire has taught English courses at UW-Parkside for twelve years. In addition to his teaching duties, McGuire has written two plays, numerous short stories and the lyrics for an opera and an oratorio. He also wrote the UW-Parkside’s Alma Mater and the words for an ecumenical holiday musical piece that is performed annually at UW-Parkside.
Walter Graffin, Chair of UW-Parkside’s English Department, wrote in his nomination letter for McGuire, “He is the embodiment of what UW-Parkside terms the scholar-teacher, the person who practices what he teaches and teaches what he practices.”
The UW-Whitewater Department of Languages and Literatures was created in 1994 by blending the former English and Foreign Language departments. The department has 43 faculty and academic staff teaching in the English Program and 11 teaching in Foreign Languages. Department members have been active participants in the UW System Teaching Fellows program. Their experiences in the program have resulted in presentations and articles related to improving pedagogy.
“This large, diverse department epitomizes UW-Whitewater’s commitment to excellence in teaching,” said David J. Prior, UW-Whitewater Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “This department truly recognizes and fosters excellence in teaching, approaches teaching as a collaborative activity, works constantly to improve curriculum, creates a positive environment for learning and demonstrates significant student learning.”
Each institution in the UW System was invited to nominate one individual and one department/program for the Regents Teaching Excellence Awards. Selection criteria included commitment to teaching and learning, effective use of teaching strategies and impact on students’ intellectual development.
Contact:
Sharyn Wisniewski
(608) 262-6448