John Eliot Awards

Portland State faculty, students and administration are invited to attend the John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teacher Awards luncheon celebration taking place Friday in Smith Memorial Student Union.

This is the 10th year students have chosen professors for the awards, which honor excellence in teaching based on student nominations. Twenty-three departments in the PSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will have faculty receiving awards, and several instructors will be second- and third-time recipients.

Founded and organized by geology Professor Scott Burns, the awards allow students to choose professors they think have had the most impact on them. To select faculty, Burns assembles PSU seniors with the highest grade point averages and graduate students to discuss which professors have positively influenced them the most.

Burns said he came up with the idea for the awards during his time as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He said he wanted PSU faculty to have awards similar to those at other universities.

“Faculty members never get a pat on the back,” Burns said. “This is one way to do it.”

Marvin Kaiser, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that he wouldn’t miss the event.

“This is the most important event of the year for us,” Kaiser said. “Since it is the end of the year, it is a perfect time to thank everyone for their hard work.”

Each award recipient is given a $500 stipend, paid for by funds raised from alumni and prior award winners. Kaiser said the faculty could use the stipend.

“Given some of the salaries and all the work some of us do, this is a great opportunity,” Kaiser said.

First-time recipient Jonathan Walker, a tenure-track professor who will be receiving the award for literature in the English department, said he was surprised that students had chosen him.

“I’m still in shock a bit,” Walker said. At the end of his third year at PSU, Walker said that to him, the award says that students enjoy his classes, which has made his time and hard work worthwhile.

“It’s so great to have both student and institutional recognition,” Walker said.

An award can be given to any faculty member, and some of this year’s recipients are not yet in tenure-track faculty positions.

Hunter Shobe, who will be receiving the award for the geology department, said he appreciates the recognition from students after teaching just one year at PSU.

“It’s an honor,” Shobe said. “As a new person on campus, that makes me pretty excited.”

Shobe said he will continue to teach at PSU next year and will soon apply for a tenure-track position. This award, he said, could only help him achieve that goal.

“This is certainly one of the things that hiring committees are looking for,” Shobe said.

Burns said that with increasing demands on faculty workloads, it is harder and harder for teachers to focus on teaching.

“This award says that these faculty members are putting their students first,” Burns said. “With all the work we do, we have a lot of devoted faculty.”

Many faculty members have won the award numerous times, which is notable, Burns said, because after winning, a professor is ineligible the following year.

2007 recipientsDepartment/program, professor

**Third-time award winner