Office of the Provost

Faculty Awards

Outstanding Educator Award

2007-08

Greg Powell
Students love Professor Greg Powell because he genuinely cares about them. In fact, according to many within the School of Business, Professor Powell is one of the college’s most popular faculty members year after year. Considering Greg teaches many of the introductory business classes that help students select their academic major and eventual career path, Powell’s impact on SUU students over the past 15 years is immeasurable. Comments such as “He is the best teacher I’ve ever had,” and “He continually motivates his students to accomplish more both inside and outside of the classroom,” are just a sampling of compliments from students who nominated Professor Powell for this year’s Outstanding Educator Award. Such student opinion reveals just how highly Greg’s work in the classroom is appreciated. Such regard is also evident in Professor Powell’s co-workers, who appreciate Greg’s professionalism and diligence in accomplishing any task he faces. In addition to teaching, Powell has served on a wide variety of committees within the SUU community and is always willing to do whatever is asked of him. A true team player, both students and co-workers alike recognize Professor Greg Powell’s commitment to the principles he discusses in class, and his enthusiasm gets many others excited to join in the work.

Past Recipients

Outstanding Scholar

2007-08

Todd Robert Petersen
Todd Robert Petersen, assistant professor of English, is admired by both students and colleagues as a result of his scholarly accomplishments and engaging classroom experiences. Todd has published over 20 individual works and says that as far as writing goes, he is most interested in the novel, the short-short story, illustrated narrative, book arts and publication editing. Dr. Petersen’s story collection Long After Dark was published in February 2007. He has also published an illustrated story in Hobart, as well as numerous other pieces in such diverse journals as Dialogue, Wisconsin Review and Weber Studies. He most recently completed a novel entitled Twilight of the Gods, and he continues to work on a collection of six interlocking stories called Small World. In the classroom, Petersen excels at balancing humor and seriousness while challenging his students to critically analyze a situation from a variety of angles. His students’ writing performances after taking his classes are indicative of his teaching effectiveness. He most enjoys teaching writing, visual literacy, composition pedagogy, critical theory and film. Professionally, Todd has worked as an editor. His colleagues say he demonstrates intelligence, ingenuity, diligence and amiability.

Past Recipients

Distinguished Educators

2007-08

Robin Calland
Professor Robin Calland is best known for her ability to reach students at all levels of their education. With some of the English department’s consistently highest scores from student evaluations, Dr. Calland is committed to more than just providing information—as one student put it, Robin “makes her students want to learn.” She is a teacher in every sense of the word. Robin teaches everything from introductory classes in English to very specific higher division courses, and in every single one, her students rave about the interactive and challenging nature of her class environment. Students appreciate that Dr. Calland is open-minded to new ideas and many credit their academic accomplishments to the critical-thinking skills they honed while in one of Robin’s classes. Beyond the classroom, Calland serves as a faculty advisor within student-run clubs and organizations, always looking for new opportunities to engage students in discussion and to expand their exposure to new ideas. Amongst her peers, Robin is respected for her ability to engage faculty in discussions about teaching methods that help uncover new teaching strategies and lesson ideas. In the short four years Robin has been teaching at SUU, she has clearly established herself as a trusted leader and a friend within her department, and that reputation is reinforced every year as students clamor to get into one of Calland’s classes. As her boss, English Chair Kay Cook best put it, “Robin’s evaluations prove that a professor can be demanding and the course material can be difficult, and that professor can still have her students begging for more.”

Laura Cotts
To many, math and physics are challenging subjects. So challenging in fact, that many students bemoan having to take such courses as part of their general education studies. Considering this, it is all the more surprising that one of this year’s distinguished educators, Professor Laura Cotts, teaches these very classes. Many of Professor Cotts’ student evaluations begin with the sentiment, “I’ve always hated math,’ but for the lucky students who’ve taken a class from Cotts, those complaints quickly turn into compliments about the ease with which Laura is able to clearly explain complicated concepts to even the most confused student. Professor Cotts’ students credit this to two things: her willingness to work with students individually—oftentimes outside of normal class hours, and her patience and perseverance to work on a concept until every person in the class reaches a mutual understanding. According to her peers, Laura is a dedicated professional with boundless enthusiasm for teaching, who always makes time for both her students and her colleagues. Seldom does Cotts miss a department function, and her sense of humor and input is valued across the department. In addition to her never-give-up approach to teaching, Laura is best known for her efforts to help students enjoy the challenge. Her students may work hard, but they have a good time doing it. One such example is Professor Cotts’ annual “Phast and the Phurious Physics Video Night,” in which students use film clips to illustrate physics principles. With creativity and energy to spare, a class from Laura Cotts is bound to be anything but ordinary.

Kirk Fitzpatrick
According to one of Professor Kirk Fitzpatrick’s peers, seldom is the day that one walks past Kirk’s office without seeing him in the midst of a discussion with a student. And according to his students, this willingness to truly get to know their aspirations and interests is to credit for his teaching success. One thing that sets Kirk apart from many of his teaching peers is that he teaches beyond the topic at-hand, oftentimes focusing on developing in his students an academic mindset and work ethic that will help ensure future success. As a philosophy teacher, such endeavors can oftentimes prove challenging, with dense course material that requires a lot of time and discussion to grasp. But one thing that Professor Fitzpatrick is not, is complacent, and his ability to build SUU’s philosophy courses into a very healthy program in just a few short years, speaks to his ability to lead and inspire. It is this quality that Fitzpatrick’s peers and students most appreciate, as they all herald the trust they place in Kirk to “practice what he preaches.” Many of Kirk’s students claim they would not set such high objectives for themselves without Kirk’s inspiration. With student evaluations that consistently rank amongst the highest in his department and with positive reviews from across the campus, it’s no wonder that in just four short years at SUU, Kirk Fitzpatrick’s mark on both his students and peers has become permanent.

Past Recipients