Faculty honored with 2024 Chapman Family, Johnston awards
Winners for excellence in undergraduate teaching reflect on their best teachers and classroom creativity.
Chapman Family Teaching Awards
Created in 1993 with a gift during the Bicentennial Campaign from Max Carrol Chapman Jr. ’66 on behalf of the Chapman family, these awards honor distinguished teaching of undergraduate students. The award carries a stipend of $30,000 to be used over five years.
Anna Krome-Lukens
College of Arts and Sciences’ public policy department
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Two professors I had at the University of Virginia stand out: Lori Schuyler and Ira Bashkow. They remain my role models for supporting students’ growth. Each took me seriously and made me feel that my intellectual contributions were original and valuable, even when I struggled to make that true!
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
One of my favorite ways to analyze a reading is for small groups to draw on the board a visual representation of an article’s argument. I love seeing the range of approaches (cartoons, timelines, drawings of trains, etc.) and how each captures some different facet of the core concepts.
Mariska Leunissen
College of Arts and Sciences’ philosophy department
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Ineke Sluiter in the classics department at Leiden University. She fostered independent thought, organized opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research and encouraged participation in academic opportunities outside of the Netherlands. She remains a role model of superb teaching, mentoring and academic leadership.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I try to tap into my students’ creativity and assign activities that speak to their strengths and interests. In some courses, students create Jamboards to explain difficult concepts or write speeches in the voice of Antigone addressed to Socrates on the question of whether the just is worth dying for.
Michal Osterweil
College of Arts and Sciences’ global studies curriculum
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
So many people and moments made me see the world differently and changed what I understood to be possible. The best teachers have been the challenges that the world has thrown at me (illness, difficult relationships, painful experiences, etc.). They have transformed who I am and know myself to be.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I have started class with a session of dancing or shaking it out or bringing collage and coloring supplies to use throughout class or creating a poem out of responses to the week’s readings. The goal is to create connection to our full selves as we learn challenging material.
Isaac Unah
College of Arts and Sciences’ political science department
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
My college algebra teacher, Ms. Claire Battista. She was very organized in the classroom, knowledgeable and had a special talent for explaining complex concepts and formulas. Most importantly, she cared very deeply about her students, what they were learning and how.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I’ve been collecting survey data about students’ drinking behavior for 23 years. I settled on a topic that students have some familiarity with. I use the data to teach and engage with my students about how to analyze data to address important questions about politics, law and the judicial system.
Johnston Teaching Excellence Awards
Created in 1991, these awards recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching. Winners are nominated by Johnston Scholars and selected by a special committee of scholars in the James M. Johnston Scholarship Program. Two winners will receive $5,000 and a framed citation.
Naji Husseini
College of Arts and Sciences and NC State University College of Engineering’s biomedical engineering joint department
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Richard Anderson, my middle- and high-school English teacher. Though I was barely potty trained, he treated me as an adult and colleague while challenging me with high expectations. He empowered and excited me to learn with his kindness and respect for everyone. I do my best to emulate him.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
In my programming class, I developed assignments that let students bring their curiosity and passions to their work. For example, motion capture of whatever activity they want (e.g., martial arts, cartwheels) or signal processing of a song they composed or transcribed. Connecting classwork to personal interests enhances learning and engagement.
Lorna Aviles
College of Arts and Sciences’ Romance studies department
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
My best teacher was my mentor, Flore Zephir. When I began to teach as a graduate student, her passion, larger-than-life personality and support showed me the importance of having people who challenge and inspire you. Her support, guidance and compassion are invaluable. As Flore would always say, “Life is good.”
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
My students do “class takeovers” where they go beyond the basic Spanish classroom presentation and engage their classmates in a series of activities and discussions that develop and expand the topics. They consider their audience, use creativity in activities and foster discussions, while practicing presentation skills.
