CSU Best Teacher Award winners recognized at Moby Arena during halftime

January 31, 2013

During halftime of the men’s basketball game last night, six teachers from different departments were brought out onto the court.

Each was recognized for being selected out of hundreds nominated as one of the best professors of 2012 at CSU. Each year, students and alumni can nominate current professors for the honor of best teacher.

“It’s a big award and it comes from the students so it actually means a lot,” said recipient Sven Egenhoff from the Department of Geosciences.

“I think many people are doing wonderful things and deserve this award probably even more than I do … but I’m very honored to receive this award,” said recipient Molly Eckman, from the Department of Design and Merchandising.

The "Best Teachers" standing alongside Athletic Director Jack Graham at the Best Teacher Awards 2012 at half time of the CSU/Boise State game in Moby Arena on Wednesday night. The professors were cheered on by their students in the crowd on this special occasion. — The “Best Teachers” standing alongside Athletic Director Jack Graham at the Best Teacher Awards 2012 at half time of the CSU/Boise State game in Moby Arena on Wednesday night. The professors were cheered on by their students in the crowd on this special occasion.

These teachers all express passion in their work. The connections with pupils were expressed by many of the award winners as one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching.

“I feel honored to enter the shared space of the university classroom with my students,” recipient Eric Aoki, from the Department of Communication Studies, wrote in an email to the Collegian.

“I always encourage students to talk and share their ideas, and that’s the best part of teaching,” recipient Lumina Albert, from the Department of Management, said.

The teachers are first nominated by students and alumni and then chosen by a committee of six people, made up of a student representative, alumni representatives, a former best teacher award recipient and staff from The Institute for Learning and Teaching at CSU.

Nominations for 2013 Best Teacher Awards will be closing on Feb. 8 at 5 p.m.

“It (honoring recipients at the basketball game) is an opportunity for people to see those teachers and think about nominating their own teacher before the nominations close in February,” said Lindsay Sell, assistant director for Student Advancement Programs and manager of Wednesday night’s event.

More than anything, this award serves to help teachers see that they are actually making a difference.

“I think an award like this helps us understand that we are making a connection and we are making a difference and that can help to inspire us to be better teachers than we have been in the past,” Eckman said.

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