TABLE OF CONTENTS  |  FRONT PAGE  |  NEXT ARTICLE |  PREVIOUS ARTICLE  |  UNC HOMEPAGE

The John L. Sanders Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and

Service


The award was created in 1995 with a bequest from Ben M. Jones III to recognize excellence in the teaching, advising and mentoring of undergraduate students in a manner consistent with the life and values of John L. Sanders. From his days as an undergraduate, John Sanders has worked to improve student life and governance. As director and professor in the Institute of Government, he advised generations of students, quietly nurturing their devotion to the University and state.

The winner received a one-time stipend of $5,000 and a framed citation.

Marsha Collins

* Title: Associate Professor of Spanish

* Faculty member since: 1988

* University awarding Ph.D.: Princeton

* Undergraduate classes taught last year: Spanish Literature of the Renaissance, Spain's Generation of 1898

Excerpts from the citation: She has been lauded for the long hours she lavishes on undergraduate students and her notable University service.

One student said Professor Collins "has a unique style of teaching that transformed the Spanish language from a required prerequisite for a bachelor's degree to a life's passion." Professor Collins was praised by students as a compassionate and involved mentor outside the classroom. As one student noted, "I know I am not the only student to feel inspired by Dr. Collins' attention; she was happily indiscriminate with her time and energies."

Teaching style/philosophy: "I believe that learning, especially learning about literature, is an exciting adventure shared by teachers and students, and that this adventure has the power to transform and enrich everyone's life. I try to convey the notion of the interrelatedness of what we study, that literature happens in a cultural context of myriad concepts, ideas, and life experiences, and that we should all look for those connections as we embark on the adventure of learning."


TABLE OF CONTENTS  |  FRONT PAGE  |  NEXT ARTICLE |  PREVIOUS ARTICLE  |  UNC HOMEPAGE