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This award was first given by the University in 1995 to recognize the important
role of post-baccalaureate teaching.
Each winner received a one-time stipend of $5,000 and a framed citation.
Judith Farquhar
* Title: Associate Professor of Anthropology
* Faculty member since: 1986
* Other Carolina teaching awards: Bowman and Gordon Gray Award for Excellence
in Undergraduate Teaching, 1995-1998
* University awarding Ph.D.: Chicago
* Graduate classes taught last year: Seminar in Medical Anthropology
Excerpts from the citation: Students raved about their experience in her
seminar, saying she displays a mastery of the material and creates a warm,
inviting atmosphere where students are eager to come in each week. Professor
Farquhar displays a genuine interest in each and every student and runs class
in a democratic way that lets all students find their voice. Two students for
whom English was not their native language noted that Professor Farquhar made
them feel especially comfortable and relaxed in her class and helped them get
over their insecurities about speaking up in class. Students clamor to have her
as an adviser and to serve on their committees.
Outside the classroom, Professor Farquhar is a motivational force in her
students' lives. As one former student remembered, "I pushed myself very hard
in Professor Farquhar's class because she inspired me to work at the highest
level. No other professors have motivated me to perform at such a level. I am
proud to say I am her intellectual product."
Teaching style/philosophy: "I do my best to encourage innovative projects that
both contribute to anthropology and arise from the student's own commitments.
This means that every graduate student and every thesis is different,
presenting special challenges and unique rewards."
Catherine Nielson
* Title: Associate Professor in Allied Health Sciences
* Faculty member since: 1984
* University awarding Master's Degree: UNC School of Public Health
* Graduate classes taught last year: Fundamentals of Occupation-Centered
Practice; Political, Administrative and Financial Contexts of Service Delivery;
Evolution of Community-Based Practice: Development, Implementation and
Evaluation
Excerpts from the citation: When asked to comment on Cathy Nielson's teaching,
students and colleagues consistently begin with statements like, "Can I just
say she is wonderful?"and "Anyone who has experienced her as a teacher is
lucky." Professor Nielson is praised as a phenomenal teacher, adviser, and
mentor. Her classes are "masterfully crafted to be educational, challenging,
interactive and creative." Students rave about the insightful and dynamic
discussions in her classes. Students say her "warm and receptive personality
and open-door policy make her a wonderful adviser."
Alumni who graduated as long ago as 1985 continue to call her for advice and
answers to difficult questions and career choices. Students and colleagues say
she is a "big-picture person who provides right-on-the-money advice." She
played a crucial role in the development of the Occupational Therapy Program,
and those efforts made it one of the leading programs in the United States.
Students enrolled in the program recognize her contributions and call her the
"Renaissance" person of the program.
Teaching style/philosophy: "At the core of my teaching philosophy is the belief
that the process of education must be a positive experience for both the
teacher and the student if the full power of education is to be realized. I
believe that education is society's most powerful instrument for change.
Mishandled, that power can create irrevocable damage to the individual and
ultimately to society. Appropriately handled, education can inform and inspire
individuals to change and to promote that same type of exchange across all of
their interactions."
John Orth
* Title: William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of Law
* Faculty member since: 1978
* Other Carolina teaching awards: Frederick B. McCall Award for Excellence in
Teaching, 1985
* University awarding J.D. and Ph.D.: Harvard
* Graduate classes taught last year: Property I, Property II, Trusts &
Estates, Legal History
Excerpts from the citation: Professor John Orth's teaching philosophy is
described this way: "Be yourself. Students may not know much about the subject,
but they will recognize a lack of genuineness. You can do anything in class
that you believe in. The minute you strike a false note, they will hear it. ...
The challenge of teaching is not just to grow as a scholar but also as a
person."
His colleagues in the Law School say he turns a dull lecture into an
interesting one and that he is best at using the Socratic teaching method. One
said that law students grow by self-esteem, and that his lectures are like
reading a poem. Another noted that he mentors by example more than by providing
advice.
Students label him a Shakespearean actor in the classroom, and first-year
students say he is their favorite teacher. He has a superb ability to use very
clear hypothetical examples in class. He has exemplary interpersonal skills, is
encouraging and very patient. A former student said, "As a teacher, John Orth
is a creature apart. He skillfully communicates the accessible in a manner that
exposes the complex."
Teaching style/philosophy: "I use a modified form of the traditional law school
Socratic-dialogue method. The object is as much to impart specific information
as to introduce students to the distinctive method of legal reasoning. I love
to teach."
Marc Zenner
* Title: Professor of Finance
* Faculty member since: 1989
* Other Carolina teaching awards: Ph.D. Weatherspoon Teaching Award,
Kenan-Flagler Business School, 1998; MBA Weatherspoon Teaching Award,
Kenan-Flagler Business School, 1997
* University awarding Ph.D.: Purdue
* Graduate classes taught last year: Advanced Corporate Finance, Corporate
Finance Ph.D. Seminar
Excerpts from the citation: Enthusiastic and innovative are the first words
mentioned by colleagues and students when asked about Professor Zenner.
Professor Zenner teaches advanced corporate finance, serves as the Finance Area
Chair, and advises the finance club at the Kenan-Flager Business School. Zenner
balances his role in administration and his role as a professor with great
ease, doing an extraordinary job in both positions.
He is noted as someone who makes "great strides for the business school."
Zenner is pioneer of new courses, including a course where he took students to
Cuba. This adventure marked the first time a business school had been to Cuba
on a hosted basis. Zenner incorporates real world examples into the classroom
on a daily basis and invites an impressive list of guest speakers to enrich the
classroom experience. He is known for getting all of his students excited and
involved in what they are learning, even those who are not pursuing a career in
finance. He is respected and admired for his ability to engage students into
class discussions, involving them in the lectures while magically leading the
discussion to the lesson at hand. Professor Zenner has an excellent rapport
with international students and always makes them feel welcome.
Also, Professor Zenner has a continuous open-door policy, finding time to help
students make essential job connections and giving them career advice. Students
appreciate Professor Zenner's ability to make them feel like colleagues instead
of "lowly beings at the bottom of the totem pole."
Teaching style/philosophy: "My teaching style is of course adapted to the
nature of the course. That is, I will have a very participative seminar style
of teaching when I teach a Ph.D. seminar with 8-10 students, and a more
structured approach when I teach a large group of MBAs. Either way, however, my
teaching style includes many applied examples and requires intensive student
participation."
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